After a very short train journey from Innsbruck, we arrived in Salzburg on the afternoon of the 15th. Day one was taken up with a short walking tour of the city to familiarise ourselves. On day two we did a more comprehensive exploration of the city which included visiting the salzburg fortress on top of the hill, which was first built in 1077 and appears in the background of a few scenes in the Sound of Music, walking through the Mirabella gardens where the Do-Ray-Me scene was filmed, visiting some of the many churches and cathedrals that dot the city and fill the skyline with towers and clocks, and finishing in an Austrian beer garden for a few well-earned local beers! Training for Oktoberfest now in full swing!

Day three was taken up with shopping for more Oktoberfest outfits and Ant found his lederhosen for the festival! In the spirit of more training, the day ended with more beer garden training.

Our final full day in Salzburg involved another amazing mountain adventure, as we signed up for a tour to the largest ice caves in the world (over 40kms in total). The walk from the car park to the entrance of the caves gave amazing views of snow peaked mountains, winding rivers and lush green villages. Then we entered another world...

The caves were like nothing we'd ever seen before. The most amazing shapes and designs were naturally formed amongst stalactites and stalagmites and rose sometimes 30 meters off the ground. Unfortunately taking photos was entirely banned for "security" reasons, so we won't be able to show any photos of the caves :-(.

Another cool thing about the caves was the wind that gets caught inside the cave. As the entrance to the caves is kept shut at all times, you have to pass through a door to enter. As you step through, a huge gust of wind rushes out and smashes you in the face. Then, within 2 steps of being inside, it is entirely calm again! This and many more amazing facts were explained to us by our tour guide who spoke English like someone who has just been punched in the balls while inhaling helium! Very entertaining pitch, especially when he started yelling at people who were taking photos.

On day 5 we packed our bags, locked them in our hostel, and spent the afternoon at St. Rupert's festival, a traditional Austrian festival celebrating the monk who kind of 'founded Salzburg'. There were plenty of traditional outfits and food, and was a great way to spend our last hours in Austria! Early evening we jumped on our train with a bottle of red to celebrate the experience ahead as well as get some final training in; OKTOBERFEST!!