Hallstatt, Laundry, and a Free Fortress
Early start today. And by early I mean out the door by 8, which for us on this trip is basically dawn. Stopped at a bakery for buns, cold cuts, and cheese to eat on the road, then pointed the car toward Hallstatt. The drive through the Alps was gorgeous. Now picture this: cruising through the mountains, shifting down, shifting up, feeling the turns and bends through the passes. Sounds very cool. What we were actually cruising through the Alps in was... less cool. Let's just say the car did not match the fantasy.
Hallstatt was super cute. It's overcrowded these days but we arrived before the masses showed up and decided to take an electric boat out on the lake. Our captain took us around and it was so worth it. Sofie and Lukas loved the little town. Grabbed coffee and some really good gelato. Apparently people think Hallstatt is the town that inspired Frozen, but sounds like that's just a rumour.
Sound of Music Tour
We left Hallstatt and stopped at Mondsee for lunch and to see the church from The Sound of Music. Then back toward Salzburg, where the first order of business was... laundry. Our Airbnb doesn't have a machine and we were running dangerously low on undergarments. Dropped a load at the laundromat, set a timer for 30 minutes, and speed-walked over to Mirabell Gardens. Another Sound of Music filming location. Another super clean and pristine garden. It was really hot today.
Back for the laundry, then home to dry it. Chad had work meetings while the rest of us chilled. Around 6 we headed back out to explore Old Town Salzburg, only to realize the city basically shuts down at 7pm. Most of the stores were already closing.
The Fortress Gamble
We wanted to go up to the fortress but it was 7:30 and it closed at 8. Not worth 60 euro for half an hour. So we took a gamble and walked up anyway, secretly hoping some kind soul would let us in at a discount. But... we got in for free. Just walked right in. Wandered around and caught a bit of the sunset over Salzburg. You know me, I'm a sucker for a good sunset. Lukas got his energy out working on those uphill skater strides. Then back home for a very late night of work.