Salzburg on the Solstice
Salzburg on
the Solstice
On the longest day of the year, I took a train. No plan. No itinerary.
When your thoughts can freely flow with the river.
On the longest day of the year, the first day of summer, I take the train to Salzburg. No plan. No tour booked. I am letting the day take me wherever it wants to go, following my intuition the way I always do.
Another five hours of travel today, and I don't mind it at all. On the train, I sit beside people with fascinating life stories. There is so much to learn from the people who cross your path.
Salzburg is known as the birthplace of Mozart and the filming location of The Sound of Music. Its name tells an older story. Salzburg means Salt Fortress. For centuries, barges moved salt down the Salzach River, and that trade built the city that still stands today, the fortress, the cathedrals, the streets I walk all afternoon. The music came later. The river came first.
To the Palace. To the Gardens. Into the River.
I let the day take me wherever it wants to go. To the palace. To the gardens. Into the river to cool down, because why not. The Salzach runs cold even in summer, fast and clear under the Alps. I stand in it and feel the whole day slow down.
What This Kind of Day Is Actually About
As a therapist, I talk a lot about listening to your gut, your body, the quiet pull toward something. Not managing the day from the outside, but following what feels right from the inside.
Today is a reminder that some of the best parts of a trip are in the moments. The strangers who sit beside you and hand you a piece of their story. The cold river you step into on a warm afternoon. The hours that have no agenda and ask nothing from you except your presence.
If you are waiting for the perfect plan before you let yourself enjoy something, you might be waiting a long time. Sometimes the most regulating thing you can do is trust yourself enough to follow the day, and stay open to who you meet on it.
The river was here long before me. It will be here long after. For one afternoon, I let it carry my thoughts downstream, and I felt more like myself than I had in weeks.
Where in your life are you waiting for a plan, when what you actually need is to begin?
There is so much to learn from the people who cross your path.
And from the rivers that keep moving, regardless of your plans.
Dr. Maria Grace Wolk · mariagracewolk.com