Mawhorter Sabbatical 2013: Salzburg: 3 More Concerts

We had a wonderful time in Salzburg. I had a few places on my list to visit, but I hadn't done much research. We bought a 48-hour city card, so we could take the streetcars and bus and go to all the museums free. This meant that we tried to pack too much in, but it also meant that we had the flexibility to duck into a museum when it rained and take the cable car to the Hohensalzburg Fortress instead of walking up. Also, because they were free, we took the bus out to a cable car to the summit of Untersberg just to walk around up high and enjoy the view and took a boat trip on the river.

Salzburg reminded us a bit of Edinburgh, partly because of the castle on the hill with sheer, steep walls, although white instead of grey. It even has a regimental museum, with pictures and maps of WWI battles fought in the peaks of the Alps between Austria and Italy, peaks we'd just seen on our hikes with David the weekend before.

Salzburg: View of the Church Towers in the Old City and Hohensalzburg Castle on the Mönchsberg

Fountain in the Square in front of the Bishop's Residence - Tourist Coach

Men sitting on a bench in the Residence Plaza - Great hats

St. Peter's Cathedral Ceiling

They make a big deal over "Sound of Music," but I guess they have to chase the tourist euros. Unlike Edinburgh, the old city seemed pretty dead, catering only to tourists with no local presence, which seems a shame. Friday after seeing the cathedral and castle, we headed across the river to Linzer Gasse to a "Roaring Twenties" street fair that was so crowded it was hard to squeeze through. On the first stage a woman was holding a Lindy-Hop dance workshop. Weird to see a revival of American 20s music, dance, and clothes in Austria! Especially since some Austrians wear traditional folk dress, quite a contrast to the people dressed in 20s costumes. We found a quiet alley to eat dinner at an outdoor café while waiting for the Su'sis, an Austrian take-off on the Andrews Sisters, singing "Chatanooga Choo-Choo," "Route 66," "Straighten Up and Fly Right," and "Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy." Fun. Great Lindy-hop dancers too.

Su'sis

Doesn't he look just right? He was a great dancer too.

Man in 20s Costume - Linzer Gasse Street Fair

While strolling around waiting for the music to begin, we passed a gummy bear store with these cakes in the window.

Gummy Bär Cakes

Saturday we took the bus out to the cable car, walked up to the lookout, and admired the views of Alps and valleys. Pretty cold on top with some snow remnants right below us.

JLFM & Rich, Top of Untersberg Cable Car

On the way back we stopped at Hellbrunn Palace, a summer palace with gardens with trick fountains. The Archbishop Markus Sittikus built it in 1615 just for fun with water-powered birds twittering and a table where the guests get sprayed, but the host's seat is dry, grottoes with crowns that shoot up on water, and a mechanical theatre scene with all the figures moving. You might think the government wastes taxpayers' money now, but then...

Hellbrunn Summer Palace

Trick Fountain

We did the obligatory tour of Mozart's house and took the elevator up to the Museum of Modern Art. There we ran across another Turrell, although under construction, so we couldn't see it.

Sign for another Turrell Light Sculpture

It started to pour, so we spent the last bit of the afternoon looking at opulent rooms and art in the Residence, and then treated ourselves to resting our feet in a warm café and eating apple strudel.

Apple Strudel mit Schlag (Whipped Cream)

There was a free concert in the cathedral: 8 American choirs came together to sing Mozart's Coronation Mass, Hogan's "I'm Gonna Sing till the Spirit Moves," Gibbs' "Lord If I Got My Ticket," and Rutter's "The Lord is my Shepherd." We sat in the very first row and could have turned the pages for the violins. The oboe and outstanding singer soloists perched above in the balconies with the organ. Magic to listen to the reverberation in the cathedral space after the last chords.

It's such a gorgeous city that it's too bad the tourist prices have chased the locals out of the old part of the city. On Saturday night after the concert, we looked for a place to eat and most of the restaurants seemed overpriced and empty. This part of the city was a ghost town. Hannover is always full of people, even in the rain and cold.

Sun. we were glad to be heading home. We spent the morning going to church and hearing a local folk band perform in the baroque Mirabell Garden. Great costumes.