Salzburg City Tour
Day 4
"I can't seem to stop singing wherever I am. And what's worse, I can't seem to stop saying things - anything and everything I think and feel."
~ Maria von Trapp
Salzburg is situated on the lovely river Salzach, both named for the salt mining that thrived in medieval times. (It's still an industry, but more now for luxury and gourmet goods rather than as a necessary preservative.)
The morning tour began with a stroll through the Mirabell Gardens, which (along with the adjoining palace) were built by a 17th-century Prince-Archbishop for his mistress.
Musical-loving tourists (like me) geek out when they realize that this is where they filmed "Do Re Mi" (though nobody in Salzburg cares)
(Photo credit 20th Century Fox)
They do, however, care a great deal about Mozart, who was born in Salzburg in 1756. The home in which he was born is a major tourist attraction, even if the first floor of the building is now a grocery store.
Baby Amadeus was baptized at the Salzburg Cathedral, which is stunningly baroque. The baptismal fount is still there, and still used.
While the cemetery hideout scene in "Sound of Music" was not actually filmed here, this cemetery was the inspiration for the Hollywood set builders. Interestingly, we learned that cemetery plots are not purchased, but rented. If the family doesn't keep up on the payments, they will relocate the body and rent the plot to someone else.
The charming old town is crisscrossed with winding streets and passageways in between buildings. All the businesses, no matter who, are required to have these wrought iron signs like they would have had in the medieval times to signal to illiterate peasants what kind of business it is.
(Literally everyone!)
I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the medieval aesthetic with pieces of modern public art. Hence, pickles. Why are there pickles? I don't know, but they amused me greatly.
After the tour, we went to the Edelweiss Cooking School and learned how to make authentic apple strudel! I also learned that Jeff and Dad both look surprisingly dapper in aprons.
The finished product was delicious, (as were the Schnapps samples we got to try along with it!)