Anyone out there who was in Austria - Salzburg?

who could give some good tips on what to expect, you know lifestyle, food, people etc.

It's pretty hard to answer such a broad question, perhaps you could come back and give us some details. Are you planning to visit or live there? What kind of lifestyle issues are you interested in?

Salzburg is a very different town for tourists than for people who live there. For a tourist, it has a lot to offer, wonderful things to see there and in the surrounding area, a lot of musical events, a lot of culture in general. The downtown is very compact, so you can easily do a walking tour.

For non-Austrians who live there, especially if they have very little German, it can be off-putting. People are family-oriented, and there isn't a lot of what I guess you could call public non-tourist social life (other than cultural spectator events). Still, if you get to know some locals and learn a bit of German, you'd fit in after a while. If you go there as a student, I think you'd find lots of opportunity for friendship.

It's hard to comment on the food without knowing how much you know about Austrian food in general. There are a lot of local dishes that are a bit heavy for my americanized taste, but you can always find something that suits. If you go to a small inn instead of a tourist restaurant, pretty much everything can be served any way you like, and you can choose a nice peace of meat or fish with just veggies and a salad, if that's to your taste. In general, Austrian food is very tasty and most people have a hard time not gaining weight while they're in Austria. (Austrians have that problem also!)

I also have relatives in Salzburg, and have visited a few times.
The main thing that I would say about the city is it is very conservative- that is unlike some European cities there is little night life, and apart from foreign tourists, few non- Europeans.
Austrians are very protective about their national culture, and so you will still see them in national costume, buying Austrian food and goods rather than foreign stuff. They will expect you to like their food, and feel insulted if you eat pizza!
Austrian food is based on meat and pickled cabbage- they are very fond of dumplings, and cakes!
Despite this, Austrian people are very friendly, welcoming and generous-Salzburg is a safe and beautiful city to visit.
My opinion? I think Salzburg is stuck in a chocolate box fairytale image which it does not seem to want to discard- it is culturally stifled, and so is fine for a visit, but I would feel suffocated if I lived there.

Dear Harley,
I live in Salzburg and I can answer maybe most of detailed questions. However, from your question I can't really find out what you want to know. Salzburg is a city with apx. 130.000 inhabitants with a normal western European lifestyle, high standard restaurants from McDonalds to international deluxe cuisine, fantastic drinking water from the tap, and of course excellent beers. Most of the inhabitants speak English as we have to learn it from the age of six already.
Whatever you want to know more, send me a mail to reindl@panoramatours.com and I will be happy to help you!
Wolfgang