Wednesday, June 18 (Salzburg, Vienna) – Today I got to go to Mozart’s house – how cool is that!? Well, it was his place of birth and where he lived for part of his life, right in the middle of what is now that old city center of Salzburg. Everywhere you go in Salzburg, Mozart’s face can be seen – whether on the boxes of chocolate in every souvenir store, to the pamphlets promoting nightly concerts, to the (rather odd) statue pictured here:
German painter and sculptor Markus Lüpertz' homage to Mozart
After touring his home-turned-museum and learning more about his life and family, I was excited to hear some of his music played at a concert later in the evening. The concert I attended was inside the Fortress Hohensalzburg, which is the largest, fully-preserved fortress in all of central Europe. The Fortress is a must-see, and depending on how tired your legs are from a day of touring, you can opt to take the funicular up to the top. TIP: Also, for delicious, freshly baked bread rolls, go through the arch on the right before heading up the hill on the left to the Fortress / funicular. TIP: if you buy the Salzburg card (24 hour cards and more are available), you get a free funicular ride, free entry to the Fortress, along with free entry to just about every other site in the city!
View of the Hohensalzburg Fortress
Anyway, the concert was clearly geared for tourists, but that didn’t take away from the talent of the performers. The string quartet (and a pianist for one piece) were clearly very passionate and into the music. Their facial expressions during the different songs added a lot to the performance. I met a tour group from Portugal that is on a musical tour through Europe, and they have a maestro with them to give his perspective and insight at the different stops along the way. What a great idea!
Classical music live from the fortress
I visited a few of the other sites like the Salzburg Museum and the Mirabell Gardens, but my other favorite part was actually visiting a brewery / beer garden! The Augustiner Brau is the largest beer garden in Salzburg – the outside area alone can hold 1,000 people! I went on a random Wednesday and there were barely any free tables outside. The “Braustubl” beer is light and smooth and is served in heavy ceramic mugs to keep the beer cold. Dozens of people around me were clearly regulars and came prepared with decks of cards, picnics and groups of friends. I did meet two other Americans who found their way to the beer garden, and we ended up sitting together and chatting for the afternoon. Soon we were joined by a group of four locals who come to socialize each Wednesday and one of whom comes prepared with his own giant beer glass, a small cutting board and a cheese knife. For those of us who don’t come quite as prepared, there is a variety of food stalls inside and outside serving everything from pretzels to sandwiches.
At the Salzburg Museum (art or doodie?)
Enjoying a pretzel and beer at the brewery - notice one beer glass looks different than the others...
First glance of the massive beer garden
The wall of ceramic beer glasses
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