Matt and Janelle in Europe

We stopped at a McDonald's for a quick and cheap lunch (because out favorite kasekrainer place wasn't open yet) before heading to the train station to catch a train to Salzburg, Austria.

The train ride to Salzburg was pretty nice, with some scenic views of the Austrian countryside. We had booked a hotel a couple kilometers from the city center, so we made our way by foot from the station to the hotel.

After checking in, we talked with the receptionist about recommended sights and got a nice overview of navigating the city. We headed out in the direction of the city's old town, stopping at some gardens that the receptionist had recommended (and that we later learned were the location of a scene in the Sound of Music).

We continued on toward the old city center, which is a car-free zone. Before seeing any sights, we stopped in a grocery store to get some food for later instead of going to a restaurant. We struggled with the German meat names but figured it was hard to go wrong and ended up with a few different types. Next, we walked through the old town which has well-preserved baroque architecture. We stopped in some buildings, including the cathedral, but had to be pretty quick as it was getting dark. We also walked through a quiet cemetery that the receptionist had recommended stopping by. For the most part, the evening served primarily as an introduction to the town we planned to explore more the next day.

We walked back to our hotel and ate sandwiches, carrots, and hummus. We also tasted a few of Salzburg's local beers. The food was pretty basic, but delicious. We ended up eating way too much -- we couldn't save any of the food since we didn't have a refrigerator -- and falling asleep relatively early.