Day 9 was our last official day in Europe so we figured we would squeeze one last country in! Salzburg, Austria is a quick hour and a half train ride from Munich and was the perfect way to wrap up our trip! In my Rick Steve's book he recommended a few tours to take in Austria. We aren't really tour type of people but we really wanted to see some of the outlying areas and figured a tour would be our best bet. We picked a smaller tour line to go with as Rick Steves said he liked it more because it was more personal. And personal it was. We were the only ones booked that day. And it was awkward to say the least. The tour guy was very nice but when you are in a foreign country and are in a van with a man by yourselves going up into the mountains you get a little bit of anxiety. Bryan thought for sure he was a serial killer and was trying to plan our escape. His words not mine. But I am happy to report that we made it through the tour unharmed and actually enjoyed our private tour towards the end :) The views alone were worth it.
Our first stop was the beautiful Lake Konigsee. I can't even describe it. It was so breathtakingly beautiful that words just don't do it justice. We were dropped off in a little town and were told we could take a two hour boat tour of the lake or hike up to "painters corner" for an amazing view. We choose the hike and it was worth every bit of griping that came out of the three year old mouth. We sat for so long just in awe of this amazing place. It is surrounded on all sides by the Alps, or "pre-Alps" as the guide told us because apparently the real Alps are twice this size! Only one boat is allowed on the lake and only one Fisherman is allowed to fish! The nominated fisherman has been passed down for generations in the same family and is quite the honor to be appointed! After basking in the beauty of Lake Konigsee we hiked back to the town and waited for out tour guide. We didn't nearly have enough time in the beautiful little place. As we were leaving we saw Hitler's Eagles Nest perched high up on a mountain. It was still closed for winter so we could go up to the top. But I can imagine the views were unbelievable! On our way back to Salzburg we stopped in Bertchtesgaden, Germany to walk around and eat lunch. It was a quick stop but I really wished we had more time there as well!
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On the drive back to Salzburg, I asked the guide to pull over and take a few pictures of us. One of the perks of "private" tour I suppose! We are in Austria but the German border is somewhere behind us in the picture!
After the tour, we were dropped off in Salzburg at the Fortress. We took the funicular up to the top and explored for a bit! It was pretty neat and the views were to die for!
After the fortress we walked to cute streets of Salzburg, and saw the childhood home of Mozart!
The pictures of Salzburg really bum me out. It was one of the prettiest towns I have ever seen and the pictures just don't do it any justice at all! Next we walked to Augustiner Biergarten which was a brewery that had been has brewed the same beer recipe that the Monk's created. You grab your mug, wash it out, hand it to the bartender and he fills it up for you! We sat outside on a gorgeous afternoon with our beer and giant pretzels and the kids played at the table. It was so prefect! And I am already planning out trip back to Salzburg!
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