The Sound Of Salzburg
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Published: November 14th 2016
Salzburg
This beautiful city is set by the mountains and next to a river; has a fort looking over its old town; and is superbly set up for cyclists.It's been awhile since I have had to take a shuttle between destinations - I believe that the last time I did it was
all the way back in Guatemala. Cesky Krumlov to Salzburg is quite a popular route for tourists to take so I was surprised that there was no direct bus service - or even a direct train. The gap has therefore been filled by about three or four companies operating shared mini-vans for fairly extortionate prices. And since the majority of tourism in these parts is made up mainly of wealthier Asian tourists, they are prepared to pay these prices. In my case, I didn't have a choice.
I did enjoy the three-hour service however. The van was nice, new and comfortable and the driver even let me put on my tunes on the stereo; for me, him and the five Chinese tourists in the back. Tomas the driver was a good chat too and we turned out to have a lot in common as our discussions ranged from obscure music to football and to the wretched state of world politics. And as the shuttle picked me up directly from my hostel, I had no transfers to make either - no hauling my
Alter Markt
Square in the middle of Salzburg's old town that epitomises Salzburg's pastel and baroque architectural style. backpack along cobblestoned streets to and from a bus or train station.
Waiting for me at the other end of my shuttle ride was Simon, one of the Austrians I met
all the way back in Montenegro and with whom I travelled through
Northern Albania. A Salzburg native, he was so kind as to put me up at his Mum's apartment for my stay here.
And it was really nice not to be staying in a hostel for a change. I had my own room again and I could leave stuff all over it without having to worry about any of it being nicked. It was also really nice to have home-cooked food as Simon's mum Maria made sure that we didn't go hungry.
Studying in Vienna these days, Simon was only back for the weekend so we went straight out that night along with his good friend Haris and his Brazilian girlfriend Thais. Thais was lovely - this small, happy-go-lucky, sociable ball of energy would bring a smile to any face. She had also just arrived in Salzburg to see Haris and it was really evident just how much in love they were - to the point where it was sometimes just a
River Salzach
The beautiful turquoise river that flows through Salzburg. bit too much to witness!
It was nice having a private tour guide - especially one so excited and enthusiastic about showing me around as Simon. He tells me that Salzburg was once the second most important city after Rome and became very wealthy - and still is - as a result. It was a very important religious centre too and enjoys some religious autonomy from Rome not granted to most cities in the old Holy Roman Empire.
Staying with a local brings you a much more different experience than usual when visiting somewhere. For example, I wouldn't normally have gone cycling slightly drunk on a cold, wet evening and I would never have found Chesskeller - a literal cellar bar in the basement of an apartment. The place was similar to Polata in
Kiev except that you have to ring a bell and then give the doorman who answers a password, before being escorted down through two locked doors to the bar. Inside is more like a house party with mats and cushions on the floor as opposed to tables and chairs and the place is full of local teenagers with rock and metal on the stereo and
Austrian Chalets
Almost the quintessential, rural Austrian image in St Wolfgang. a haze of cigarette smoke wafting throughout the whole joint, just like the bad old days. To my big surprise, Austria have still not outlawed smoking in enclosed spaces and just like the old days, I would leave the place reeking of smoke, never to come out of your clothes for days. It was nevertheless a cool place to hang out - a real local place. The local beer - Stiegl - was also a nice, flavoursome drop.
With Simon saying hi to almost every second person on the street, it reminded me that this isn't a big place and that it was pretty normal to bump into people that you knew. This isn't something that I've really experienced since I left Auckland some nine years ago and even then it wasn't something that happened often. It also means that if you were to do anything scandalous, it wouldn't take long for word to spread throughout the entire community!
Simon had use of the car with which he picked me up in and it was really nice - it meant that we could explore the area outside of Salzburg a bit, where there is quite a bit to see.
Nazi Propaganda Poster
At the Dokumentationszentrum Obersalzburg, which details the Nazi past of the Eagle's Nest and the surrounding area of Obersalzburg. On my first full day in Salzburg, we picked up Thais and crossed over into Germany for the day (how cool - the EU at its best) to visit the Eagle's Nest - a building built on a rocky outcrop overlooking the summer retreat of Obersalzburg and the town of Berchtesgaden. It was a sort of headquarters for the Nazi elites away from Berlin and dignitaries were often received here.
There is a museum that documents the area's Nazi past and it was here that I was reminded just how popular Hitler was and the situation's populist parallels to the political situations in many countries today. It seems people have very short memories. I wondered when exactly it was when German citizens realised, if at all, at the time, just how bad Hitler was and the evil he was propagating all over Europe. There was a video also on display at the exhibition centre on how Hitler's tranquil retreat in Obersalzburg was converted into his secondary headquarters by forcing the local farmers to sell him their properties and building a massive, fenced-off secure zone where everyone and everything going in and out of the compound was checked at each boundary
Mystic Lake
View of the Wolfgangsee from the boathouse where we rented a boat. of the complex's three security zones.
Sadly, the bus going up to the Eagle's Nest itself weren't going that day - apparently there was snow further up the mountain and it was too dangerous to go up.
So back we drove to Salzburg where we visited Haris at his workplace in an art gallery exhibiting works for sale at eye-catchingly expensive prices. While I have eventually come to understand art (sort of), I have still never understood how value is placed on artwork.
That evening, Simon and I had dinner (and breakfast the next morning) at his father's place. Starters, mains and desserts were all served in Simon's father's really nice, warm, modern apartment. It was an absolute treat for this backpacker!
We then went for another night out in Salzburg. There was a special club night on at the local jazz club focused on electro-swing; swing music over house beats. Think every song sounding like
">We No Speak Americano. It was cool - especially the 1920s/1930s costumes that most people were wearing. It was something a bit different although the music does tend to get a bit boring after a while. I would hazard to say that I even prefer normal
St Wolfgang
Beautiful town of St Wolfgang in the Salzkummergut region of Austria. swing to electro-swing.
Making use of the car once again, Simon, Haris, Thais and I then made a day trip out to the Salzkummergut the next day, which according to Simon, is the most beautiful part of Austria. Seeing the surrounding mountains and the numerous lakes, it definitely seemed like a fair assessment.
As a kid and teenager, I always had a fantasy of driving an expensive car through the gorgeous Austrian countryside while listening to classical music. This was about as close as I have come. I wasn't driving Simon's mum's Jaguar and we were listening to pop music, but meh, close enough.
We parked the car in Strobl, a lakeside town on the shores of the Wolfgangsee, and as we got out of the car, the sun decided to come out at the same time and it suddenly became a glorious day, even if the temperature remained a little cool. The water in the lake looked so clear as we walked along a lakeside trail and Simon tells me that this is a popular spot for locals to go swimming in the summer.
Halfway through our walk, Haris then has the idea of taking a boat out
Schloss Mirabell & Gardens, Salzburg
Built by the ruling 16th century prince-archbishop for his mistress. Also a filming location for The Sound Of Music. onto the lake. At 15€ between us, why not? The motorboat was a little tricky to steer as it couldn't seem to hold a straight line and the sun decided to leave us as well - but it was nevertheless a fun way to arrive at our destination; St Wolfgang.
St Wolfgang is that stereotypical image that pops into your head when you think of rural Austria; the huge, colourful, wooden chalets; the flowers on the balcony; the green hills and snow-capped mountains in the background. The natural beauty on display was outstanding. The lake was beautiful too, evoking
Lake Atitlan and
Lake Ohrid with its lakeside boardwalks.
After cake and coffee at a typical Austrian cafe, Haris made the comment that we had enjoyed an old person's afternoon out; but no-one was complaining. It was an amazingly pleasant afternoon.
After Simon went back to Vienna that evening, I then spent the next few days staying with his Mum who was so kind to not just put me up, but also to ensure that I was always well fed! Among the traditional dishes she served me were Tyrolian "grey cheese" served with tomatoes, onions and potatoes;
quark (cheesecake); and a wonderful
Cafe Bazar
Classic and classy Viennese-style cafe in Salzburg where folks can grab a paper off the newspaper rack and read all day over a cup of coffee and a slice of cake. cheese, cream and potato salad that went wonderfully with cracked pepper and the endless variety of different and delicious breads that you can get here in Austria. On my last morning in Salzburg, Maria took me to a typical Viennese cafe,a classy, art-nouveau establishment serving good food, good coffee and where it is totally normal to pick up a paper from the newspaper rack and just hang out for hours. This was something I didn't really do when
I was actually in Vienna. I had the
classiker breakfast, with a
melange coffee and I felt classy for the first time in ages!
I think Maria appreciated having company and we had some fairly deep conversations too, ranging from travel to world politics, from the failure of democracy to relationships, and most interestingly, her profession as a psychoanalyst.
In between chats, I wrote blogs and explored the city, which has loads of Asian tourists! I also met up again with Thais and Haris although we were meant to meet up more than we did. I was admittedly a bit flaky; having been travelling for so long now, I've found myself just really appreciating having a home just to chill out at. Especially with the
Linzer Gasse
Main pedestrian shopping street outside of the old town in Salzburg. weather now cold, I'm getting a bit sick of dragging myself out to see sights. It is also difficult to motivate yourself to go out when the weather is so wet and cold (Salzburg sees it fair share of rain). Instead, I just wanna stay home, read the paper, write blogs and watch silly videos (Ozzy Man Reviews is a new favourite).
Nevertheless, I did manage to see the sights and what I saw is what you can see in the photos. None of the sights were truly outstanding; of note were the fortress looming over the city which affords some brilliant views, the inside of the Dom which was reasonably elaborate and impressive, the atmospheric Stift Nonnberg (a church which was one of many filming locations for The Sound Of Music here in Salzburg), and the lovely gardens of the Schloss Mirabell (also featured in The Sound Of Music). Oh yeah, and Mozart is Salzburg's most famous son - not that again, like
the Chopin Museum in Warsaw, am I enough of a classical music fan to pay the money to visit his old house or his birthplace.
Salzburg's beautifully baroque old town however, is a pleasure to wander around and is
Residenzplatz
Arguably the square that is the heart of Salzburg. set in a stunning location near the mountains and next to the lovely, turquoise Salzach River. I do have to say though, that nice as the old town is, I wasn't really blown away. Pastel and baroque inevitably go hand-in-hand but I do find the combination a little bland - it might arguably be a little classier but I think I prefer to see more bright colours.
Salzburg is also one of the most cycle-friendly places that I have visited - cycles lanes and places to lock up your bike are everywhere and the city is the perfect size for getting around by bike. Maria and Simon had a couple of spare bikes I could use so as well as saving money on accommodation and food, I was also saving on transport.
And I did need to save money (which amazingly, you can withdraw from the ATMs here in whatever combination of banknotes you desire) as I now face a week of getting through some of the most expensive areas in Europe as I make my way through Bavaria, Liechtenstein and most worryingly budget-wise, Switzerland. Therefore I really have to give massive thanks to Simon and Maria for looking
Eastern View Over Salzburg
Lording over Salzburg like the fortress top-right. after me - it is something I will never forget something that has really helped me out when I needed it and I hope I will be able to repay them both sometime in the future.
I had a relatively relaxing week of just chilling, especially after whizzing through Poland and
the Czech Republic all the way from Ukraine, and I was now ready for the home stretch; the last week of my European sojourn. Travelling to six different places in nine days, it promised to be hectic.
Auf wiedersehen,
Derek
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