Altstadt Salzburg.

Although we only had a quick 24 hours in Salzburg, the city's walk-ability and compact size didn't leave us feeling like he had missed out on a chunk of it. I'm sure we didn't see it all by any means, but we weren't leaving frantically, running back and forth from monument to monument. Salzburg's Old Town, or "Altstadt" runs along the riverside and is packed with shops, restaurants, and things to see.

I've been trying to figure out the right wording for this, but Salzburg was both Rach and myself's first encounter with World War II history in former Nazi-occupied areas...in simple terms: "Hitler was here"...and that made us a bit fidgety at times. Sure we've seen historical bits from WWII in Hawaii, London, and Paris, but there was just something different about being in countries like Austria and Germany. 

Adjacent to Residenzplatz is Salzburg Cathedral, free to enter and well worth a visit for the baroque architecture alone. The original dome was built in 774 and throughout history was torn down, changed, and added on, before finally being completed in the 1600's and being partially damaged during WWII. Also, Mozart was baptised here!

According to Google Translate, "zuhören" means "listen"...so there ya go. This statue is by Anna Chromy and is named Pietà or Coat of Peace...but I'll be honest and say the first thing I thought of was a dementor.

Historic water wheel, still functioning and used to this day for the bakery in the building alongside it. The canal system is one of the oldest in Europe and research says that it could date back to the 8th century.

St. Peter's Abbey poking out from behind buildings, a Benedictine monastery founded in 696. 

The University of Salzburg Church, Kollegienkirche, founded in 1623.

Mozart's birthplace turned museum open for visitors. We didn't get a chance to go in, but we read that his childhood violins are on display as well as early editions of his music so it could be very interesting if you are a music lover.

Part of the University of Salzburg's botanical gardens...statues of pickles. Because why not.

Salzburg does not mess around when it comes to bell ringing. Upon every hour the entire city will come alive with the sound of music bells.

"We will, we will, padlock you." - European bridge battle cry

Have you had a whirlwind trip to a city for less than 24 hours?

A Drop of Golden Sun | Salzburg.

Feeling musically inspired after our trek up to the castle, we sprinted down to Mirabell Palace & Gardens for the last drops of sunshine for a little song and dance...

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The castle aligns perfectly with the manicured gardens off to the side of the palace, but what you CAN'T see in these photos is...I'm actually tone-deaf.

The palace was built outside of the medieval city walls in 1606 by Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich Raitenau for his mistress (charming) and is popular as a wedding venue nowadays.

The gardens are an impressive place to walk around even if you aren't a Sound of Music fan...but if that's the case then you can't sit with us. Our hotel was a stone's throw from the gardens, so we stopped through again the next morning to frolic in the sunshine.

Rach crushin' the Julie pose.

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Apologies if this song is now stuck in your head for the rest of the day...

The Hiiiiiilllllls are Alive! | Salzburg.

If you don't enjoy Sound of Music references, now is your time to exit...

We had a quick 24 hours in Salzburg, Austria after our dreamy train ride from Verona with a stopover in Innsbruck. Honestly, some of the most stunning scenery I've ever seen that my camera did absolutely zero justice for. Picture a real-life Disney movie with ice blue rivers and castles peeking out of the snow capped mountainside. Our stopover in Innsbruck collided with lunch and as soon as we saw sandwiches made out of pretzels, we confirmed that we were going to enjoy our stay.

Salzburg is known for a few (of my favourite) things - history dating back to the Stone Age, being the birthplace of Mozart, gorgeous baroque architecture, becoming annexed as part of Nazi Germany and 46% of the city being destroyed during World War II...and of course - being the filming location of the 1965 film The Sound of Music. *cue fangirl squeals* I was raised on this musical, among others - I'm even listening to the soundtrack as I type this.

Being such a short visit, we had no time to rest. As soon as we began our walk through the Altstadt ("Old Town"), we spotted tiny people walking along a fortress up on the hill overlooking the city and set our sights on seeing Salzburg from above (I'm a creature of habit). 

But first....pretzel #2 of 48082340!

After paying an entrance fee, you zip up the mountainside or if you're feeling adventurous, take the footpath up to Hohensalzburg Castle. 

The castle dates back to 1077 and is one of the largest and best-preserved medieval castles in Europe - Rach and I joked about how we felt like we were at Disneyland the entire time. Hosting concerts and a handful of cafes along with panoramic views of the city, spending an hour or two exploring the castle and taking in the sights is a must if you find yourself in Salzburg.

Are you a Sound of Music fan?