Brandon O'Brien

Wednesday, October 8, 2025 @ 7:59 PM in 2025 Oktoberfest Trip

Today was another travel day to our final destination of the trip, Prague. It was actually nice for the first time since we'd been to Salzburg but we didn't have any time to do any sight seeing. I had a banana and yogurt for breakfast and then we started walking to the train station around 9:30. The mountains surrounding Salzburg had a lot of snow on them thanks to all the colder weather and heavy rain that passed through. At the train station, we each grabbed a sandwich to eat on the train since we figured we wouldn't have time for an actual meal.

It was supposed to be an easy journey where we took a train to Linz, Austria, then a second train from Linz to Prague. Unfortunately, they were doing some kind of line work on a section so we had to take a bus from Linz to České Budějovice, then another train from there to Prague. It wasn't too difficult, but the bus added an extra hour or so to the trip. We did get to ride through a lot of cool Austrian and Czech countryside which seemed a lot like driving through Kentucky or Tennessee. Lots of rolling hills with farmland and cattle.

When we got to České Budějovice, we only had about 3 minutes to run from the bus station, across the street and then up to the train station to catch our bus. Fortunately we made it and settled into a 6 person seating area for the hour and a half ride to finish the trip. Two other women came into the car at one of the stops and apparently had reserved the window seats. At least no one else came in to claim the other seats we were sitting in. Sam had called me while we were on the train and I got to talk to her and Dakotah while they were getting ready for school.

We got to see a few minutes of sun on the journey, but unfortunately the rain had followed us and by the time we arrived in Prague it was raining again. We walked the 15 or so minutes to our AirBnb which is on a pretty busy street. I'm a little worried how loud it's going to be at night, but I guess we'll see. After settling in, we went to a restaurant around the corner called Hostinec U Sádlů. They specialize in Czech food and were really highly rated.

Ben and I were pretty hungry since all we had for lunch was the sandwich on the train. We both ordered some Budvar beer to start. I got a bowl of garlic soup and a beef goulash. Ben ordered steak tartar and a pork knuckle with potatoes and cabbage. It was an enormous amount of food, but it was extremely delicious. We finished with a dark beer from Budvar and then decided we were done with drinking since we were both so full.

We walked down to the old town and Astronomical clock to help make us feel a little less stuffed, then worked our way over to the Palladium mall where they have a big grocery store on the bottom floor. We each got some breakfast snacks for the next couple of days. We're calling it a little early tonight since we have plans to head to Pilzen tomorrow to do a tour at Pilsner Urquell. Tomorrow night another brewing friend is going to meet up with us after about 9 and we're going to have several days of beer geeking out.

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Tags: salzburg, prague

Posted from: Czech Republic

Tuesday, October 7, 2025 @ 7:35 PM in 2025 Oktoberfest Trip

Today was probably the most rainy day we've had the entire trip. I woke up around 7:30 and it was raining then all the way until about 4pm. We finally decided to head out of the AirBnb around 9:45, when we set out for some coffee. Ben had researched a few places and we ended up at Kaffeothek this morning. They were extremely in to coffee. I had a pourover plus a cortado and a cardamom bun. The coffee was really nice and the bun was delicious. We hung out there for a while since it was raining, then decided to set out and explore old town.

When we left Kaffeothek, it was still raining so we just kind aimlessly walked around. We went to the Residenzplatz and Dom zu Salzburg, then to Mozartplatz. The fog and cloud layer was pretty low so taking photos wasn't really that great. We then walked over to Mozart's birth house and then grabbed a Bosna at the Balkan Grill. A Bosna is two small sausages in a really crispy baguette with onions, spices and curry powder. It's a great on-the-go meal when you're walking around.

From there, we headed across the river to the Mirabellgarten, which were some really beautiful gardens that had the castle in the background. Unfortunately, due to the rain and clouds, we could hardly see the castle, but the gardens were still nice. After that, we decided to test our luck and head up to the castle to see some of the views from there. There are a lot of hiking trails up there and we kind aimlessly walked around for a while. The fog made for some really nice photos but you couldn't see much of the surrounding area. Fortunately, by the time we started to head down, some of the fog had lifted and we could see more of Salzburg from up high.

After walking around all morning, Ben and I were ready for a beer. We walked to a place called Sternbrau where we each had a Stiegl beer and split a cheese plate. The beer was really nice and the local cheeses were incredible. They had a pepperjack cheese that was almost like a brie and it was amazing. The place was a little unwelcoming and the service wasn't great so we decided to carry on. After there, we walked across the river and went to a place called Coffee and Booze. We had a drink there but it seemed kinda like an Austrian dive bar for locals. It wasn't really our style so we finished our drink there and finally ended up at a place called Alchemy. This was a much more local/hipster style place that had a lot of local beers plus some local craft beer. The bartender was really cool and was telling us stories about the time he went to El Paso with his band to tour for two weeks.

We each had two beers over the course of an hour or so before we wanted to get some food. We had walked by a place that made Smashburgers and figured that would make a great dinner. The burgers were excellent and we got some cajun fries with them. It was a nice and filling meal and the fries were really well seasoned. The restaurant was a glorified food truck, so we just ate at some tables outside of it. After dinner, we worked our way back to the AirBnb where were working on some of our plans for heading to Prague tomorrow.

I wish the weather had been better for us while in Salzburg, but we've had a great time. We got to see and do most of what was on our list, even though it was rainy and cloudy. Hopefully the weather in Prague is a little nicer, but the forecast isn't looking too promising.

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Tags: austria, salzburg

Posted from: Austria

Monday, October 6, 2025 @ 9:14 PM in 2025 Oktoberfest Trip

Today was another mostly rainy day. The plan was to have a relaxed morning and then catch public transport back into Germany to a town called Schonram that's supposed to have a really good brewery. I ran out after I woke up around 7:30 and got a few yogurts and bananas to act as a quick breakfast the next few mornings. I've found that's been a good way to get something in my stomach without being too heavy. While I was out at the grocery, it was pouring down rain.

Fortunately the rain let up by about 9 so we headed out again into the old town to get a cup of coffee and walk around a little bit. The old town is really cool with the town butting up entirely to the hillside. There are gigantic gates and old walls all over the place, which makes it extremely tight for buses to get through. We popped in and out of some alleys which had little squares inside them with shops, restaurants, coffee shops, etc. We're going to walk around there more tomorrow so we didn't spend too much time there today.

We came back to the Airbnb to kill a little time before we needed to catch our train. We only had to take the train from the stop near our Airbnb down a couple stations to Freilassing. From there we took another regional train to Laufen and then finally caught the 9515 bus to Schonram. The train from Freilassing to Laufen was pretty much only school kids, then the bus to Schonram was as well. I guess the kids got out of school at noon today and were all on their way back home. It was a little after 1pm by the time we got to Schonram and we were both hungry and ready for a beer. Before stopping in the restaurant, we stuck our heads into the gift shop and saw the really nice taproom they have there. Unfortunately that taproom is only available for those who did the tour.

The place we actually ate and drank at is called Bräustüberl Schönram. When we got in there, it was pretty empty. We sat down and quickly ordered the Schonramer Helles. It's won several awards and was a really nice beer. For food, I ordered some fried chicken with fries and a little mini salad. The chicken was really good and the fries were really well seasoned. Since we had nowhere to be and it was still raining, we each had two more beers before we needed to leave to catch our bus back.

We went back to the gift shop and Ben bought a glass with the Schonramer logo on it. The bus was on time and quickly got us to the train station. What we didn't realize is the train wasn't running so we had to catch a bus instead. Fortunately, a lady flagged us down and pointed us to where the bus was. Crisis averted. The bus took us a little longer than the train would have, but dropped us off right at the Freilassing train station where there was an S2 train waiting for us.

The S2 train was brand new and still had that "new car smell" associated with it. It was one of the nicest trains I've been on in terms of being clean. We only had to take it two stations, then got off and came back to the Airbnb for a little while before dinner. I called my dad to wish him a happy birthday, we did a little planning for Prague and then headed out again to get dinner. We chose a restaurant called Trumerei which had a more modern menu but also some really well known local beer.

We each ordered their Pilsner which wasn't like any pilsner I've had before. It was extremely hop forward with aromas of noble hops and tea. The flavor was more noble hops with a rounded clean finish. For dinner, I ordered a teriyaki chicken bowl which was chicken, rice and a big salad. It was super filling but exactly what I wanted. I was so full I didn't get another beer, even though they sounded good. Ben ordered a "Red hot chili pepper" burger and also got another "hopped" Helles, which kinda tasted like a hop forward blonde ale.

We're back at the AirBnb now and it's getting close to 9:15. I'll probably wind down for bed now. Tomorrow is going to be another big walking day with us exploring Salzburg. We want to see both sides of the river and will plan our route based on the weather. The only brewery left we really want to hit is Stiegl, which is a really popular brewery from Salzburg.

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Tags: austria, salzburg, schonram, germany

Posted from: Austria

Sunday, October 5, 2025 @ 7:31 PM in 2025 Oktoberfest Trip

Today was a travel day between Munich and Salzburg. We both slept in until almost 8 this morning which felt amazing. I think doing 11 miles of walking with almost no beer helped us get some good sleep. We didn't have to catch our train until 9:55 so we had plenty of time to pack up and leave. The train was easy to find and we boarded with enough time to find a seat and get situated before it took off.

On the way to Salzburg, we stopped at a town called Traunstein, which had their own brewery and restaurant. It was aptly named Hofbrauhaus Traunstein. Ben and I both tried a couple beers and had lunch. He had a venison goulash and I had grilled pork loin with spatzel and veggies. After lunch, we walked back and caught a train the rest of the way to Salzburg. It was about a 20 minute walk from the train station to the AirBnb which wasn't bad. It was raining a little bit but not enough to get us soaked.

On the walk to the AirBnb, we passed the Augustiner Bräu Mülln which is a different Augustiner than in Munich. This place only serves one kind of beer on draft, and that's what the Austrians call a Marzen. It's not the same dark style beer that Germans call a Marzen, which is a little confusing. We got checked in and hung out for about an hour before heading out to get some beer and food.

First we went to Augustiner and got some beer. They have a few shelves of clay mugs in liter and half liter sizes on the wall. You pick up the mug size you want, give it a quick rinse in nearby fountain and then pay for the beer. After paying, you take the receipt to the beer servers and they fill the mug you picked out. Overall it's a pretty efficient system. and you get your beer quickly. We didn't want more heavy German / Austrian food for dinner so we only had the beer. For being a rainy day, it was actually pretty easy to find a seat inside. There is a massive biergarten outside but no one was really sitting there drinking beer in the rain.

We had a few choices for dinner but settled on an Ethiopian restaurant called "Habesha Äthiopisches-Ethiopian and Eritrean-African Cuisine". It was rated 5 stars on Google Maps with over 600 reviews. It was pretty empty when we walked in around 6, but it quickly filled up as we ate. We ordered some samosas to start, then split a two person platter. The food was incredible and a really nice change from the heavy food typical of the area. Totally stuffed, we walked back to the AirBnb where we're calling it a night. Tomorrow we're going to head to a small German town called Schonramm so we can try a brewery there that's really well regarded. It's still looking like a lot of rain, but hopefully it was like today where it was light and came and went.

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Tags: austria, salzburg, germany, munich

Posted from: Austria