Austria: The hills are alive....

Sunset in Salzburg

Our Europe adventure continued from  Switzerland to Austria when we boarded the train at St. Moritz. Interestingly, the train to Innsbruck was going to cross a whole another country. Liechtenstein which is just 160 sq. km. That was quite exciting for us and we clicked our proof when it stopped at Schaan-Vaduz station in that country.

Innsbruck

There was no direct train from St Moritz to Innsbruck. We chose the route through Buchs where we could switch trains as our Swiss 8 day pass was still valid. It was a  picturesque journey through Austria made even more exciting as we passed through the Liechtenstein first. As it was just a one night stay, we didnt have any plan other than to explore the city. After we found our Airbnb, which took some doing as it was hidden inside a courtyard, we dropped off our luggage and headed back to the city. It was fun just hanging out there. Still we managed to drop into Swarosvki store, took some shots of Golden Roof house, and ate at a bustling pub restaurant choosing local dishes. Next day we stopped by a museum, Hofburg?, on way to the station to catch our Salzburg train.

Walk to Hohensalzburg Fortress

Our Airbnb at Salzburg was walkable from Hohensalzburg Fortress. Or so we thought. Map showed a path from the backside and that turned out to be quite a trek. However it was scenic and we got to observe some of Austrian local like like cycling, gardens, seniors walking, etc. There is a funicular train from the city side which would have avoided the tough climb up. The fortress was lovely, with many view points, history, museums, cafes/restaurants (we didnt try any). As the sun set, we made it down to the city on the funicular this time. Explored the city as we made our way to our home, caught a fantastic sunset and picked up dinner along the way.

View from fortress

One the full day in Salzburg, we chose to do the Sound of Music self guided tour. This was best as we could keep our pace and visit almost all the movies points. A thoroughly enjoyable experience though very very tiring. Paid guide may have been more efficient and thorough. Our walk kept us in the core tourist area which is mostly around the Mirabel Palace and side streets with fun shopping/restaurants. Stern Biergarten an outdoor pub is where we had a relaxed lunch. After more than 2 weeks of vacation, such breaks were most welcome.

Mirabel Palace

Next day we were on the train to Munich in the morning our final day in Europe. Only here we had border agents check our passport and visa. Even thought it was just half a day in the city, our schedule was packed. First stop was the BMW museum and showroom, then Munich New town where we met our resident nephew who kindly hosted a most welcome, Indian style dinner for us, and got to meet his family. BMW Museum was huge with lots of displays and information on its history. The adjacent showroom showcased their latest cars. A robot vending machine which made fresh coffee for us was quite futuristic. When we reached the New town to meet my nephew, we got luck as it coincided with the Clock chiming. The musical puppet show for the chime took more than 10m! After the dinner, it was back to our hostel and back our actual homes the next day!

And so it was, our European adventure came to an end at Munich Airport. We took back loads of memories, experiences, food, culture, all with a plenty of fun family time. 

Some more images can be seen in this album.

Cellphone images from the full Europe trip