Salzburg - Our new home city

Someone rightly said Salzburg is like a museum. It's too pretty and color-coordinated. The old town is absolutely preserved and what is tremendously commendable is that people continue to stay in those very old buildings without lifts to enjoy exquisite work of art just outside their windows right at the city center. Almost every house here has a Mount Gaisberg view or catches the glimpse of a historic building/castle. The river Salzach is the highlight of this city or should I say the backbone of this small little city. Many bridges here are connecting the old town to the new (I could be completely wrong but this is what I understand). I am so new here that I won't even begin to explain Salzburg just yet. All I know is that our decision to move to the city was a good one. Everything is so accessible, be it the park, the grocery store, or the shopping centers. Walking, cycling, and taking the bus here is very normal and actually preferred as an eco-friendly way of travel. 

The primary reason for us to choose the city versus the countryside was our son's education and him settling down with some friends. Being "kein Deutsch" speakers in the countryside may have been a bit too much was our conclusion. After almost 8-10 house visits and understanding some basic german nuances such as 3 Zimmerwohnung does not mean a 3 BHK (3 Bedroom, Hall and Kitchen) but that it has 3 rooms, it may not even have a kitchen if it does not mention a küche separately. Every family is different and we tried to understand how a family can manage with just one bathroom/toilet, but we just could not. If a house was too cool it was rather small or maybe just had one bathroom/toilet. If it was appropriate it was far from the actual city. Call us too spoilt but Indians are very specific when it comes to eating(küche) and shitting(WC). 

After almost 2 months of looking, we knew what we wanted and finally finalized our apartment after the christmas+new year holidays of our realtor (yes that is right, the real estate agency was on leave). It was a 3 Zimmer with a functional kitchen and thank goodness a separate bathroom and WC (You never know when your 4-year-old decides to pee so you need options). By February we were doing multiple rounds from Fuschl to Salzburg to finalize on the furniture and basic necessities but with a twist of markets not opened yet.

Some stuff was ordered online and some bought second-hand (Genau, second-hand goods collected from multiple homes). FB marketplace and Willhabben came in handy here and somehow turn into addictions where you keep browsing sometimes for 4 hours just for that perfect side table that you eventually decide you don't need. The funny part about thrifting apart from being very time-consuming is that it meant we acted as the labor too, we mostly would buy and pick up the item from the owner's home, carry it to our place, and then set it up. Ikea furniture was labor-intensive too and I can confidently say that we have invested in Ikea thousands of Euros so far. We still love the brand although they should be loving people like us who know no better than to walk up to Ikea and basically buy everything the house needs or the family wants. We must have had at least 5 visits so far and I love that they have left no stone unturned when it comes to home furnishing. My undying love for minimalism went out of the window when my brain was on a shopping high at Ikea and we kept on buying and revisiting the store and their inspiration rooms once shops opened up. Imagine they even keep real plants for you to indulge and buy right there! It was later that we discovered few stores like Bauhaus, Liener, and Möma from where we now selectively buy things that are still on the list. 

One thing we both enjoyed in our new expat life is setting up the house from scratch and truly experiencing the setting up a bit far more than we had done the first time around. This time we had no handyman to come set up things and install the TV. We did it all! Yes, even mounting the curtain rods although I wished we called someone who was more experienced but being new and full of enthusiasm made us overestimate our drilling capabilities. 

In just a month, we transformed our apartment into a comfortable home; a home that has all the elements to feel at home - its people and their personalized spaces. We will of course be adding new stuff and experiment with the wall art but I am lucky to now have moments to just do yoga without feeling like I am a boho chich living out of a box. It's a blissful feeling to be able to cook with all the right ingredients and equipment after almost a year now. Being able to write this little blog is also a good indication of being settled. Knowing my way around and using the bus has given me the confidence of feeling at ease in this quaint little town. Salzburg feels like home now; and home is the starting place of love, hope, and dreams.