Austria and Prague 2019 - Beautiful, Charming, Historic Salzburg

A taxi driven by a charming woman in her 60's with tattoos, about 15 piercings in each ear and a gray, post punk haircut deposits us at our hotel. We are 2 blocks from the river and bridges leading to the old town, a UNESCO World Heritage site. We spent the day, as did many others, wandering small winding streets, lined with venerable, beautifully preserved buildings, Salzburg is not a place of broad boulevards. We explore the plazas which dot the city, imagining the history they hold.

One of these plazas is the busiest part of the small city, on one side is the apartment house which is the birthplace of Mozart. In a sign of the times there is a Starbucks off to one side. Through an arch is a view of the river. The tiny lane leading to the apartment house, now a museum, is lined with shops, each with a colorful sign hanging over the street. There are covered arcades, again lined with shops, some of them very expensive and high end, off of some of the plazas. They are so narrow that by spreading your arms you would be able to touch the sides. It sometimes feels as if you are in a beautiful, baroque maze. The view from both sides of the river is architectural eye candy. Skylines of venerable facades punctuated by domes and church spires. Our own hotel, in the "new" part of the city, was constructed in 1507.

We wander, shop and people watch. Both I and my husband notice that the men, both tourists and locals alike, are far more attractive than what we had become accustomed to during our time in Vienna. My husband goes online later that night and discovers that there is one of a chain of once famous, now fading, gay bars in the city, as well as 2 others. Perhaps that explains the male eye candy.

The locals were more friendly and gracious than those we had encountered in Vienna. From the shopkeepers to the hotel staff to the charming waiter to the woman who took our order for wine. We asked the waiter to take our picture at our outside table as we enjoyed the cool night air. He happily complied. As he was doing so the young woman returned with our glasses in hand and playfully sat on my husband's lap. From the smiles in the photo it appears that a good time was had by all.