Salzburg: The Rainclouds Are Alive

I'd love to say that the reason it took me over 3 weeks to get my act together and write this blog post about the remaining days of my winter break was because I was too busy gallivanting with Austrian royals and charming the malleable minds of eager youths. But that would be a lie. I've had plenty of free time but just been much too lazy to write because the idea was daunting. But here I am, with lots and lots of pictures and hopefully interesting stories to tell. 

If you'll remember, dear reader, after Michal and I finished our week in Barcelona we came back to Austria to continue the European exploration. We spent one day in Vienna, which consisted of a grand tour of the major hits of the Vienna inner city including the famous museums, the Ringstrasse, the Hofburg, St. Stephen's Cathedral, other churches, the Parliament, my favorite building the Rathaus, the University, etc etc. I also introduced Michal to the Austrian delights that are Wienerschnitzel and Käsespätzle. But then bright and early the next morning we hopped on the train headed for SALZBURG! Salzburg is probably the second most famous city in Austria but it's actually quite small. It is only the 4th largest city and there are only about 150,000 people--smaller than Irvine! However because it is the birthplace of Mozart and home of the Von Trapp family, it's a huge tourist destination, and after visiting, I understand why it's so beloved.

We started our Salzburg experience with a Rick Steves walking tour of the old city. This took us to lots of churches, each with its own charming little cemetery (you know how much Michal and I LOVE cemeteries). One of the highlights of the tour was the Salzburg Cathedral, which I liked much more than your typical cathedral. I thought it was definitely unique, and was shocked to learn that it was built in only 14 years!! An interesting piece of trivia about Salzburg: for hundreds of years it was ruled by an Archbishop, meaning the political and religious authority rested in the same man. Talk about power. For this reason there are lots of huge gorgeous palaces within the city and just outside, because these archbishops had SO much money. This also meant that the political and religious histories of the city intertwine a lot, which I of course found fascinating!

Courtyard cemetery at St. Sebastian's Church

The old part of Salzburg and the hilltop fortress,
as seen from the other side of the river

And there's ole Wolfi

Outside of the Cathedral

 The pictures below are of St. Peter's church cemetery, probably one of my favorite parts of the old city of Salzburg. This cemetery was more like a garden with impeccably-trimmed and beautifully-cared-for graves. This is also the cemetery that inspired the directors of Sound of Music--although the scene where the Von Trapps hide in a cemetery was shot on a Hollywood set, the cemetery was modelled after this one (you can see the cages below are similar to the ones in the film!)

St. Peters is also the home to some catacombs built into the cliff behind it.We were able to climb up and see these catacombs, and with the climb we got some nice views of the city below!

Getreidegasse is the most famous shopping street in Salzburg. It's a narrow cobblestone alleyway, pedestrians only, with lots of original architecture, most famous for these wrought-iron signs. Walking down the street you really do feel like you've been transported back in time. There are lots of specialty shops, tons of Tracht stores, and of course several enticing bakeries. Even the McDonalds has to have the iron sign, and although it has the classic golden arches, I would have missed it, had Rick not pointed it out. It's impressive when even a McDonalds blends in!

Getreidegasse is also home to Mozart's Birth House

 Our next stop was the Fortress Hohensalzburg, the hilltop castle built consistently over a period of about 700 years. Interestingly, although this castle was equipped with all the defenses a hilltop fortress needed, it was never actually used for defense. The only time someone tried to invade Salzburg, the city surrendered. The invader was Napoleon, so I'd say maybe they made the right choice. Instead, the castle was used for pleasure for various archbishops, who had the place furnished with glamorous bedrooms and concert halls. There were some prisoners held there as well (including one archbishop who was imprisoned because of some Catholic-Protestant struggle that I can't remember, but since every struggle for hundreds of years was Catholic-Protestant, it doesn't surprise me). Now the caslte is home to several museum exhibits, some cooler than others. Although the hike up was kind of rough, the view from the top (despite AWFUL weather) was breathtaking!

Michal's first Käsekrainer!

 After a long day of trekking all around the city and seeing almost everything the old town and castle have to offer, Michal and I headed back to our hostel. As is typical of many hostels in Salzburg, our hostel caters to the cliche-happy tourists by showing the Sound of Music every night. I've probably mentioned this before but Austrians hate the Sound of Music. Hate might be a strong word. Actually, hate implies that they actually know what it is. In fact, most Austrians (most Europeans) have never even heard of the film, let alone seen it. I've mentioned it in class a few times and always get blank stares. The teachers generally know what it is but either they haven't seen it or they think it's a silly movie full of stereotypes that just make fun of Austrians. I have a lot of feelings on this argument and wont get into them now, but suffice to say, there's a reason the only Sound of Music tours offered in Salzburg are in English. [The distaste of the film in the German-speaking world might have something to do with the fact that the German title of the film is "Meine Lieder, Mein Traum" which translates to "My songs, my dream"--WHAT? Dumbest title ever.]

So we watched the movie in a room full of Americans and Australians, some more familiar with the film than others. Michal and I, the hilariously witty people that we are, provided our own snide, charming, and undeniably hysterical commentary throughout the film, but it was unclear to us whether our fellow viewers thought us funny or annoying. We'll just imagine they thought us funny.

This prepped us for the next days events: THE SOUND OF MUSIC TOUR!!!! This tour included a huge party bus and enthusiastic but not so funny tour guide that led us around to many of the sites used in the filming of the movie, or sites that were important to the real Von Trapp family. While we were driving, Helen, the tour guide, tried her best to get us to sing along with the movie soundtrack. That didn't go so well (of course I obliged willingly). She also shared some cute stories about the filming process, the actual Von Trapps, and the many many historical inaccuracies (which I refuse to accept as reasons to dislike the film--we're not watching a documentary people, we're watching a fictional musical that if anything, paints the subject matter in the absolute best light possible). Below are some pictures. If you imagine the skies much much bluer and the trees much much greener and the people generally happier and singier, you'll maybe recognize the places from the film! And if you haven't seen the film, stop reading, watch it, then reevaluate your life and choices and people you choose to spend time with.

Mirabell Palace Gardens, where most of Do Re Mi was filmed
(they ran through this thing, when it had more leaves)

Steps they use for the end of the song, where each step is a
note and then Julie Andrews hits that ridiculously high note

More of Mirabell Gardens, just because they're lovely

Leopoldskron Palace, used for the scenes on the lake and the back porch of the house. FUN FACT: A different house was used for the front of the house and even the back exterior shots, so they had to do a lot of funky filming. If you watch the movie, this house itself never appears in the film, just the back porch, the garden, and the lake!

Closer in, where you can see more of the back porch.
So much happens there. I really love this movie.

As if this needs a caption....Although apparently too many people
got hurt while trying to reenact the 16 Going On 17 dance
scene that they closed the gazebo, and nobody is allowed
inside anymore. Tourists ruin everything.

The fields of Schloss Hellbrunn are alive.

Attempted drive-by picture of the house they actually used for the exteriors
of the Von Trapp house in the film. Now it's a dorm for the Salzburg music
school. Not fair. I should have practiced more.

Mozart Bridge in the old city, the children also ran across this during
Do Re Mi. And looked off the edge in wonderment, as I am doing.

Church in Mondsee, a small town outside of Salzburg, where they
filmed the wedding scene. The church at the Nonnberg Abbey,
where they were really married, was too small for the camera equipment.

Considering I named my blog after a line from a song in the Sound of Music and my first post had a photoshopped picture of me inserted into the film, I clearly don't care that the film has about zero historical accuracy and is chock full of stereotypes about the country. It's just a wonderful movie (even if the acting is terrible) and I love it. And the tour was awesome. 

We ended our time in Salzburg with a trip to the Salzburg Museum, where we learned a lot about the history of the city and saw some lovely art. All in all, I LOVED Salzburg. Despite the absolutely horrible weather, I still found it to be beautiful, charming, quaint, and very friendly. I'd love to see it in the spring or summer! As always, thanks for reading!!