Hello Salzburg

Friday, Sept. 16, 2022 • Day 2 Photos by Betsy

The ride to Salzburg was wonderful, thanks to DayTrip, a private transfer and tour company. Andrei picked us up exactly as scheduled, 11 a.m. He loaded our very heavy bags…yes…again we brought too much and still have nothing to wear. We refuse to learn. The drive was on a major highway for the most part, but he did take a countryside detour to avoid the traffic. Andrei is Austrian and he said he hates Germany’s traffic. The side leading into Munich was at a complete stop for miles and miles, and poor Andrei was going to have to return in that direction.

He dropped us right at the city gate just steps from the Hotel Goldgasse, our home for the next three days. We love this place and we especially love the owner/manager Ulrike. She is so charming and cheerful. She greeted us with a glass of bubbly and led us to our junior suite, which is lovely. We settled in, which means I completely unpacked everything I brought. I do that for a one-night stay or for a weeklong stay. Betsy lives out of her suitcase. I envy that.

Time to see some of Salzburg. We followed the Rick Steves Salzburg City Walk on the app. It is a great way to get a quick overview and the lay of the land. The walk took us through several squares, introduced us to the city’s history and why Salzburg is known as “Rome of the North.” The Italian influence on the city is everywhere.

The walk began at the pedestrian bridge over the Salzac River, giving us views of New Town and Old Town. The river and city are named after the salt trade. For 2000 years barges carried salt from here to the Danube and then to the world. Today’s walk was Old Town so we’ll visit New Town another time. Salzburg has 38 Catholic churches, so beautiful old domes fill the skyline.

The Italian influence came to the city in the 1600s when a Prince-Archbishop who had been raised in Rome was in charge. The cathedral had burned down just before he rose to power so he had a chance to build it in Italian style and it is one of the first Baroque buildings north of the Alps. There are three entrance gates and each has a date: 774 marking the consecration of the first church on the site, 1598 when the church burned, and 1959 when it was repaired after WWII bombs damaged it. Today’s Cathedral is beautiful inside and it’s big, more than 300 feet long and 250 feet tall. Under the dome at the front are four organs and Mozart was once the organist, until he was dismissed (!). He was baptized and grew up in this church.

We especially loved Petersfriedhof, also known as St. Peter’s Cemetery. Each grave is like a mini garden filled with flowers and ornamental decorations. The graves are tended by descendants of the dead. In Austria, graves are rented, not owned. Bills are sent out every 10 years and if unpaid, tombstones are removed. The oldest tombstone is dated 1288, though the cemetery likely dates back to 700. The cemetery inspired the scene in Sound of Music where the Von Trapp family hid as they escaped the Nazis. That was actually filmed on a Hollywood movie set, but it was designed to resemble the cemetery.

We stopped at a wonderful bar/restaurant with lots of character and had the most delicious rose wine we’ve ever tasted. The bar is adjacent to a restaurant that is believed to be the oldest in the world. St. Peter Stiftskulinarium dates back to before AD 803. It is mentioned in writings about Emperor Charlamagne. Christopher Columbus and Mozart both dined there. We hadn’t eaten lunch and it was late in the day, so we ordered a snack of a hearth bread and the spread of the day, which was beet-based. Since she loves all things beets, Betsy was thrilled. It was a puree of beets combined with some type of cheese.

Under the category of “small world,” we met some people from Vidalia while at the restaurant. The man offered to take our photo saying, “Would y’all like a photo?” and we guessed he was from Georgia.

After a couple of pieces of bread and a couple glasses of wine, we finished the walking tour.

When we got to the Festival Hall where the real Von Trapps and the movie Von Trapps performed just before their escape, Betsy saw an open door along the side, clearly not a public entrance. Of course, she marched right toward it and slipped inside to the main stage. Next thing I knew, I had done the same.

We finished the walk along the main street of Old Town, Getreidegasse. It’s lined with wrought iron signs and buildings from the 15th Century that are now occupied by attractive shops and restaurants.

One of the buildings is the birthplace of Mozart and where he composed his boy-genius works.

Back at our hotel, we rested a bit and then got ready for dinner downstairs at the restaurant. It was small and attractive and we had a great table. The food was good, the dessert was amazing.

More scenes from Salzburg

Next up: The Sound of Music Tour. Betsy will be singing, I’m certain.