Hey, hey Thursday!
I hope you’re having THE BEST start to your morning.
You know I love me a Thursday 😉 .
Yesterday, I shared PART ONE OF OUR WINTER VACATION and today, I have PART TWO!
Grab your coffee and settle in…it’s a cozy Christmasy post for your January morning.
On this, our first full day of our vacation, we got up and took a little road trip from Munich, Germany to Salzburg, Austria!
I shared this yesterday, but one of the reasons I love Munich so much for a destination is that it’s right in the middle of so many different excursion options and Salzburg is certainly one of them.
I have been to Salzburg several times before, but the last time I was there, our family looked a little bit different…
…I mean, wasn’t that JUST YESTERDAY?!
So on this, our first full day, we woke up, Andrew, Smith and I worked out, we ate breakfast and were ready to leave by 9:30.
Since we had just arrived the day before, I had a driver pick us up and drive us to Salzburg (we didn’t need any jet lagged driving)…
…it was a GORGEOUS drive to Austria.
We arrived 90 minutes later…
…and absolutely ADORED our time in this little town. Salzburg is a city where you could spend several days. We knew we weren’t going to have enough time to do “all the things”, so we just focused on a few “of our favorite things”. (Salzburg is where The Sound of Music was filmed and if you don’t think we didn’t sing that entire soundtrack the entire day, you are mistaken.)
Salzburg is just the cutest!
Don’t we look oh so happy?!
Christmas was alive and well on this December 29th in Salzburg. But first…
…we ate 🙂 . Give me allllllllll the schnitzel. All of it.
After a very delicious lunch, we set out to enjoy the Christmas market…
…and saw so much goodness on the way…
Do I look happy or do I look happy?! I kept saying that it felt like we were inside a Hallmark movie. IT WAS FABULOUS!
Here are a whole lotta pics from our time at the Christmas market in Salzburg…
The girls bought jewelry…
…and we nibbled and sipped our way through the market…
Mulled wine at a European Christmas market? YES, PLEASE! Mulled wine for me, cider for the kids…heaven.
We were living our best lives.
The Sound of Music + Christmas + Chilly Weather + Yummy Food
I mean…so much fabulousness, right?! It was absolutely wonderful, and I could have spent dayyyyys there.
After we finished the market, we moved on to conquer…
…Hohensalzburg Fortress. This was one of the things Kensington really wanted to do, so up we went!
Mades stood right here and was like “We are climbing all the way up there?!”. Yes, yes, we are!
I got a selfie with my favorite boy…
…someone please tell me when this happened?! What happened to this kid…
…who went with me to Salzburg the last time?!
Okay, so up to the fortress we went…
…making our way up…
…the views on the way up were GORGEOUS!
But the views from the top were even better 🙂 .
We made it!
Even the walk down was lovely.
Back down in town, my kids wanted to pop into a few more shops…
…we bought candy and stuffed animals and took in the decor.
It was such a special day in Salzburg.
We had our driver pick us up across the river at a hotel with a rooftop terrace…
…because we wanted a few more minutes with the views! So we had been on that side of the river, but we walked over that bridge and went up to the rooftop restaurant/bar across the way to enjoy the scenery.
It was gorgeous from every angle.
We hopped in the car and 90 minutes later, we were back at the hotel in Munich. While the kids chilled a bit, Andrew and I…
…stopped by the hotel bar to enjoy a few minutes.
After that, we all walked across Munich…
…stopping for pics with pigs…
…and to take pics of all the holiday fun…
…and then to dinner at The Grill Steakhouse. We were hungry, tired and happy from a full day in Austria. It was delish!
We walked back to our hotel after dinner. Munich, you are so lovely…
…and that wrapped up another great day.
That was PART TWO!
Today, I am also sharing a second post all about THE TOP TENS! Want to know which TEN blog posts were your favorite in 2025? Or which TEN travel posts? Or Nantucket posts? Or which TEN items you loved the most? It’s all HERE!
Once again, I just wanted to remind you about these posts should you be interested:
MY 13 KEYS TO MANAGING JET LAG
HOW I TRY TO STAY HEALTHY WIN I TRAVEL
MY 18 KEYS TO PREPPING FOR A TRIP
MY 9 KEYS TO RETURNING FROM A TRIP
MY 7 KEYS TO REDUCING/AVOIDING MOTION SICKNESS
MY TIPS FOR KIDS CARRYING ON and…
MY TIPS FOR TRAVELING WITH KIDS (at this point, I’m a pro!)
…plus, I want to help YOU go on vacation too!
Whether you’re thinking Europe or somewhere else, we would LOVE to help you with your next vacation too. Our agency does all the research, makes all of the reservations, handles any issues that arise, and creates custom, unique, concierge-style vacations. Whether your budget is small or large, whether you need something for just yourself (we love solo travelers!) or a huge group, we can handle it. We can even create destination weddings (complete with personalized websites for your wedding party and guests), corporate group events…if you are thinking travel, please think of us. Contact us today for more information. We would love to work with YOU!
I hope you all have the BEST day! I’ll see you tomorrow. xx
Elspeth Mizner says
What a full day of adventures! Thanks for sharing!
http://www.elspethsdaybyday.com
Sarah Shaneyfelt says
I am loving all of the Christmas trees placed all over the city! I never knew I wanted to visit German or Austria, but your posts so far have really changed my mind–especially around Christmas!
MeetTheShaneyfelts
Mix and Match Mama says
Oh friend, GO! Go, go, go!
Kristen says
Would you recommend these spots for summer or winter? For first timers what do you reccomend?
Mix and Match Mama says
That’s a great question. For some destinations, there are clear times of year that are ideal, but for many (like these European cities), it really depends on the client. We always have in-depth conversations to find the best fit. Often, the client comes to us with a set of dates that we have to work within, so that answers that. If they don’t though, we ask about what they’re looking to do (excursions can be quite different depending on the season), their budget (it can be more affordable during different times of the year), if they’re more of a “cold weather” or “warm weather”, etc. These two cities are both wonderful in summer and winter (I’ve done both…and I’ve done fall!). It really depends on what type of trip you’re dreaming about.
Kim M Letteer says
I’ve noticed you always drive/have a driver to other day stops versus using the train. I’m curious to know why.
Mix and Match Mama says
We use a variety (a train ride is coming up soon!), but driving ourselves is always our preferred option. This allows us the freedom to stop along the way when we see something interesting, move about more freely, go to different places and be on our own schedule. Many of my clients use trains and drivers, but I have many who like to drive too. I always think do what makes you feel the most comfortable.
Emily says
Gosh it all looks SO pretty! I need to add these to my travel list. I also noticed how clean the streets are in every single picture…so nice!!
Nichole says
Hi Shay! Your vacation posts are always some of my favorites! I know you’ve answered this before, but when you travel places where you don’t speak the language, do you use an app or anything to help you navigate the food/prices etc.?
Thanks! Hope you have a great day!
Mix and Match Mama says
With very very few exceptions, we have never had any language issues when traveling abroad. It’s pretty easy to convert the Euro to dollars (as the math is pretty simple) but some currencies (like the one in Poland) are very different, so we just typed it into our phones and it quickly converted it. It’s really easy these days traveling with the iPhone. Back in the day, we had to carry actual maps and do all the currency math. The iPhone has made it so much easier!
Paula Hobbs says
Just when you think it can’t get any prettier…WOW!! What an amazing day!!
Alissa says
Love the Christmas market! My friend visited several German Christmas markets a few weeks before Christmas and it was super crowded – do you think the crowds were less going after Christmas?
Mix and Match Mama says
It would be so lovely to go before Christmas. That’s on my list too! I would imagine the crowds though are much less after the holiday.
Andrea says
Where did Kensington get her scarf? It’s so cute!
Mix and Match Mama says
Zara!
kristen says
Did K darken her hair too?
Mix and Match Mama says
She did!
kristen says
Gah your kiddos are so grown! I guess mine are too! Time slow down!!! So fun to see your adventures on this trip 🙂
Mix and Match Mama says
SLOW DOWN!!!
Debbie Alsip says
Love the travel content! When I read it, I’m filing away info for future trips!
Bekah says
Hello! Always love your travel posts and just curious. Would you ever consider posting a timeline alongside the photos? You always seem as if you get so much accomplished each day while traveling and I think it would be so interesting to see what time everything is happening! Enjoying the travel photos as always!!
Mix and Match Mama says
I could totally do that! Great idea!
Katie says
Going at Christmas would be so much fun! We did Munich and Vienna a few years ago with Mix and Match Travel and had the best time. It was our first time to Europe and Clare helped us plan our trip and knocked it out of the park! Thanks for sharing your trip!!
Mix and Match Mama says
THANK YOU so much for allowing us to be a part of your trip!!
Maria says
Hi Shay! LOVE these posts! The European Christmas markets are a dream of mine! Question for you (or maybe even a blog idea)… how do you and Andrew approach shopping with the kids on trips? Are they allowed a certain budget? Do they spend their own money? I’m sure this looks different at every age but it’s such a challenge to navigate! I have little littles right now and your post made me wonder how to tackle that situation as they become older.
Mix and Match Mama says
That certainly could be a travel topic. I will jot that down. Maybe it’s because our kids travel often (perhaps this might be different if this was a new experience for them, IDK?), but at these ages especially, they never really ask for anything when we travel. I like for them to bring home special things (like little jewelry from Austria) or stuffed animals that they can keep but I also allow for candy and other things like that.
Julianna says
My kids are 4 & 6 and this year they got cash in their stocking (that we held onto) for our winter break trip. We will do this again because it put the control on them. I didn’t have to be the mean mom saying “no” in every gift shop!
Cathy Roberts says
Love your travel days! We love Salzburg too. Where did you eat in Salzburg?
Thanks!
Mix and Match Mama says
We just had lunch there, and I didn’t jot down the name. We didn’t make reservations. We just walked up and walked into a place.
Karen says
I may have missed it but can you share what winter long black coat you’re wearing and if you would recommend it.
This Florida girl is raveling to Norway on a Viking cruise to hopefully see the northern lights in February and I need to beef up my winter wardrobe! Thanks
Mix and Match Mama says
You are going to have so much fun! It’s from The North Face. It’s not a recent purchase, and I love it. That brand makes excellent outerwear.
Holly C says
Love all the pics… thank you for taking us along with you! Happy 2026!
Patty says
Ah, you did my bucket list! I’ve dreamt of Salzburg since the first time I saw the Sound of Music as a child, but I always envisioned going when it was warmer. Now I need to re-think that since I’m usually a colder weather person. Your pics are fabulous! (Any idea how many steps you walk each day on vacation?)
Mix and Match Mama says
We looked every day! The most was about 27,000 and the others were between 22 and 25k. We walked A LOT!
Ellen says
Ahhhh, I loved Salzburg! Did you do a “Sound of Music” tour? It’s been a long time for me, but your photos brought back some nice memories.
Mix and Match Mama says
Not this time. I’ve done that before though, and it’s so much fun!
Denise M says
I love getting to “go” on vacation with you and your family! I am wondering if you can share what shoes/boots Kensington is wearing? I love the heel on them. Thank you!
Bren says
Thanks as always for bringing us along! I have heard of the Christmas markets from friends who have done the Christmas market river cruise, but this has been inspiring to think of an on-land tour also! Thanks, Shay!