There is just something about the European countryside- tiny cottages, smoke flowing out of stone chimneys, huge cows grazing on the green pastures, snow capped mountains and light blue skies. Without a word of lie this is the scenery you are greeted with as you approach most Alpine towns. I made my way to Salzburg on one of those double-decked buses, munching on Corny Bars, and tomato, lettuce, goat cheese sandwiches. The landscape around me, was bound to make my arrival in Salzburg a rather high spirited one. I crashed for the night at the Meininger Hostel, for the very first time in a dormitory.

If there was ever a city that stood out as much for its alpine views, as it did for its architecture, for music as much as it did for its pretty Christmas markets, it is Salzburg. Touristy as it is, the best way to see all of Salzburg’s attractions is with the Salzburg Card, which provides one, free entry to most places to see in town.

I started from the Hohensalzburg Fortress, located high above the Baroque towers of the city. While you could always walk up, it’s best to just take the Funicular (a free ride if you hold the Salzburg Card). The ride almost teases you as it exposes bit by bit of the landscape as you climb up. The view from the top is more than spectacular.

My visit coincided with the onset of the Christmas season- just as good as it gets. Salzburg’s world famous Christmas Market located at the foot of the fortress, greeted me with the merry bustle of shoppers, the smell of freshly baked apple cinnamon pies, ginger bread neatly arranged in the compact wooden booths, wooden toys, sparkling Christmas decor and the divine sound of church bells.

After picking up a piece of ginger bread for my nephew back home in India, and scouting around for some inexpensive decorations for his Christmas tree, I decided I would come back later in the evening, as the stalls lit up and the market came alive with people revelling in the festivities of the season.

A customary souvenir magnet completes every holiday I take. Once that found place in my bag, I decided to stop at some of Salzburg’s popular attractions-the Salzburg Cathedral and the House of Mozart which has now been converted into a museum of sorts. In all honesty, I visited the museum only because it was included in the Salzburg card. However, while not terribly interesting, it felt good to come out having gathered some basic information about this very iconic man.

On my way out from Mozart’s house, I walked through alleys dotted with posh boutiques, quaint cafes, and the usual touristy shops. In no time I had zig zagged my way past amateur cyclists, drooled over nutella waffles, walked over dried maple leaves and crossed over to the other side of the town using one of the many bridges that have been built over the beautiful river that cuts Salzburg in two halves.

When in Salzburg you will find that the “Sound of Music” resonates in every corner, a movie I love despite the fact that I lack even a rudimentary understanding of music. The movie is largely shot in areas around Salzburg. While I was unfortunate to have missed visiting the Mirabell Gardens shut for some routine maintenance work I decided I would make use of the time to explore some other sights from the movie. Before I knew it, I had boarded a bus, plonked myself at the window seat and off I was to St Gilgen, a picturesque village by Lake Wolfgang, a 45 minute drive from Salzburg town, marked by landscape that leaves you nothing but awe struck.

My drive upto St Gilgen brought back to me memories of Heidi, of her adventures in the Alps, the fresh mountain air and its juxtaposition to urban living. We crossed blue lakes, beautiful graves and tiny churches located by the hillsides but it was the snow peaks that remained constant. With every turn, the bus offered a more breathtaking view of the Austrian countryside.

And then suddenly from no where as if, appeared the most perfect place I had seen, be it the endless expanse of water, the bright orange glow of the sun as it was starting to set on the snow capped mountains or the innumerous church towers that dotted the entire scenery. Perhaps this is just what I had needed, to drown every unwanted thought I had held in my brain till then.

St Gilgen stood dolled up, all set for Christmas. Tiny pink and yellow cottages right out of Hansel and Gretel, beautiful Christmas décor, the smell of mulled wine, wooden stalls selling delicious spiralkartoffel (a spicy potato snack), some giggly teenagers, just had to make this the happiest place on this planet.

I walked over to the far end of the village, sat by the lake on a tiny wooden jetty, quietly looking at the waves created by a steamer floating at a distance, slightly perturbing the ducks swimming around. It was perhaps one of the quietest moments I had spent in a long time, cut off from the world in some tiny Austrian village. I thanked ‘travel’ for allowing me to live these experiences and to create memories that I could share with everyone around me.

My ride back to Salzburg was spent wondering why Austria with everything that it offered, was still considered Switzerland’s lesser twin, atleast in the mind of every Indian tourist. I never had my answer, as the landscape kept interrupting my line of thought.

I arrived in Salzburg late in the evening, just in time to view the Christmas markets as they lit up, all set to relish a glass of gluhwein in the chilly weather followed by a meal of spaghetti, at a restaurant run by a middle aged man hailing from the by lanes of Chandni Chowk in India. Stories from his days in the homeland and how he landed up in this beautiful country, as he poured me a glass of water before my meal (a rare practice in Europe), in the complete Indian way, dominated our dinner time discussion. They made my longing for home stronger.

Sure I was in love with this place, enamored by the sights I had seen throughout the day, but home was always where my people were, where a bowl of steaming hot ‘dal’ and rice waited for me…