The Europe Trip: Salzburg

Salzburg was the last stop of our Europe trip. The vibe was different. Unlike Innsbruck, Salzburg felt rowdy. There were more people holding bottles of alcohol on a broad daylight at the railway station. We even passed by a haggard looking guy who shouted repeatedly, "don't touch me!" Nobody seemed to be touching him, though.

 

It was almost three o'clock in the afternoon when we arrived in Salzburg. We had kebab at Euro Gyros and then found our way from the station to Meininger Hotel. Compared with other Meininger Hotels, the one in Salzburg was a bit rundown. Case in point, a day or two later, parts of the ceiling in the lift suddenly fell off and scratched my daughter's arm! 

A typical old town in Western Europe. 

Looking back, I was probably fatigued by our journey. We had gone a long way and traveled more than 1,000 km since our arrival in Geneva. By the time we reached Salzburg, things had become repetitive and lost its element of surprise. At this juncture, what we went through were roughly the same: river, old town, old buildings, french fries. As nice as Europe actually was, it felt like the holiday had run its course.

Still we explored Salzburg. On the first day, as we couldn't find any decent eateries nearby our hotel, we finally ate at Il Capo Dei Capi, the Italian restaurant next to our hotel. The kids and Yani had a big bowl of spaghetti bolognese while I ordered scudetto pizza. The portion was so big that we couldn't finish it!

Yani and the Sound of Music tour bus.

The next morning, Yani went for the Sound of Music tour, fulfilling her childhood dream. The rest of us lazed around on our bed until lunch time. We planned to meet at Mirabellgarten, so I brought my daughters to eat at Mr. Wen, a Chinese restaurant. It was there that I learnt the German words for fried rice: gebratener Reis. 

It was a slow afternoon, so slow that even Audrey fell asleep at Mr. Wen. When Yani appeared, we crossed the street to buy bus tickets. But what was supposed to be a Salzburg Card was wrongly purchased. Due to miscommunication, we got Hop On Hop Off bus tickets instead. The incident that caused us about EUR 60 dampened the mood. 

Anyway, since we got time before the next bus departure, we explored Mirabellgarten. The garden was featured in the Sound of Music, when Julie Andrews and the kids sang Do-Re-Mi. After that, we boarded the bus, going one round of city tour and returned to the same stop. We had a break at Backwerk, the coffee shop close to Mr. Wen, and again the kids fell asleep!

Along the river. 

It was late afternoon by the time they woke up. We passed by Mirabellgarten and walked along the river Salzach, then turned back to the city to have a glimpse of Mozart Residence. From there, we walked towards Steingasse. This are was like an old town, with lots of cafes and eateries. We eventually stepped into a Vietnamese restaurant named Uncle Van for early dinner.

The next day began with the visit to Mozart's Birthplace. I like this museum because it felt real. It was like the feeling I had the time when I visited the house where John Lennon grew up in Liverpool. There was this thrilling thoughts that once upon a time, a person named Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart really lived there with his parents and sister. But I didn't spend much time there because Audrey got bored. I exited the museum after a while and headed to Starbucks with her while Linda and her Mum stayed there.

Salzburg, viewed from Festung Hohensalzburg.

We had our lunch at Nordsee, easily the most expensive one paid by Yani because mine had scallops, haha. From there we headed to Festung Hohensalzburg, a fortress perching on the hill. It was a typical fortress, not very different from ones you'd normally see in the movies. When we were done with it, the last stop was the Mozart Monument. You see, Mozart was probably the most popular citizen of Salzburg, so he was celebrated everywhere. He even got his own chocolate, the Mozart chocolate balls, which were quite delectable. 

We still had half a day after we were done here, so we headed back to the railway station to purchase the ticket to return to Zürich. There was a quiet restaurant called Tida Thai Imbiss nearby and that's where we had our lunch. Yes, after almost two weeks in Europe, I'd go for anything Asian! The food is more tasty and oily, just the way I like it!

Our last stop in Salzburg was a decent mall called Forum 1, a short walking distance from the station. I learnt that the gelato in Austria was cheaper than Singapore, so I bought two scoops, haha. After the ice cream, we went back to hotel. We called it a day after a McD dinner on the floor. It was a reminiscence of what we did back in the beginning of the trip, when we were in Geneva. 

Audrey and Mama in Zürich.

The train ride to Zürich took about five hours, passing cities such as Innsbruck and Feldkirch. We arrived in Zürich at 1:20 pm. After taking our lunch (Japanese food this time), collecting the rucksack that I lost in Lauterbrunnen and buying the iconic Swiss railway clock, we explored the Old Town. It was the second time for me since I did my Strava time the first time we visited Zürich. When we were done, we finally went to Holiday Inn Express Zürich Airport. We stayed one night there to catch our morning flight. 

Zürich Airport is much bigger than its counterpart in Geneva. Finding the check-in counter could be confusing, too, at least for me, because of the term gate that has a different meaning than the ones in Changi. But we made it and were eventually on our way to Doha. We had more time this round to appreciate the airport. Yes, it is impressive, but Changi is still better, haha. And we landed in Singapore the next morning. Home sweet home!

Last photo in Switzerland. 

Liburan Ke Eropa: Salzburg

Salzburg adalah kota terakhir yang kita kunjungi selama berlibur ke Eropa. Berbeda dengan suasana di Innsbruck, ada kesan was-was di Salzburg. Di depan stasiun terlihat orang-orang berjalan sambil menenggak alkohol di siang bolong. Kita bahkan berpapasan dengan pria tua lusuh yang berulang kali berseru dengan keras, "jangan pegang saya!" Padahal tidak terlihat ada yang memegangnya. 

 

Hari sudah sore ketika kita tiba di Salzburg. Kita menyantap kebab di Euro Gyros dan kemudian naik bis dari stasiun kereta ke Hotel Meininger. Dibanding Meininger lainnya, yang satu ini terlihat lebih tidak terawat. Dan benar saja, di hari berikutnya, sebagian dari langit-langit lift runtuh dan menggores lengan putri saya! 

Kota tua di Eropa Barat.

Bila saya lihat kembali, bisa dikatakan bahwa saya sudah lelah mental saat kita tiba di Salzburg. Kita sudah menempuh lebih dari 1000 kilometer terhitung dari sejak kita mendarat di Jenewa. Di kala kita sampai di Salzburg, apa yang kita lalui mulai terasa diulang-ulang dan tidak lagi menimbulkan rasa decak kagum. Semuanya mulai terlihat sama: sungai, kota tua, gedung-gedung tua dan kentang goreng. Memang Eropa itu indah, tapi liburan ini memang sudah sampai titik jenuh. 

Namun kita tetap menjelajahi Salzburg. Di hari pertama, karena tidak menemukan tempat makan yang cocok, kita akhirnya makan di Il Capo Dei Capi, restoran Italia di samping hotel. Anak-anak dan Yani berbagi semangkuk besar spaghetti bolognese sedangkan saya memesan scudetto pizza. Porsinya besar, sampai-sampai dibungkus pulang ke hotel! 

Yani dan bis the Sound of Music.

Keesokan paginya, Yani ikut tur the Sound of Music dan memenuhi impian masa kecilnya. Saya dan anak-anak bersantai di kamar sampai jam makan siang, lalu berangkat ke Mirabellgarten karena kita janjian untuk bertemu di sana. Di kawasan tersebut, kita makan siang di Mr. Wen, sebuah restoran Cina. Di tempat ini saya baru mengetahui bahwa bahasa Jerman untuk nasi goreng adalah gebratener Reis, hehe. 

Sore itu berjalan lambat, sampai-sampai Audrey tertidur di Mr. Wen. Saat Yani tiba, kita menyeberang untuk membeli tiket. Yang harusnya kita beli itu Salzburg Card, tapi yang kita dapatkan justru tiket Hop On Hop Off bus. Insiden seharga CHF 60 yang terjadi karena miskomunikasi ini sempat membuat suasana liburan terganggu. 

Karena kita masih punya waktu sebelum bis berangkat, kita jalan-jalan dulu di Mirabellgarten. Taman ini muncul di film the Sound of Music, saat Julie Andrews dan anak-anak menyanyikan lagu Do-Re-Mi. Setelah itu, kita naik bis mengitari kota dan kembali ke tempat yang sama. Kita beristirahat sejenak di Backwerk, kedai kopi di seberang Mr. Wen, dan anak-anak tertidur lagi!

Di tepi Sungai Salzach.

Linda dan Audrey baru bangun saat sore mulai menjelang senja. Kita melewati Mirabellgarten dan berjalan menyusuri Sungai Salzach, lalu berbalik arah untuk melihat Mozart Residence. Dari situ, kita berjalan ke arah Steingasse. Kawasan ini adalah kota tua dengan banyak kafe dan tempat makan. Kita akhirnya masuk ke restoran Vietnam bernama Uncle Van untuk makan malam. 

Hari berikutnya dimulai dengan kunjungan ke Mozart's Birthplace. Saya suka museum ini karena ada suatu perasaan yang nyata. Rasanya seperti saat mampir ke rumah di mana John Lennon tumbuh dewasa di Liverpool. Terbayang di benak bahwa pernah ada orang bernama Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart yang tinggal di rumah ini bersama orang tua dan kakaknya. Saya tidak lama di sana karena Audrey mulai bosan dan rewel, jadi kita pun menunggu di Starbucks sementara Linda dan mamanya lanjut melihat-lihat. 

Salzburg, dilihat dari Festung Hohensalzburg.

Kita lantas makan di Nordsee yang terletak di samping museum, mungkin makan siang paling mahal yang pernah dibayar oleh Yani karena ada kerang simping dalam pesanan saya, haha. Setelah makan, kita menuju ke Festung Hohensalzburg, sebuah benteng di atas bukit, mirip seperti yang kita lihat di film-film abad pertengahan. 

Monumen Mozart menjadi tempat persinggahan berikutnya. Mozart ini adalah putra kebanggaan Salzburg, jadi dikenang di mana-mana. Dia bahkan jadi suvenir bola coklat yang enak rasanya. 

Kita masih memiliki setengah hari saat selesai menjelajahi kawasan tersebut. Oleh karena itu, kita ke stasiun untuk membeli tiket kereta dengan tujuan ke Zürich. Ada restoran bernama Tida Thai Imbiss di dekat stasiun dan kita pun makan siang di sana. Ya, setelah hampir dua minggu lamanya di Eropa, saya selalu mengincar makanan Asia. Lebih enak dan berminyak makanannya. Pokoknya lebih sedap! 

Tempat terakhir yang kita kunjungi di Salzburg adalah pusat perbelanjaan kecil bernama Forum 1 di samping stasiun. Di mal itu baru saya ketahui, ternyata harga gelato di Austria lebih murah dari Singapore, jadi saya beli dua porsi, hehe. Hari tersebut pun berakhir dengan makan McD di lantai kamar hotel, mirip seperti yang kita lakukan di awal liburan, saat kita berada di Jenewa. 

Audrey dan Mama di Zürich.

Kereta dari Salzburg ke Zürich memakan waktu lima jam, melewati kota-kota seperti Innsbruck dan Feldkirch. Kita tiba di Zürich pada pukul 1:20 siang. Setelah makan (kali ini menu masakan Jepang), mengambil tas ransel yang sempat hilang di Lauterbrunnen dan membeli jam stasiun Swiss yang ikonik, kita berjalan-jalan di Kota Tua. Ini adalah kali kedua bagi saya karena saya sempat Strava sewaktu pertama kali tiba di Zürich. Setelah puas menikmati pemandangan, kita akhirnya pergi ke Holiday Inn Express Zürich Airport. 

Bandara Zürich jauh lebih besar dari lapangan terbang di Jenewa. Mencari konter cek in cukup membingungkan juga, soalnya istilah gate yang dipakai di sini berbeda artinya dengan yang di Changi. Tapi syukurlah semuanya lancar dan kita pun akhirnya terbang ke Doha. Kali ini kita memiliki lebih banyak waktu untuk menjajaki Bandara Doha. Memang besar bandaranya, tapi tetap saja Changi lebih bagus, wahaha. Dan kita akhirnya mendarat di Singapura di pagi berikutnya. Senang rasanya kembali ke rumah lagi! 

Foto terakhir di Swiss.