Lederhosen ahoy!

Phew, today has been a long day! Left the hotel at around 9 this morning intending, rather than getting wet as the forecast suggested I most definitely would if I stayed outdoors, to go to the ice caves and be cold instead - a bit of a luxury nearly 2 weeks into this trip (sorry, don't mean to rub it in - well, not much anyway...). So, bus to train station, a bit early so I had a coffee then thought I'd check online to make sure of the route again (train to Werfen then a bus, then a cable car thingy?) only to see that, because of the bad weather in the mountains last night, the cable car was closed for checks. No ice caves - gutted! So I wandered round the old town instead, which I what I had planned for tomorrow - no big deal, I'm flexible, me. So, thundery downpours? Not a one - still waiting! Fortunately I'd taken my flip flops along just in case and was wearing roll up-able trousers - long trousers, socks and trainers make for a very warm (and therefore irritable) Lisa...

The old town is just beautiful, and wonderfully Austrian in architectural style. You really do need to look up - so many buildings are decorative above the ground floor and some, particular on Getreidgasse, the main shopping street, have lovely ornate wrought iron hanging signs outside.

In particular today, I found a tea shop and bought a Gustav Klimt tea caddy and a contraption for holding on to your tea bag so you don't have to fish it out of the cup with your fingers. I've got some hair clips at home that work along the same lines - though sadly they're not shaped like a tea pot - so if I lose this i'll not be stuck :-)

The picture is of the window display in the Salzburg Christmas shop - I kid you not. I resisted the urge to splurge, mostly because it just isn't Christmas in 28 degree heat!

I also rediscovered Jo Malone so, instead of buying the L'Occitane perfume, I was going to get the lime, basil and mandarin fragrance from there, which is just delish and lasts ages. Unfortunately, because I had been going to the ice caves, I left the credit card in the hotel... Perhaps me and perfume just isn't meant to be!

Got off the bus from the train station at Mirabellplatz, where there's a palace and the most beautiful gardens, and a gorgeous church with spooky catacombs over the road.

Then later on, I went to the house where Mozart was born, which was very small and hot, and filled with Japanese tourists who'd been told they couldn't take pictures hahaha. I sneaked a couple shh! There was one Japanese girl who I thought was going to grass on me, but I gave her the evils and she ran away.

Quick tip for you, which may or may not be specific to Salzburg (i'll let you know) - they don't put ice in an iced coffee, but a scoop of ice cream instead. It's like dessert and coffee in one go, thus saving much needed (for perfume) cash and providing a delicious end to a meal. Or a standalone treat if you feel that way inclined :-)

Am lying down now, a/c on full blast (but it's rubbish) and have no plans to move very much until the morning when I will once again set off for the ice caves - AFTER checking the cable car is working!

Küsse x

ps today I saw not one, not two, but three pairs of lederhosen on actual living people. Unfortunately two were part of a wedding party, so I didn't feel right taking pictures to mock them later, and the third served my dinner and I didn't want him to spit in it, which is why you've got baubles instead... And I do like a bit of sparkly!