After I allegedly chose Vienna as a new destination for us, Sarah immediately requested that we go to Prague; Salzburg was almost an afterthought to break up the trip, but I started getting more excited about it after researching a little more deeply before we went. Despite having fewer big attractions than Vienna, Salzburg features a beautiful setting along a river at the foot of the Austrian Alps. Even better, we were going to be here on St. Nicholas Day, making the Christmas markets even livelier than normal.
We spent our first day wandering around Salzburg’s lovely old town area. Thanks to both a clifftop fortress overlooking the city and the ability to ship (and tax) the region’s rich salt deposits on the river (Salz+Burg=Salt+Town), Salzburg controlled half of Austria during the city’s peak. A Rome-loving leader helped give it the distinctly Italian flair that made the city famously picturesque, with interconnected squares, fountains and statues, and Baroque domes (38 Catholic churches). Many of the main squares also featured Christmas markets while we there, and Salzburg more than anywhere else put me in the holiday spirit.
Salzburg’s baroque style cathedral was a refreshing change after the long line of Gothic churches we’d toured throughout Europe. Two domed towers with balustrades and half-columns were distinguishing features of the exteriors. When you step inside, your first observation is its impressive height, partly because the central dome’s skylight draws your focus forward and upward…like a light shining down from heaven. Stucco and brightly painted murals added to this effect, and I found myself enjoying the contrast to so many of the dark gothic cathedrals we’d visited. Still though, Austrian-faced Jesus looked a little strange after all the Italian and Spanish-faced messiahs the past few months. The church contained 5 separate organs—Mozart not only played and composed masses here, but this was also the site where he was baptized.
One of the things I liked about Salzburg was the small rural feel it somehow maintained while also being a large modern city. I think the best descriptive term would be “old world charm.†A good example was the water wheel that powers a flour mill near the Cathedral. As early as the 12th century, wheels like this were used as a part of a clean freshwater system that piped water from the Alps to the city; Salzburg was among the only large European cities never to suffer the plague. Today, it also prevented us from suffering hunger; the bakery attached to the mill served up some pretty tasty rolls!
Mozart’s birthplace was probably the main attraction we toured; of course, Salzburg’s history as the real life home of the Von Trapp family would be of equal interest to many, but no matter how popular Sound of Music might be, I prefer not to spend time on things that suck. Anyway, Mozart’s birthplace is museum that covers 3 floors of the building in which he was born and raised. It’s sort of a weird hodgepodge of his possessions (combs, locks of hair, letters, his childhood “square pianoâ€), interesting biographies of his family, and records of his accomplishments (awards, composition notes), and portraits.
It was sort of funny that every likeness of ol’ Wolfgang Amadeus in Salzburg is thought to be a poor likeness except for one about the size of a postage stamp; I think he might not have been the best looking fellow. Also, according to the museum, Mozart did not end up in poverty, he just owed way more money than he made! Despite the ragtag organization of the exhibit, I did learn quite a bit about him, and one could do worse than listening to Mozart for an hour or two. Oh, I almost forgot, Sarah decided to take a picture of our longtime bane—the no photo plaque—only to be reprimanded sternly for the photographing “no photoâ€!
As usual, we spent most of our time in the city’s old town, but we also tried to venture to the new town for meals—often we have a better experience for both food and atmosphere. Salzburg has a great beer scene, and Biergarten die Wiesse brewed some of the best beer we had in Europe. This wood-paneled hall with Christmas lights draped over mounted antlers was full of both travelers and locals enjoying cheap pub grub and pints. I ordered something with some seriously stinky cheese in it, and Sarah grabbed some Spatzle with fried onions and bacon. The stars, though, were the dunkel and Christmas ale that I wished I could have taken home.
That evening we had a vast array of entertainment. As I mentioned earlier, it was St. Nicholas Day in Austria, and he was set to make an appearance in the main square around 7:00. He wouldn’t be alone, though, because he is only the good cop that rewards nice children; Krampus, on the other hand, is a horned goat thing that scares naughty children into better behavior by threatening to kidnap them in the basket he wears on his back. As many as 1,000 Krampuses invade the town on St. Nicholas Day (I guess it is actually a big problem sometimes as drunken Krampuses get carried away and even violent). We toured the Christmas market for a bit before waiting by the stage as a drum team tried to entice Krampus into the square; we had to leave, though, because we had tickets to a concert. Luckily, we ran right into the mob of creatures as we left the square—Sarah even got hit over the head by one of them, but I guess that was actually supposed to bring good luck.
The concert was great! It was set in a fancy hall that was small enough to make us feel that the string quintet was playing directly to our regal selves as we relaxed with other nobles in the court. The quintet was sometimes accompanied by an oboe and always by a harpsicord. They played Mozart, Vivaldi, and a couple of other composers I didn’t know. I’d never heard live classical music in a setting this intimate, and I found it very pleasant. The violinist and the cello both played by memory alone, and each member sort of brought his/her own distinct personality to the show. The main violinist was a real showman who put every emotion he had into his energetic and talented performance. Sarah and I don’t often go to live music of any sort at home, but we thought maybe we should start after this memorable night.
With our second full day in Salzburg, we went for hike right outside town. Neither winter conditions nor time would allow us into the mountains, but we were able to hike a couple of miles through an urban park to a great viewpoint of the old town and fortress. We enjoyed the sunny but brisk air, and the trees still held their orange leaves. It was a beautiful way to experience Salzburg while burning off some of the heavy Austrian food and beer. We decided to keep the walking theme going after returning to town; there is a wonderful trail connecting both sides of the river with pedestrian bridges.
To cap off our day, we stopped at the rowdy Augustiner Braustubl beer hall before heading home. This monk-run brewery features two giant open tavern halls and an outdoor beer garden. You grab either a ½ or full liter mug, rinse it out, pay, and give your receipt to the keg guy. He fills your mug to overflowing with cold, foam-topped beer and slams it down on the counter. The beer wasn’t quite as good as the stuff from the day before, but when else do you get to drink beer next to a table of 40 Austrian regulars (this is a beer club that is called a Stammtisch; they meet regularly and missing it results in a beer fine)?
Salzburg was an interesting mix of history, musical arts, and beautiful scenery (manmade and natural); plus, the Christmas festivities made our experience even better! Both Sarah and I wished we had more time in Vienna and Salzburg, and I think they are near the top of our list for a return some day. I am glad we experienced them around the holiday, but I’d love to explore the outdoor playground of the Danube River near Vienna and Salzburg’s Austrian Alps as well!
