Europe – “Riding the Rails” – Salzburg, Austria (8)

The sun was shining, the train from Innsbruck to Salzburg was on time and we did not have to change trains. That made for a wonderful start to the day. There was one little annoyance, however. We were seated in the “quiet zone” of the train (who knew?), and, an English couple was quietly chatting. Well, the woman seated behind them would have none of that as she was working. She scolded them quite profoundly, but, they just took it in stride and were amused.

From the train station it was on to the Hotel Sacher Salzburg, an elegant hotel. The hotel is situated next to the River Salzach, and, we were fortunate to have a room overlooking the river and the old section of Salzburg. The hotel is named after the famous Sacher Torte, and, the Sacher Hotel lays claim to being the owners of the original recipe. There was a small piece awaiting us on our arrival in the room.

Unlike Innsbruck which is surrounded by majestic mountains, Salzburg has low lying mountains, with sections really more like hills. That leads me to the beginning lyrics of The Sound of Music, “The hills are alive with the sound of music” as all the outside scenes of the movie were filmed in Salzburg.

Salzburg is divided by the river into the old and new town areas (new being relative). The historic old town area is definitely the most charming with the picturesque streets and passage ways that lead to hidden courtyards. It is also where Mozart was born. Although I made it a point to find the actual location, I did not go into the museum as I had already toured the Mozart Museum in the new section of Salzburg. Interestingly, the focus of the museum was Wolfgang Mozart’s father, Leopold, and his dedication to his family, music (he published a violin textbook that has endured through time) and promoting his son’s talent.

No visit to Salzburg would be complete without attending a Mozart concert. There are concerts held at the Hohensalzburg Fortress, the largest fully preserved fortress in Central Europe, which overlooks Salzburg. So, it seemed our duty to attend a concert at the fortress, which was preceded by dinner on the outside terrace as the weather was perfect.

To get to the fortress necessitates a walk through old town to a funicular that whisks you to the fortress. Climb one set of stairs, and, you are on the dining level. Dinner was especially enjoyable as we had a personable server who added a charm to the evening. Following dinner we climbed the stairs, then climbed more stairs and yet more stairs (bet you heard Steve groaning all the way across the ocean) as the concerts are held in the Golden Hall which is high in the castle.

Following the concert it was back down the many sets of stairs, down to the town level on the funicular, then the walk back to the hotel and, finally, a look back at the fortress beautifully lit as if to say it was worth all the effort.