It was because of Adventure.

Yesterday, we decided to tackle one of the items on our to-do list: hike up Kapuzinerberg to frolic and enjoy ourselves in the fall fancy.  "Hike" overstates our trek as we just walked up some stone stairs, and I feel like I need to tell you this because I want there to be a bit of transparency.  And, if you ever visit Salzburg, know that although the walk up is rather tame, venturing elsewhere requires sturdy walking shoes.  And a heart as solid as steel, as I shall explain.

Like many places in Austria, Kapuzinerberg has religious affiliations.  Monks still live on the mountain as they have for centuries.  We decided, however, that instead of visiting the monastery gardens, the bust of Mozart, and the Wohnhaus of writer Stefan Zweig, we would walk around the perimeter of the mountain.  

First stop: A scenic overlook.  Salzburg's old town is across the river on the western side and the new side of town ("new," of course, used loosely) is in the foreground here on the eastern side.  Much has been said about the old town, but let's take a second to admire the new!  

 In the last photo, you can see some of the hedges of Mirabell Gardens.  That place is extensive.  And, yes, I am in love with that dome.  Ben and I have a thing for cupolas.

After taking in the view, we walked on.  We came to a sign that offered us several options, none of which we took, because Adventure.  Adventure required that we took the side path with the sign promising that Salzburg would not be responsible if we hurt ourselves in our aimless wanderings because they no longer maintain that path.  How could we resist?

We walked.  We talked.  We laughed.  The sun made its slow descent.  No paths down the mountain presented themselves.  We worried.

Here, Ben points out a natural shelter we can use if we don't make it off the mountain.

We found mushrooms.  This is one of them.  There were no Alice's Adventures in Wonderland moments.  At least, none that we remember.  

 

 But! The trees were spectacular, putting on their fall best!  They lured us further and further in...

These lookouts sprang up several times on our walk.  We noticed blankets pushed into the windows of one and discovered that it was someone's home.  "Brisk" would be a good word to describe our walking pace from then on. "Lightning-fast" would properly describe our pace after we found a dismantled tent and some plastic bags on the side of the path.  Just kidding, we took pictures next to it because the leaves and colors were just TOO good.  Then we ran.

These two photos were admittedly taken after the fact, today actually.  I didn't take a picture of the little home for fear that we would disturb the homeowner. 

Then Ben had a Mistah Kurtz moment in which he felt he had dominion over the mountain.  

I saved him by telling him there was another overlook ahead.

We made it to another lookout and took more pictures.  This is the Museum der Moderne where we saw the Chuck Close exhibit.  People have criticized the building, calling it something like "a big, concrete block" since it doesn't really fit in with the classic architecture of Salzburg.  There isn't one dominating architectural style in the city, but this certainly stands out.  

   
And more photos of the old town.  It's stupid pretty.

In the end, we ran out of sunlight and knew that we had to turn around.  We walked all of the way back to the sign that suggested "approved" walking routes and took more stone steps that led into a shopping street.

 From Adventure to Safety, all within Salzburg.