Christmas in Switzerland

After the first part of our Christmas vacation in Austria, we caught the train from Salzburg to Zurich on Christmas Day.  There was some spectacular mountain scenes during the 6 hour journey, and the train was comfortable so the time was very relaxing. Pretty much everything was closed when we arrived at 6pm, but we did find one corner store open near the train station where we bought some groceries for a Christmas dinner.

The next day was wet and grey, so we sought the indoor surroundings of the Zurich Art Gallery (Zurich Kunsthaus).  There was an Edvard Munch display on, where we saw all of his well known works such as The Scream and Madonna.  We then headed out into the drizzle to look through the streets of the old town and visit the Fraumunster and Grossmunster cathedrals.  In the evening we went on a walking tour where we learned a bit about the city and saw some of the sights including Lindenhoftplatz which had a nice view over the river, and even found some Roman ruins beneath the foundations of the city.

The weather on the next morning made up for the grey skies on the previous day.  We started with a quick visit to the rather disappointing Im Viadukt market hall, before heading out to Lake Zurich. We just missed the ferry so we went for a walk instead, and it was really nice to be out in the sun. At one point there was a guy making some pretty impressive status by balancing rocks on each other.  We then caught the bus back into the city and wandered along the main shopping streets in the old town, soaking in the atmosphere.

We had an early start the next morning as we caught the train from Zurich to Interlaken, a small town amongst the Swiss Alps.  The sunny weather was quickly removing the recent snow from the roads and parks in town, but when we caught the train out to Grindewald there was plenty of snow.  We explored this little ski village and stopped for a coffee before catching the train back.  The ribs and wings in the local pub was a delicious way to finish the day.

We thought the train ride to Grindewald was nice, but it was nothing compared to the mountain train that we took up to Jongfraujoch the next day.  At almost 3,500m, it is the highest railway in Europe and one of the highest in the world.  There was a decent visitor centre at the top with information about the area, some ice tunnels and ice sculptures and outdoor viewing areas which led out into the -17 degree celsius temperatures.  There would normally be more outdoor snow activities available but due to the risk of avalanche from heavy recent snow it was all closed. Nonetheless it was a magical place to visit with beautiful views of the mountains from above the cloud level.

On the train ride back down to Interlaken, we stopped off at a few other little ski villages to soak up the winter atmosphere.

The train was our starting point again the next day as we headed for Geneva.  Despite the many hours we had already spent travelling by rail through the alps, the 3 hour trip was by no means boring.  In Geneva, we wandered around the lake and through the winding streets of the old town, including a visit to the St Pierre cathedral. As we walked towards the Reformation Wall, which commemorates the individuals involved in the protestant reformation, we came across an official ceremony.  The marching band, uniformed soldiers and politicians were there to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Restoration of the Republic of Geneva, when Napoleon's French troops left the city in 1813.

Water fountain on Lake Geneva

For my birthday we went to a really nice French steakhouse called Les Relais de l' Entrecote.  It was an interesting experience- we knew it opened at 7 but we got there about 15 minutes early to find people already starting to line up.  By opening time, there was at least 20 or 30 people in the line behind us.  There was no menu because the only meal they serve is steak with salad and fries.  The simple decision for the main is complimented by a large choice of desserts, and I had a creme brulee to go with the delicious steak.

Our last day in Geneva was spent walking around the lake and relaxing in a nice cafe, before heading to the airport for the flight back to Amsterdam where New Year's celebrations were waiting for us.

Christmas in Salzburg

Snow capped mountains, a fortress looking down from a sheer cliff face, a cathedral lined river meandering through the middle of the city.  Add some Christmas markets, ice skating rinks, roasted almonds and gluhwein, and you've got a pretty special place to spend Christmas.

In Salzburg, music fills every part of the city, from the rooftop orchestra playing out over the Christmas markets to classical concerts in the old prince archbishop residence, and of course the 2 main tourist draw cards- Mozart and the Sound of Music.  The city is Mozart mad, with Mozart museums, Mozart concerts, Mozart chocolate, Mozart liqueur, Mozart souvenirs.  We went to both the Mozart Geburtshaus (where Mozart was born) and the Mozart Wohnhaus (where Mozart lived his early years) which had all the information and displays you could possibly want to see about the life and works of Mozart, and the period during which he lived.

Mozart Geburtshaus museum

Spotlight on the rooftop orchestra

The rugged landscape in which the town is built means there is plenty of places to take in the picturesque views of the city from above.  Just across the river from the old town is Kapuzinerberg mountain.  One morning we walked through the forest where, even though we didn't make it all the way to the top, there was nice views in all directions, but particularly over the river and the old town.  Back on the other side of the river, the Hohensalzburg Castle also has nice views over the town and the countryside.  Although there is an elevator and a funicular that can take you up the cliff to the castle, we found some stairs and a nice walking track up to the top.  This gave us a bit more time to enjoy the view and a sense of achievement as we explored the castle grounds.

Path up to Kapuzinerberg

Through the forest on Kapuzinerberg mountain

Views over the city from Kapuzinerberg

View over the countryside from the Hohonsalzburg castle

The nearby mountain peak of Untersberg is a favourite of Salzburg locals as it is always visible on the horizon.  We hopped on the local bus and took the 25 minute ride to the Untersbergbahn cable car, both of which were included in the Salzburg card (which made it quite good value).  The cable car took us to the top of the snow covered peak which had beautiful views over the green fields towards Salzburg and also over the snowy alps in the other direction.  It was nice to spend an hour or so on the peak in the snow, where there were a few short walking tracks that didn't need any special snow or hiking gear.

Trying the local cuisine is always a must-do when travelling, and Salzburg did not disappoint.  Along with the Christmas market foods, soup and goulash were favourites in the cold, wintry conditions.  A specialty dessert from the area is called Nockerl, a fluffy, sweet souffle that is served as a wave-like shape, bearing some resemblance to the Sydney Opera House.  On another night we experienced the very authentic Augustiner Braustubl, a large beer hall run by the Augustiner monastery.  It is a bit intimidating upon arrival as it is very loud and busy, but after you pick up your own ceramic beer from the shelf, fill it with the one type of in-house brewed beer and take a seat on the old wooden pews around the large shared tables, it is time to relax.  The corridors around the main hall have stalls selling food that you can enjoy with your beer.

Select a mug

Wash it out at the fountain

Fill with beer, then find a seat in the beer hall

On Christmas Eve, we went on a Sound of Music bus tour.  It was pretty cheesy but it was nice to see some of the landscape and towns outside of Salzburg, as the tour took us to see many of the locations where scenes from the movie were filmed.  It was a good use of the day as many of the shops, cafes and restaurants were closed on the 24th and 25th of December, even in the tourist centre.  Finding a restaurant for Christmas Eve dinner would have been difficult.  Fortunately we had booked in advance for a nice dinner at the Mercure Hotel, but even when we were looking 1 month ahead of time most things were booked out.  I would definitely recommend to anyone thinking of spending Christmas in Salzburg to book somewhere well in advance.

The mansion that was used for the set of  the Von Trapp house in the Sound of Music

The church in Mondsee where the wedding scene in the Sound of Music was filmed

Mondsee

Mirabell gardens

View back to the city from Mirabell gardens

On Christmas morning, we took one final look around the city as we headed to the central train station for the next leg of our Christmas journey- Switzerland.