The Hills Were Not Quite Alive With The Sound Of Music

As the taxi picked us up from the airport and drove us to the youth hostel, one of the first thoughts in my head regarding Salzburg was “If I had half the view Mozart did as a child, I might have been inspired to write masterpiece compositions as well!” While I have neither the talent nor patience, the scenery is really breathtaking. Salzburg may be a small city (easily done in a day) but one definite advantage to it is its location. Surrounded on all sides by miles of lush green fields, situated on a deep blue river with picturesque bridges spaced evenly, solemn snowy peaks rising in the distance. While the hills were not alive with the sound of music per say, they were certainly lush and green and alive.

            As I mentioned before, one of the big things that Salzburg seems to be capitalizing on is the fact that Mozart was born here. His birthplace is a museum and everywhere you turn there are stands selling assorted Mozart paraphernalia, including the small chocolates the city is known for, Mozartkugeln (for the record, they don’t taste very good). The museum was actually really interesting; it had several professional portraits of the family and the original piano that Mozart began composing on. It culminated with a room containing an assortment of Mozart’s belongings and original compositions, including a lock of his hair (yeah, I thought it was a little weird too). From Mozart’s house, it is a short trek to the riverside, where groups of teenagers, avid dog-walkers and retired couples gather on sunny days to meander along the footpath or lay in the grass soaking up some rays. For tourists like us, it was a great place to simply lay back and admire the view. Vast expanses of green on either side, the blue river snaking alongside it, and the traditional village houses rising directly in front and in back. In the distance, Salzburg Fortress stands strong against the blue sky, like a parent watching over a child. Linds and I spent the bulk of our first day wandering aimlessly through the streets of Salzburg, enjoying the traditional architecture and local pastries, before relaxing by the river for a few hours in the afternoon to decompress from the busy weeks of travel.

            To emphasize how small the city is, we saw the fortress, Mozart’s house, and the Catacombs (all the major sites) in one day and still had plenty of time to shop and sit by the river in the afternoon. The fortress is definitely worth the visit despite the mildly frightening tram- type transit up the mountain as it offers the best view of the city and a lot of insight into the city’s history. The Catacombs are dark and steep and there is very little information about the history offered, but it only costs one euro to visit them so we figured we might as well. There are a few nooks and crannies along the way where we could stop and take photos, and the structure itself was quite interesting because it was built directly into the side of the cliff on top of which the Fortress rests. We braved the tram ride up the mountain and we were rewarded with spectacular views of the city. The fortress is composed of several buildings and an outer-wall with a ledge from which the entire city and beyond can be seen. Despite the dizzying height, I managed to take some great panoramic photos and explored the main body of the fortress, from the old meeting hall to the “town square” where we stopped for a drink and reapplied our sun block. After such a productive day, we grabbed some McFlurrys for a little taste of home, shopped a bit on the main shopping street in Salzburg, and headed down to the river for some relaxation in the sun.