And, the adventure begins...
We managed to make it over to the bus stop to catch the Flybussen to the airport here in Sola around 7:40 and made it to the airport around 8:00 AM. Luckily, Spencer was able to check us in the night before and get us seat assignments all in the same row. We checked in our luggage and found a cafe to sit down in and relax for a few minutes.
The flight to Oslo was short and once we were there, we navigated the airport and headed to our gate for the flight to Munich. The most exciting part of that little layover...the duty free shop! It was considered an international flight, so you are forced to walk through duty free. I found and purchased a BIG bag of peanut M&Ms in the duty free shop, which we quickly gobbled down. They didn't last long...
We had another blessedly uneventful flight to Munich and headed over to baggage claim where - YES! - all three of our bags made it to the correct destination! We collected our bags and headed over to find out how to get over to the rail station for our ride to Salzburg. After stopping to ask several people, we finally found the train area and had our rail passes validated and got instructions on what train to take to get to the main rail station. Luckily, we had a little time to spare, so we weren't too rushed.
Now, this is where it gets crazy...we take the train to the rail station with no problem. We find the departure board and figure out where we need to be for our rail to Salzburg...all good...then, our train is late. Okay, not a big thing. Then, the sign changes for our track...getting a little nervous...can't figure out the trains because they all look the same...then a train pulls up and it says Salzburg Hbf, so we think this must be it...mind you the trains only stop for literally 2 minutes and it takes us that long to get on! We can't find our exact seat assignments, so we just sit down and hope we are in the right place. Well, then the ticket man comes by and says...you are on the wrong train. WHAT???!!! We are thinking, oh sh*t! The guy says to get off at the next stop and catch the next train which will be on the same rail in a few minutes. We are not feeling good about his instructions, and are talking between us when a guy sitting nearby comes over and explains the train deal and confirms what the ticket guy has said. Apparently there are regional trains and longer distance ones and we ended up on a regional train. We chat with him for a few minutes and thank him for his help.
We jump off at the next stop and start watching the signs and departure boards for our train. We are expecting it to be on the same rail as the previous because that is what we had been told when about that time a train pulls up on the next rail over that looks suspiciously like the one we want...we run over with our luggage and they are about to close the doors. I yell down to some train conductor guys and say, "Wait! Is this the EC 319 train?" They kind of nod yes and we hop on praying we are now on the right train. Finally the ticket guy comes around and thankfully we are! WHEW! Talk about a tense hour in there! We were so relieved!
Anyway, we arrive in Salzburg and start looking around for the hotel. We feel sure it is near the train station, but after circling around a few times, Spencer finally relents and we go to the taxi stand only to find out it is about a 5 minute walk and he points us in the right direction.
We check into the hotel - Radisson Blu - and it is very nice and the room is really spacious! By now, it is dinner time and we head down to the front desk and ask for a recommendation of a good restaurant nearby. The very nice staff send us over to a place called Zum Guten Hirten and it was delicious! Traditional Austrian food and only about a 5-7 minute walk from the hotel! We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner and Spencer and I are immediately in love with this style of food!
We head back over to the hotel and settle in for the night. We have a big day planned for Saturday!
I am attaching a couple pictures Spencer took in the airport just for fun. These were obviously taken here in Norway with the troll and Norwegian plane.
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