Salzburg

Salzburg lies peacefully in the foothills of the alps on the northern edge of Austria, very close to the German border. It has an interesting ancient history and the old town was relatively unscathed by the bombing of World War II. Salzburg is stunning. It is an amazing collection of 17th - 18th century architecture set in a backdrop of dramatic mountains. Salzburg is best known in the US as the location of “The Sound of Music” which was filmed on location there. Amusingly, most Austrians have no idea what “The Sound of Music” is because it was only released in german about ten years ago, and the story bent the facts of the von Trapp family's story so extremely that it infuriates those here who see it.

The area around Salzburg was covered by the ocean before the Alps arose. As the land rose, huge salt lakes were created. Eventually all of the water evaporated and the mountains climbed up and over the vast deposits of salt (the alps are still growing about three inches per hundred years, by the way). The salt was encased by the rock. Often, places are named with a reason; Hot Springs Arkansas, Salt Lake City Utah, Horseheads New York (gross but true). In german, Salz is salt and Burg is fortress. Although the castle is not made of salt, is was built with the money from salt. During the middle ages, salt was precious and rare. It was often used as currency, hence the phrase “to be worth your salt”. It was mined and shipped from Salzburg on the Salzach river. The money from the salt trade built the city, the cathedral and the fortress. The salt money also kept Salzburg safe until Napoleon finally invaded in 1809. For example, Salzburg payed off the Bavarians to keep them out of the 30 years religious war.

Our first day in Salzburg we took a public bus from the main train station about 15 miles north into Germany and visited the Berchtesgaden Salt Mine. It was a rainy, cold day, so suiting up in the mandatory coveralls, mounting a tiny train, and driving straight into the mountain was the perfect activity. The short “train” ride took us about 1/4 mile into heart of the mountain. It felt like a theme park ride because the tunnel was almost perfectly formed with just enough room for us to glide through. The train, by the way, was like a string of ski mobile seats on train wheels. We faced forward with the tunnel within reach all around us. The train finally stopped in a large open cavern, about as big as a gymnasium. Here we learned about the mining process. After drilling into a new salt deposit, water is forced into the area. It dissolves the salt, and the brine solution is pumped out to a processing plant (now 15 miles away). The water is evaporated, and the salt is purified and packaged. The infusion of water is repeated again and again until the salt is removed, leaving a honey comb of empty caverns deep in the mountain. I have to admit, that made me a bit nervous. Interspersed through the tour we travelled the way the miners used to, down huge wooden slides. We even took a boat ride across an underwater lake so smooth that it reflected the rock ceiling like a mirror. It was (pardon the mining pun) a blast.

After returning to Salzburg we took a self guided walking tour of the old city. It is really lovely. The 17th century baroque cathedral (Salzburger Dom) was a highlight. The ornateness reminded me of the architecture in Italy, with every surface intricately carved and decorated. Our walk ended at another miracle of the Catholic religion, the Augustiner Bräu. This ancient brewery was founded by the Augustiner monks and to this day cranks out one of the tastiest beers that I have ever had. It is a fun place to have a beer and snack, but I would not recommend the food unless you have a unquenchable affinity for pork products... really, REALLY fatty pork products. I found the food a bit too salty as well, imagine that.

The following day we were up early. My sister Debby had heard about a bus tour to view the locations where “The Sound of Music” was filmed. The tour was a bit schmaltzy (the sound track was pumping through the bus at all times), but it was a great way to see the area and we did learn a bit more about Salzburg's history. When we got back to Salzburg we walked back to the foot of the mountain where the fortress rises imposingly. Rather than take the funicular up, we opted to walk. We then bipassed the fortress all-together and took a hike around the mountain beside it. Mönksberg (monk's mountain) offers commanding views all around Salzburg and some interesting information about the earliest Celtic settlers (5000 BC).

The following day we jetted back to Berlin. The flight took less time than the bus ride to the airport, but we definitely landed in a different world. The flat, populous and quite modern city of Berlin is a total contrast to Salzburg's mountainous, quaint and historic appearance. Great place to visit, thanks for the idea Debby!