After the boat cruise, I figured I had just enough time to eat lunch somewhere before my planned tour of the Festival Hall at 2:00. Passing several crowded cafes, I eventually found a cute little place, KaffeeHaferl, tucked into one of the many side alleys of Alt Stadt.

I ordered the white sausage (Weiswurstel, and I think it was somehow titled with the word “Munich”) which came with a pretzel and sweet mustard. It was very good – the only problem was with the sausage casing – the knife just wouldn’t cut it. I had to struggle to pierce the sausage and then removed the casing, wondering the whole time if I looked like a total idiot, someone who didn’t know how to handle the sausage. But I didn’t see anyone laughing so either they didn’t notice or I didn’t look like an idiot. I was also thankful that I didn’t fling the sausage off my plate in my attempts to cut it…

Delicious but tough to handle

Rotating-seat-cleaner toilet

The other notable feature of this cafe, from my point of view, was its rotating seat-cleaner toilet. I think I’ve seen one of these before, but it was novel enough for me to whip out my phone and take a picture. I could tell the lady who came out of the bathroom ahead of me had the same thought – the look on her face told the story.

The tour of the Festival Halls was unexpectedly good – I mean I expected it to be interesting, but not SO interesting.  The first hall on the tour, the creatively named Large Festival Hall, was gorgeous, as concert halls go. The tour guide, speaking first in German and then in English, was an excellent guide, injecting the right amounts of information, interest and humor. According to him, the Festival, started in 1920, has become one of the most important classical music festivals in the world. I’ll have to take in a concert on my next visit – maybe in 2020 for the Festival Centennial!

The last stop, in Rocky Riding Hall, was the one I took the tour for – the scene of the Salzburg Festival in, you guessed it, The Sound of Music. It was nice to get yet another authentic piece of the movie’s history under my belt, on my own all-week Sound of Music tour. I was a bit annoyed that they had the stage cluttered with equipment, thereby wrecking my photos, but it is a working Festival Hall after all so I decided to let it go.

The gorgeous Large Festival Hall

A more modern painting, and a nice splash of color, in the Karl Bohm Hall

A panoramic shot of the Rocky Riding School

After the Festival Halls, I walked the street of the Old Town looking for something to buy, something or do or new things to discover. I decided to stop for dessert at Cafe Mozart – I opted for a hot chocolate and an apple strudel. While the strudel was certainly not a disappointment, the hot chocolate was fantastic – they know how to make them over here! In addition, the cafe atmosphere felt authentically European to me – like I might have been a member of the intelligentsia in fin de siecle Salzburg enjoying an afternoon drink while soaking up the atmosphere of writers, artists and students. I’m not sure if the customers around me were writers, artists or students but that’s how I imagined it and it felt just right.

Best hot chocolate ever at Cafe Mozart

and a tasty Apple Strudel

The sixth day turned out to be rather good after all – no regrets here for having stayed the extra day!