hook a duck

I think everyone will agree that waking up to this view as we swept open our balcony doors in Saltzburg - then there really was only one song:

and a gentle early morning mist enveloped Saltzburg while the sun tried to peep through

It was downstairs for a tasty breakfast in our fairytale B&B Die Romantik Pension Haslachmühle

everything we could have wanted

and the cosy stove burning away in the corner

and here's the hint of our morning surprise . . .

but first a final view from our stupendous balcony as the sun breaks through inch by inch and we start to see the city below

and the beautiful valley around us

still with a gentle misty layer

Our bed and breakfast and our very own balcony!

and off down the track we head

to wait in the lane

for our fairytale carriage pulled by two very beautiful Haflinger horses.  A very famous breed of Austrian horses previously only known to me as a horse-mad child through my Observers' Book of Horses and Ponies.  And now I've seen one in real life!

This was just magical - clip clopping at an unhurried pace for nearly half an hour into Saltzburg in the morning sun.

someone was definitely loving it as much as me!

One of the horses was an old hand and the other was younger and new to the job and was quite sparky and playful.  No run away dramas though - one very careful driver!

note the distant castle!

First view of the magnificent Salzach river

And here we were finally trotting into the centre of the lovely Saltzburg

and here were our lovely horses getting a bit of love and thank yous from us all

and now it was Shanks' pony for the rest of the morning

but such a beautiful little city to explore

Though don't be fooled by the blue skies and the smiles - it was absolutely FREEZING!

Tyrollean style?

Discovered a lovely market square just setting up for the day

and the Mozart ducks - well I've no idea what they were all about

But it's definitely time for a note from the great composer - I've chosen the Marriage of Figaro overture as I remember playing this back in the day with the Wallasey Youth Orchestra on one of our Burton Manor stays

and in timely fashion we happen upon Mozart's birthplace

and continue through the town

to the Makartsteg Bridge -weighed down with love locks!

with such beautiful views down the Salzach

and,on the other side of the river, Mozart's later residence when the birthplace became too small for the family

and the peaceful gardens of the Mirabelgarten and palace

where there was another horsey friend to bond with

but by now it was a dash to the station to catch our train over the famous Arlberg pass into Switzerland and Zurich - keep ready for the last leg of our adventures by clicking: over the Alps to Zurich . .

But if you missed the start of this holiday, then feel free to go to the beginning by clicking here

over the hills and far away

Still Tuesday 28 October 2015

and we are off on our travels across Austria from Vienna to Saltzburg, home of Mozart and the Sound of Music

by double decker train - and, naturally, heading for the top deck!

The lush Austrian countryside rolling alongside us and just for the record, this train had the poshest, cleanest train loos EVER and free wifi

We saw the sun setting over Linz and it's huge steel plant and in no time we arrive at Saltzburg Hautbahnhof

a lovely light bright station - all white like the snow!  Jess had something of a brainwave and we dumped our cases in the left luggage for the night had headed off with little more than our toothbrushes . . .

and soon we're at our destination - the very wonderful Die Romantik Pension Haslachmühle which used to be an old mill.

This has just got to be one of the best Bed and Breakfasts in the world, in a beautiful Alpine setting just on the edge of the city.  Everything was perfect and we all wished we'd had more than one night's stay - see my Tripadvisor review

and this was the view over night-time Saltzburg from the balcony of our room and there was snow on the peaks of the Alps to our left which you'll see in the daylight tomrrow.

The wonderful Caroline drove us down to this friendly little pizza cafe

and we enjoyed a moonlit walk back up the hill to work off the pizzas

Back in our cosy room, it was the complusive Bananagrams round the stove before bed

and tomorrow is another day - so tune in again for our adventures around Salzburg and our dramatic entrance into the city - just click here!

And if you missed the start of this holiday, then feel free to go to the beginning in Vienna by clicking here