Christmas in Salzburg - Part 3 of 4

The next day, we woke early to the winter wonderland we were hoping to find upon our arrival. Pure white snow covered the holly bushes outside our window. A small child in a red coat was pushing a snowball up a hill in the park across the way. But before we could enjoy the sights, we both felt we should work out. We knew what the day would bring so a good sweat in the hotel fitness center took priority. Besides, it gave us the opportunity to watch Saturday morning television in Austria – filled with grown-ups parading around in colorful animal outfits that were borderline scary. After expending about 500 calories, we quickly showered and headed downtown to the market.

Forgetting what we saw the rainy day before, the market was just as I imagined. Small snow covered huts lined the square around mostly two areas: Dom –platz and Residenz-platz. Dom-platz, the first truly Italian style cathedral built north of the Alps was constructed between 1614 and 1628 but renovated in 1959 due to extensive damage in WW II. The Residenz-platz, a complex cluster of buildings, is the prince archbishop’s residence with open access to state rooms and galleries. Though we were there to mainly see the market, we felt obligated to step inside both attractions due to their proximity. We were in both less than five minutes.

The church was a church. There wasn’t anything particularly unique compared to what seems to be hundreds of other churches I’ve seen over the past few months. And of course, the Residenz-plats was closed – which I truly didn’t mind. After seeing the archbishops freakish self -portraits in the salt room at Hohensalzburg Fortress, more information wasn’t needed. So with both attractions out of the way, we began scoping “weiner” stands for the best German sausages.

I don’t recall ever eating a German sausage. And I know I’ve never had one standing outside in a plastic tent – dipping it in what appeared to be a combination of mustard and shredded cheese. I’m apple-gouda-chicken-sausage-from-Costco-kind-of-guy. But I was willing to give the German version a try. If Chris has taught me anything, it’s that you should sample everything once. If you don’t’ like it, you can honestly say you don’t rather than making a general assumption based on the item’s appearance.

I chose a Krainer with shredded cheese, ketchup and a Coca Cola light. When I ordered, the locals standing next to us giggled in amusement. Apparently, that wasn’t cheese I saw on other plates. It was horseradish. So needless to say, my sausage arrived with only mustard. But it didn’t matter. It was delicious. Accompanied by my choice of bread from a communal basket on the counter, my meal from the nameless sausage stand was perfect. It satisfied my hunger and left room for a delicious sweet treat that was soon to follow.