How exciting - today was Salzburg Day! We were on the bus at 9 or so and starting the 2.5 hour drive back into Austria (we had docked in Passau) and to Salzburg, birthplace of Mozart and filming location for 'The Sound of Music'.
I didn't have time to see Passau this morning and we won't be returning here this afternoon, so I'm going to have to check with the others to see what photos they have of the fortress (the largest in Europe?).
Passau is on three rivers - the Danube, Inn and Ilz. On the way to Salzburg, we passed the River Inn which has a history of flooding. The first recorded was in 1501 where the water was equivalent to two storeys high. The one in 2013 were just below that. Here, you are not permitted to have an apartment on the ground floor although you can set up a restaurant!
On the drive, our tour leader told us about the local countryside - letting us know when we had driven back over the border into Austria (’the grass is greener; the sun is out’) and that the fields of mustard flowers had been planted intentionally (American on the bus: ‘they’re a weed at home’) and that the corn we were seeing had been left there because of a glut of it on the market, and that the fields of sunflowers (me: happy dance) had been planted by farmers so bees would have something (’there’s nothing on the corn for them’).
We also passed the BMW plant (?) - Sooz knows what BMW actually stands for and our tour leader did say what it was but she said it also stood for: Break My Wallet. We also passed Porsche which had various vintage models suspended in the window wall facing the street. Also on the car theme, we passed a house that had been built in the shape of a car - thereby fulfilling someone’s childhood dream! See, Austria is where dreams come true. Cue: Sound of Music.
We didn't make it up into the Alps on our 'Sound of Music' tour but we did make it to the stairs where Maria taught the children 'Do Re Mi' and the fountain they danced around, Most of the interiors for the film were done in studio, but the very familiar exteriors are here. Even though I rewatched the film on the plane on the way over, I can see I am going to have to watch again to see what else I can recognise now that I have been here.
I also visited the cemetery which had been the inspiration for the scene where the von Trapps hide in the church after fleeing from the music festival. Did someone say music festival? This was another sequence that was shot on location in Salzburg. I didn’t go in to the venue, but did take a photo with the rather impressive carved basilisk on the exterior.
Entrace to the Music Festival location. The basilisk is huge!
Our walk through Salzburg took us through old streets where the houses were joined together and you get over to the next block by going in passages built through the houses and these have been used for centuries. We also learnt about the different colours of houses and the signs hung out the front of businesses - again dating back centuries, as a way of communicating to people who didn't read where they could find services. What a great idea!
That said though, our guide did point out that Salzburg is not a Gothic town. There was a fire in the 16th Century which destroyed more than half of the city. Architects from Rome (a major trading partner) helped with the rebuild. Regensburg, which we will visit tomorrow, is Gothic. Passau (which I won't get to see this trip now) is Baroque and Gothic. As we journey more along the river, I hope to learn what differentiates these architecture styles.
We also visited the home of Mozart’s birth here in Salzburg - and took special note of the doorbell cords running from the ground floor up to the various apartments in the building. People pulled them but I think they had been disconnected for just that reason.
We lunched at the oldest restaurant in Europe and were entertained by four singers performing songs from 'The Sound of Music'. I took videos which I am going to have to work out how to share, in case anyone else wants to experience some of my favourite things.
St Peter Stiftskulinarium - the oldest restaurant in Europe
Also on a musical note, on the bus trip ‘home’ from Salzburg, we passed by the village of Oberndorf where 'Silent Night' was first performed on Christmas Eve 1818. It was supposed to have been played on piano but something prevented that and, instead, it was played on guitar. Since then it has been translated into 300 languages and dialects. Sooz and I have sung it in German at Choralfest with the Sydney University Musical Society. The only time you will be able to see 'Silent Night' performed live in Germany is on Christmas Eve.
Other things I learned today: it is currrently deer season in Austria - and residents love their deer meat. Deer leather is used to make lederhosen. As well as deer and other forest animals, apparently some people have also sighted elves and trolls ('You can't make this stuff up' our guide assured us.)
We were the last bus back to the boat this afternoon and we were underway soon after.
Sooz didn’t come to Salzburg but had the morning in Passau with M. During their travels, they visited Simon, reputedly the best coffee shop in the town. They certainly seemed to enjoy their coffees (M: ’best latte I’ve had since leaving Australia’) and sweeties because they keep mentioning them and sent me a photo!