The Hills are ALIVE

OK, so I don't really know what that means, but it sounds ominous and... familiar... Of course I am talking about the famous song from the movie, "The Sound Of Music". And the best place to watch it every single freaking day is undoubtedly in Salzburg's International Hostel. We stayed there 4 nights. Their continental breakfast was amazing... and cheap!
The last time I was in Salzburg was in the final days of 2005, with my mum and Lee. It was winter. It was cold. And best of all it was white and covered in snow. Absolutely stunning. This city was one of my favourites 3 years ago, and that still hasn't changed. It was the one I was most excited about revisiting on this trip. There's simply a beautiful liveliness in the streets, in the markts, in the colourful 17th-century buildings that sit flush up against the cliff backdrop, in the trams, in the Sacher torte shops, in the prominent medieval Festung Hohensalzburg fortress overlooking the city, in the many painted Christmas egg shops that line the narrow and busy Getreidegasse (they are in full bloom even in mid-October), in the parks, in the river and, yes, even in the hills that encircle this picturesque old town, which has been given Unesco World Heritage status. This time around though the season was Autumn and the surrounding hills were not white, but multi-coloured in greens, yellows, oranges and reds. The weather is clear, the air is crisp and there is a great vibe flowing through it. As you can tell, I like this city.
Of course, the major attraction for most people is the sights and sounds of The Sound Of Music with many of the film's scenes shot right here in Salzburg or very nearby. They are quite recognisable too, provided you brush up with the morning screening of the movie at the hostel. Last time we were here we did the obligatory Sound Of Music tour which did the rounds taking us to said sights - it was pretty cool, but there's something just not right about a busload of people singing "How do you solve a problem like Maria?". There are a multitude of other similar tours here capitalising on this fact, including Freülein Maria's Bicycle Tours...
The other claim to fame this city holds is that it is the birthplace of one Mr. Mozart. There are several museums here dedicated to the man, despite the fact that he decided to leave Salzburg in 1780 at the age of 24, leaving behind a legacy of only his earliest works.
During our time here, we visited a Biofest with all things bio on display and on sale in Kapitelplatz, a square towered over by the fortress above. Primarily bio bread, bio icecream, and of course bio meat were available here, not to mention the large beer tent full of people drinking bio beer (what kind of Austrian festival would it be ohne Bier?). We met a lovely and new-to-travelling young American couple on our second day in the hostel and we spent a good deal of time talking about the differences between our two countries. Always interesting. We made friends and had a long and intense talk about politics in Mexico City with a local mum from the Republic café/bar where we spent a lot of our time. But our time in Salzburg was mainly spent simply meandering from the new town on the north-side of the teal-blue river to the pedestrianised old town on the south and back again, soaking in the vibrant atmosphere of the crowds of tourists and locals alike.
A wonderful, long awaited and much enjoyed experience.

Photos:

Across the river

the old town with the fortress in the background

the cliffs and autumn colours

Getreidegasse

that's what I mean by Christmas egg shops. imagine this throughout a whole store, throughout 20 stores..

autumn fun at the bio fest

i want a pair!

recognise this? i'll give you a hint: do re mi

neat