At this point, we decided to stop for lunch. We went to
Stieglkeller, one of the famous Austrian breweries. We found a great table by
the window that overlooked the Salzburg skyline. Unbundling our jackets, we
took to perusing the menu.
Matt ordered a Steiglkeller beer and Lizzy got a beer that
was mixed with grapefruit juice. I ordered a drink called “Flux.” I had no idea
what it was, but it was listed as a homemade soft drink on the menu.
“Flux?” our waiter said. He was a large Austrian man,
wearing lederhosen. “Flux is anti-alcoholic!”
“Yes,” I said.
“You still want it?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said.
He shrugged and walked off. We all laughed.
“Do you not drink?” Matt asked.
“Not a lot,” I said. “I like champagne, but I’m not a big
fan of beer. I’ve decided to sort of save it for special occasions.”
The flux came in a little plastic bottle, but our waiter
poured it into a wine glass. It was sort of a sparkling cranberry-lemonade. It
wasn’t real sweet, but it was tasty.
For lunch, I ordered strudel. It was stuffed with spinach
and feta and topped with a warm cream sauce. It was very rich, but tasted
amazing. Matt ordered a traditional Austrian dish of roasted potatoes, sausage,
and a fried egg, all served in a cast iron pot.
After lunch, we went to see the Salzburg Dom. “Dom” is the
German word for “Cathedral.” Just outside the church is a giant golden orb with
a statue of a small man on top. Matt read the information about the statue, and
apparently he is looking towards the woman on top of the arch that we saw when
we exited the mountain. (I’m still going with the Virgin Mary.) Either way, the
golden orb is a famous photo spot in Salzburg. A statue nearby it that is less
famous but perhaps more impressive, is one of the grim reaper. The statues cloak
is long and flowing over the hunched over figure, but the statue is actually
hollow with no body inside.
Inside the “dom” was dark and dim, but the lighting didn’t hide
the splendor of the architecture. Matt led us first to one corner of the room
to show us the baptismal font. This was the font where Mozart was baptized.
The inside of the sanctuary was massive. Row after row of
pews led up to the front, where the ceiling overhead exploded into a massive
dome. Mozart played the organ at this church for years, and he said the best acoustics
to hear the music were in the front pews under the dome. The ceiling was
artfully painted, and the walls and columns meticulously carved, but it was all
done in a very grand and tasteful way—not overtly showy or flashy compared to
other churches.
The crypt of this church was also open for tourism. A series
of winding and mysterious hallways lay under the sanctuary. They were filled
with candles, sculptures, and old carvings.
We wrapped around every nook and cranny checking out each cross and tomb
we could find. One room we found was the adoration chapel. The doors were
paneled with sheets of stained glass. The inside of the room was bright and
colorful with a shiny crystal and gold cross and beautiful white candles
decorating the room.
Back up in the sanctuary was a place to light candles. While
most churches I’ve visited have had a spot like this, this was by the far the
most expansive one. We photographed the sparkling flames, while lighting our
own candles to add to the display. The painting above the shrine depicted a
saint that had been shot with arrows. We weren’t sure which it was, but the
image was quite powerful.
Outside in the main square, we continued over to Mozartplatz
(“Mozart Square”) where the memorial statue for the Austrian composer is
displayed. Passing by the Tourist Informance office, Lizzy ducked inside to see
if they had any Italian tour guides for the city.
At that point, we started wandering through some of the more
inner city streets. Like Prague, the roads were narrow and cobblestone. No cars
drove in this part of the town, so the pedestrian traffic could shuffle along
uninterrupted. Stores sole lederhosen, while others sold chocolates. We ducked
into one chocolate shop to get some of the famous Mozartkugel. Most people do
not know that there are two types of Mozartkugel. The stuff that comes in the red
wrapper is a cheap knock off of the original (which comes in a blue wrapper.)
Either way, the recipe is virtually the same. It is a nougat center, surrounded
with marzipan, and coated in dark chocolate. A lot of people don’t like it, so
the candy shops off samples before you buy it. I have to admit, it is very
bitter and rich, lacking pretty much any sweet dessert-like flavor. That said,
one piece (they come in packages of six) is a nice little treat. Needless to
say, I bought a package.
Our next stop was actually Mozart’s house. While there is a
tour (featuring what is described as a “very creepy wax baby” of Mozart inside)
we just took pictures of the outside of the house. The house was bright yellow
with high windows. It was funny to think that that was the studio where the
master had composed so many of his great works…and these were the streets that
inspired so many of his ideas.
Salzburg was the first city I’d been to where I found an
America shop. This place literally sold American flags along with star spangled
shirts, blankets, teddy bears, and more. It was funny to see, and Matt and
Lizzy tell me that it is a company you can find all over Europe.
As we started to leave the old town streets, Matt pointed
out a large fountain. There wasn’t any ornate spout that spewed water into the
basin, but rather a mural behind it depicted horses throughout history. Some were
wild and free while others were armed and ready for battle. Matt translated the
placard which explained that this “fountain” was actually a medieval “horse
bath” in Salzburg. It wasn’t the only unique fountain. Various wells and
streams ran under the city, bringing water from the river to the city and from
the mountains to the river.
At that point, we crossed over the river along a long
bridge. The edge of the bridge was covered in locks. This is a common tradition
that I’ve seen all across Europe. Couples will engrave their initials onto a
lock and then lock the device to the edge of a bridge while throwing the key
into the river. They are popular with tourists and photographers all over.
As we crossed the bridge there was a great commotion
underneath. Two ducks were viciously fighting one another. They snapped and bit
at each other, all the while floating down the river. Suddenly, a third duck
popped up from under the water and flew off.
“Oh my gosh!” Lizzy said. “They were hurting their friend.”
“Actually I think they were fighting over who got to have
fun with the friend,” Matt said.
On the other side of the river, we went to see the palace.
The entire building was surrounded by gardens. They were completely dead right
now, but from all the trees and budding flowers, I’m sure they are beautiful in
the summer. This garden is actually where parts of the “Do Re Mi” scene in
The Sound of Music were filmed. The gnome statues that they thump on the head can
be found here. They also dance around the Pegasus fountain in the palace
gardens, and hop up and down the palace steps in the closing chorus.
We took pictures of the fountain, strolled through the palace
courtyard, and thumped the gnome statues. Lizzy scolded Matt when he referred
to them as trolls, but some of them were freaky looking. There was one with a
large boil, while another had sweet and gentle features.
As we walked around the troll statues, the church bells
across the city began to chime. It sounded just like the movie scene when the
bells ring out to announce the wedding of Maria and the Captain. In this case,
they were ringing to announce the start of 6:00 mass. For five minutes (from
5:55-6:00) they rang unendingly. There weren’t a lot of people rushing off to
church, but when we did see someone in a hurry—on a bike or a scooter—they looked
committed to making it.
Just below the park of gnomes was a playground. It had to be
the ricketiest playground I’ve ever seen, but sure enough, kids and parents
were playing all over and having a ball.
“That’s where the Von Trapp children played, right?” I
asked.
“I’m sure you could find a tour company that would support
that claim,” Matt said.
We walked back towards the river and along the bank. Lizzy
found a new salon that she wanted to try, while we also began seeing signs for
the upcoming “Transcendence Marathon.”
“How does that work?” Matt speculated. “Do you sit in once
place and project your subconscious through the marathon?”
We crossed back over the river on a different bridge and
started heading back into old town.
“How are you doing college kid?” Matt asked. “We aren’t
tiring you out, are we?”
I chuckled. “No,” I said. “I’m okay.” I was a little tired,
but I was having too much fun to admit it.
The sun had started to set and we ducked into a café for
some hot chocolate and dessert. The treat they ordered was a fried apple. It
was literally, a fried apple. Underneath the sweet breading, was a gooey green
apple. It tasted so fresh and juicy, while also buttery from the outer crust.
The café itself was one of the oldest in Salzburg. I didn’t catch exactly what
year it was built but I want to say it was the 1300’s.
At that point, we decided to head back towards the mountain.
Winding through the streets, past the churches, and into the tunnel, we went
back to the car and headed back into Bavaria. 
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