April 29, 2022
Friday arrived and today our travel pals were due to meet up with us. After al fresco breakfast on a beautiful morning, and a walk to a store or two, we met up with them at our hotel.
We decided to have lunch at the same beautiful Stiegl Biergarten overlooking Salzburg and catch up. After a few samplings of beer, we walked to a marketplace filled with sausages, pretzel, flowers and locals. We then made our way to Stern Brau Biergarten near our hotel to sort out world events. Sorry to say, the world remains complicated, and we shirked our responsibilities by shopping at the Swarovski store!
We returned to the lovely hotel so that our friends could unpack and nap, while we made the last-minute decision to visit the Mirabell Gardens’ Winemakers Festival. The gardens were beautifully filled with tulips and spring flowers and many people.
We had read about the Friday Wine Market, which only was offered for a few Fridays each year, and had to try a Riesling.
We returned to the hotel and HAD to try the Salzburg Happy Hour next to our hotel at Sporer, which is a 4th generation spirits establishment dating back to 1903. Bob went into the small boutique cave and returned with some more Riesling, which we enjoyed on the streets with the locals who looked the Americans with curiosity.
All four of us had dinner at the authentic Gasthof Goldgasse which is a 700-year-old house, considered an insider’s choice of a cozy restaurant in an upscale inn. Romantic architecture throughout the restaurant revealed original timbers from the 15th century. We dined on filet of beef tenderloins, classic fried chicken in a pot and chateaubriand for two! Ending the dinner, we enjoyed the legendary Salzburg treat, Nockerine, a sweet fluffy treat served with homemade ice cream and berries.
We followed up dinner at our hotel bar with some conversation and adult beverages. Tomorrow, we sadly leave the beautiful UNESCO town of Salzburg, and we think, the sun, as we travel to the Salzkammergut region of Austria to begin our hike through the lakes of Austria. PROST!!!