City Of Music -- Salzburg

 

Salzburg is a picturesque little city in the Salzkammergut Lake district of Austria. The distance from Vienna, the capital city, to Salzburg is around 310 kms., and our bus did it in a matter of three hours. We went by picture post-card like scenery to reach the place, passing hills, and green meadows, in which huge cows with dangerously sharp horns grazed peacefully; it looked like a scene from the cover of a Swiss chocolate box. There were no ugly buildings on the way. In fact we were told by our strict, school- teacher like guide, that the government in an effort to preserve the beauty of the landscape, had passed legislation against the construction of monstrosities. She effortlessly alternated between English and German, and kept up a running commentary on the places we passed through.

 

 

--Like a scene from the cover of a Swiss chocolate box-

 

 

Salzburg itself is a town that can best be seen by walking. We were first taken to the Mirabell palace. Very ornately done. Then the gardens--large, with a lot of statues in the Greek style placed all over. The chief attraction of the Mirabell gardens for a lot of tourists and Austrians too, is that it is the location for the famous do-re-mi song in the Sound of Music. In fact, it was just last year that Austria celebrated the fortieth anniversary of the movie, which is an adaptation of the life-story of Maria Von Trapp, a daughter of Austria. In 1938 when the Nazis over-ran the country, the Von Trapps escaped to the USA, where their home today in Vermont has been converted into a hotel. There are a lot of American tourists who come to Salzburg to see the original scene of action. There are even tours organised around the movie, taking people to all the sites in Salzburg where it was shot.

Music, in fact, is the very soul of Salzburg. The most well known son of Salzburg, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, is the reason for hordes of tourists going there. They have music festivals almost throughout the year, the chief one being the summer music festival in July/August. In fact, a big event has just been celebrated this year--Mozart's 250^th birthday celebrations, for which the city had been gearing itself up for some time. Music is everywhere in the air. As we walk around, we see street musicians, playing on their violins.Some of them look young, like students, and not in the least bit scruffy. They smile as they play, and seem to really enjoy the music they make, as if the coins and notes dropped in their hat are of secondary importance. A visit to Mozart's birthplace is mandatory. Personal possessions, including a violin he used as a child, are kept there. And we see the harsh realities of a Father pushing the young Mozart to the limits of his capacity to become the accomplished musician that he was. From the liberal standards of today, the routine of the boy seems very tough, but that is the stuff of which greatness is made.

 

 

-The entrance to Mozart's birthplace, which is now kept as a museum-

 

We walk through the main street, and see the funny clock tower, which our guide tells us, symbolizes Salzburg-- the hour hand of the clock is longer than the minute hand. Ah, yes, and not to forget the chocolates. The Mozartkugeln-- chocolate balls named after Mozart, in their distinctive red and gold packaging, are a typically Austrian souvenir, a must buy from Salzburg.

 

 

-The funny clock, with the hour hand longer than the minute hand-

 

We walk and we walk, but are not tired, as the weather is mild. In summers the days could be as warm as in Vienna, with unexpected showers; winter days are sunny with snowfall, and cold during nights. Our guide gives us two hours off, to wander about on our own, and to have our lunch. Today, almost blasphemously, Rajan prefers to have something from Macdonald's, which, in Salzburg is adorned with a very ornamental M outside, reminding us more of Mozart than the mundane Mac! This is a change from the Austrian fare of the previous few days--the Wiener schnitzels, the coffee and the strudels. Our guide's paranoia with time, and her repeated warnings to all passengers that they would get left behind unless they boarded the bus on time, have all of them in at a quarter to four. We are the last to board with a full five minutes to spare. I shrug off this exacting discipline as one of those Austro-German character traits. but have to admit that the return journey is also covered in record time. We are back in Vienna at seven pm, on the dot.

 

 

 

--A street scene in Salzburg; almost all the persons congregated there are tourists-

 

 

 

 

-The ornate 'M' is the Macdonald's sign, and has nothing to with Mozart!-

-------------- Preferably between April and October. July and August are the best with temperatures at a high of 20 degrees C. Besides, for the musically inclined, remember, the annual Mozart music festival is in July/ August. The winter months are for those interested in winter sports.