Sightseeing in (Soggy!) Salzburg

It was like a fairy tale. It took my breath away. Indeed, Salzburg will remain within my memory forever.

Salzburg was definitely a highlight of our journey for both David and me. One of the main things I took away from the tour was the splendor of ancient European buildings. There are so many cities, cathedrals, and landmarks that have been standing since the 12th century and older. In Germany, Berlin is considered a “new” city because it was founded in the 13th century. That doesn’t sound all that new to our American ears, now, does it? Although the United States is a relatively young country, we as Americans fail to preserve architectural history. I’m not saying that we don’t keep *any* old buildings, but it seems to me that we are in too much of a hurry to achieve “the latest and greatest.” We sacrifice beautiful old buildings in the name of technology, industry, and urbanization.

Okay, I’m off my soapbox, dear readers. The main point I’m trying to get across is that Romantic Austria and Germany are both dripping with precious history in the form of market squares, cathedrals, castles, and landmarks. Salzburg is no exception. Let us begin.

We began our walking tour the morning of July 12th. It rained during breakfast, but it thankfully dried up before the tour. We were given receivers with earbuds so we could easily hear Sue (our tour guide) during the tour. That made it more interesting than normal tours because we could walk ahead a bit or linger for a couple extra photos without missing anything.

Mirabelgarten

Our first stop was the Mirabelgarten, which is featured in The Sound of Music during the “Do, Re, Mi” song (the photo of me on the steps were the same ones seen in the film) . There were hundreds of orange and yellow marigolds, which reminded me of my great-grandmother (marigolds were her favorite flowers).

The following are some interesting facts we learned about The Sound of Music.

• People in Austria and Germany did not think highly of the film. Many thought it to be too sappy. I feel kind of badly that the movie kind of took over tourism in Salzburg. I mean, it’s not even an Austrian film! In our tour guide’s (paraphrased) words, “what is not made much of for Mozart, they make up for with the Sound of Music.”
• In the scene where the von Trapps are hiding from the Nazis in the abbey, there is an Alpine hill in the wrong location. Of course, you’d only really notice that if you lived in Austria…
• Apparently, if the concluding scene of the film (in which the von Trapps are seen climbing the Alps to escape into Switzerland) had actually happened in real life, the family would have been within eyesight of the Eagle Nest, one of Hitler’s favorite Austrian hangouts. As Sue explained, this was one of many “creative liberties” taken in the film.

The walking tour was absolutely beautiful. There are so many quaint houses, market squares, and churches. We passed many street vendors selling items such as pretzels, Mozart Balls (nougat-filled chocolates), and flowers. The first building we actually entered was Mozart’s birthplace at Number 9 Getreidegrasse. There, we saw Mozart’s childhood violin, some original letters, a few of his small possessions, and one of his claviers. His christened name was Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart. I’d no idea that he did so much traveling throughout his life--it consisted of over 10 years of travel altogether!

Ceiling Detail in the Salzburg Cathedral

It was in Salzburg that we visited our first European cathedral, and what a breathtaking cathedral it is! Its present construction was finished in the 1600s, although it was founded in the 700s! It was here that Mozart was baptized. A girl’s youth choir was singing at the time of our visit, so it added to the background quite nicely.

Hohensalzburg Castle

Overlooking the city is the mighty Hohensalzburg Castle, where the archbishops of Salzburg resided. The most notable archbishop was Leonhard von Keutschach, who made several architectural additions to the fortress. He also built some very ornate living quarters in the 1500s. We visited these chambers in our free time. The ballroom features 3-4 stone pillars, one of which still has damage from the Peasant’s War. The walls and ceiling have a stunning color coding of blue and gold. The original blue color (which was a very expensive pigment) could not be preserved, so it is kind of a gray-blue now. Little golden half-orbs are studded all over the ceiling to resemble stars.

Leonhard von Keutschach's Living Quarters

At the fortress, we also saw the oldest pipe organ I have ever seen so far--dating from the 1500s! It has 200 pipes, and Archibishop Leonhard von Keutschach (who was just a tad controlling) would play it very loudly in the early morning to wake up the city. Then, he would play it again around 11 p.m. to tell everyone to go to bed.

After the fortress, we walked to St. Peter’s Cathedral in the late afternoon. It was open, though no lights were on. Some candles were lit in front of a side-altar, however. There is something revering yet mystical about a dark cathedral. All was silent and peaceful. Then, *cue ominous music*, the rain came. Our tour guide had warned us of what the Austrians call “string rain.” It comes down in a continuous stream, kind of like a bucket of water dumping all over the place. We waited inside the entrance of the cathedral before deciding to make a run for it. We darted from archway to archway to eventually cross the Salzach River. (Apparently, restaurants are cheaper on the other side of the river). As we were on the previous day, sleep was quite welcome after supper.