Top o' the world, ma!

Meine freunde, it is with a heavy heart that I tell you that I chickened out of going to the ice caves today. On the platform this morning, waiting for the train, I was reading the Tripadvisor reviews from people who've been. Whilst a verdict of amazing was nigh on universal, so was the stress placed on the level of fitness required for two long, steep, high altitude hikes on the way there, hundreds of steps up and down inside the caves themselves and the steep downward hike back. As those of you who know me will know, I am on the large side (!) with somewhat dodgy knees...

So, instead I've done something else that I wouldn't otherwise have had time to do. This morning I got a cable car up the Untersberg mountain - it's only a 10 minute ride, but you're right up in the clouds. At the bottom, the board said the view was good and the weather was "heiter", which in my dictionary means cheerful :-) It's so peaceful up there (which was quite nice after being a tourist!), just voices drifting in on the mists. I went for a bit of a stroll - there are rocky paths and you could probably spend all day up here hiking. As you might expect, I hiked a little bit then sat down on one of the benches. Looking forward and to my left, gorse and heather appeared and disappeared with the mists and, on my right, someone had discarded a pair of black socks! Clearly they felt how I did yesterday!

Went back into Salzburg afterwards and, ladies and gentlemen, I finally bought some perfume woo hoo! I was going, then, to go on a boat trip down to the southern ridge of the Alps, but I didn't have enough cash and couldn't pay by card. Hey ho, I sat and listened to a trio playing outside the Dom and wandered along the riverside perusing the stalls that had sprouted there today. Lots of different types of goods and all very colourful.

I've spent the past hour or so on the hotel's computer figuring out how to get between various train stations and hotels, so I'm a bit more comfortable now.

It's funny isn't it - when I first set off, I was very nervous about the travelling and felt really sick when I had to do it. I'm a bit pathetic like that sometimes hehe. But it just really doesn't faze me any more. Who knows, maybe I will travel round Italy next year! Oh no, next year's New York, so maybe the year after... Must bear in mind it'll cost me an extra 10 euros a time to book a seat though ;-)

Bis morgen x

ps today would have been my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. I would ordinarily light a candle, but I don't have one to hand - would someone be good enough to do it on my behalf please? Danke schön x