Snow, hot chocolate, cake, Christmas decorations, hearty dinners, cosy pubs…these are a few of my favourite things. And where better to find them than Austria at Christmas?
The various members of my family and I began our pursuit for some of these favourite things with an exploration of Salzburg’s old town. However, upon our arrival there was not a flake of snow to be seen and I sincerely hoped the situation would improve.
Picturesque and relaxed, Salzburg barely feels like a city. Narrow, pedestrianised lanes connect elegant squares, and all the time the 15th-century fortress peeks over the rooftops from her hilltop position. In December, every lane and square fills with hundreds of Christmas market stalls – we had barely been in the city for two hours and our wallets were emptying rapidly. We were in need of recuperation and warming-up, so headed for a traditional Austrian coffee house where we indulged in delicious Sachertorte and hot punch.
The city centre is easy to navigate by foot, with the main attractions of the castle, Mozart’s house, the cathedral and the many other baroque churches that populate the city within walking distance of each other.
Later that evening, after a scrumptious dinner of schnitzel and strudel, we discovered a welcoming pub which was furnished with pine and served tankards of Stiegl beer – perfect to celebrate our first evening in Austria.
We awoke the next morning, a little bleary-eyed and heavy-headed, to snow falling in the streets outside, and utterly overexcited, we dashed out for a long and involved snowball fight.
After a couple of days in the city, we decided to head out to Lake Wolfgang. Less than an hour’s bus journey took us from Salzburg to St Gilgen, a small village on the shores of the lake. It felt like we hopped off the bus straight into a Christmas card, as every path, tree branch, rooftop and signpost was laden with snow. Every building was tastefully decorated – Christmas trees and swags adorned the wooden balconies of traditional chalets, candles and lanterns twinkled in every window, and parents pulled their children on old-fashioned sleds along the streets.
In the village square, stalls in wooden cabins were selling handmade decorations and food, while people wrapped their hands round mugs of punch and huddled next to crackling braziers. Outside one of the punch stalls, a bar had even been built from the snow. I had found my favourite things, and more.
You can’t go far wrong with Austrian publishers Freytag & Berndt’s Salzburg Stadt map (1:10 000). For a guide to all the attractions Salzburg and its surrounding area have to offer, take along the Insight Compact Guide to Salzburg.
Author: Rachel Ricks
Date: 24 October 2007
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