Salzburger

The defining memory of Salzburg for me will be the Hohensalzburg Funicular.

After three hours of walking the long way up and around Mönchsberg we came to an extremely steep path to the Festung. At the top of the path was a small sign on the centuries-old gate outlining the price of admission to the battlements.

Having come that far, handing over €20 felt like the only option. It was worth it. The inside of the Festung was maintained in the shape of a medieval city fortress. Every direction you looked had views over the city, the river and the mountains.

We spent another hour racking up steps, exploring and climbing more towers. Then we found an outdoor restaurant with a view over the Alps. Vanessa had Strudel and I drank a half litre of the local Stiegl Weißbier. Then we elected to ride the funicular down the steep slope into old town.

The funicular is a glass car on rails full of tourists that goes up and down the mountain. One ride is included in the Festung entry price. Drinking half a litre of beer before riding it down was an amazing/serendipitous piece of planning. The Salzburg Dom growing rapidly in size as you hurtle towards the picturesque city centre. It's like a Central European holiday is being pressure-hosed into your eyes.