Salzburg, Austria

Friday

May 28, 2010

Day 21

Salzburg and “The Sound of Music” Tour

What I love about Europe, particularly Central and Southern Europe from what I have seen thus far, is the natural blend of history and modernity. The ability to live in the past while living in the future. This is my dream! I love history but I also don’t want to lose myself enjoyment of living in the present. It also helps when you have a tremendous group of friends, like Blake Mitchell, Katie Kellogg, Jordan Overstreet, and obviously my brother to join you in all your adventures.

For example, usually sitting on a dark train next to a creepy homeless European might be awkward and uncomfortable. But when you have two other friends in the same car with you to talk to, jest with, and dream of the upcoming events, it simply becomes another adventure! During the whole 3 hour train ride from Vienna to Salzburg, Austria, all we did was talk and make jokes with/about each other as if we had been friends for a million years. They are truly great people, and I love getting to know people better. This trip has made me much bolder and more daring when it comes to meeting new people and doing new things.

Oh yeah, and never have I enjoyed or identified with a song as much as when all 5 of us together began singing Journey’s classic hit “Don’t Stop Believin” as we set out for Salzberg on “the midnight train going any place!” Not joking. We literally left the station at Vienna at 12am midnight and blasted Journey to the whole train, haha! So much fun!

As I mentioned earlier, the presence of friends make even the most miserable of trials become wonderful experiences tamed by the power of friendship. Such was also the case when the train dropped us off in the middle of a deserted medieval town (Salzburg was founded in the 11^th Century A.D.) with little direction or guidance. Normally, one would probably be scared if they were alone. But with our band of rambunxious, over-excited twenty-somethings we set out to conquer this strange new world. Boy what a trip it was trying to find our Bed and Breakfast this morning! It took us an hour and though we did not really make any wrong turns until a general bit of confusion when we got to within 100 yards of the B&B, the darkness, lack of familiarity, and the odd/non-existent placement of street signs only allowed us to wade through the old streets blanketed with the dark of night like ants trudging through molasses.

The most difficult part, however, was trying to find the B&B, called Trumer Stube Pension (pension is the German word for Bed and Breakfast) within the last 100 yards. The sign for the street on which it is located, 6 Bergstrasse, was almost completely hidden. Adding to our difficulty was the fact that the streets narrow and branch out like the Mekong Delta as we move closer to Old Town from the New Town side. You can imagine how difficult European streets can be when you account for the fact that city planners from the 11^th Century A.D. probably did not plan for the modern version of the town today. But we were saved from our distress by a kind young woman who came up and asked us, in English, if we needed help.

Now, up to this point, we have only been living in France. Don’t get me wrong, I love France. The views, the little cafes, the Cannes Film Festival, and some of the people, but on the whole I don’t think I have ever encountered a more judgmental, condescending culture than the French in the entire world! Whenever you walk by they know you are American (just as we can spot Europeans back in the States) and they will just stare at you with a look of “Why is that circus freak here?” Haha, such a weird experience. But hey, what kills you only makes you stronger right? And it helps to develop a thick skin. Literally, in restaurant row back in Juan Les Pins, there is a whole street dedicated to outside cafes and whenever we walk down there to our favorite sandwich joint (Masterburger) the entire street of people will turn their heads like bobble heads on a swivel to watch you walk down the street. Just weird.

So you can imagine our thanks and happiness when this kind lady walked up to two strange men (Blake and I were at the vanguard of the party navigating our way to the B&B) at 4:30 in the morning, by herself and wanted to give us help. Plus she was cute. 10 points for Austria and Salzberg.

After we got to our quaint, cozy Bed and Breakfast at around 4:45am, we immediately passed out from our tiresome trip.

Then we got up today at around 12:30pm and boy what a day we had. We crammed so much stuff into today that it was awesome. Today was a dream. Ok, imagine if you could cram like 4 apple strudels and 2 beignets into your mouth all at once (without gaining a pound of course) and covered in powdered sugar. Such an explosion of taste, awesomeness, and gluttonous satisfaction would be a good comparison to the enjoyment of all the things we did today. We literally seemed to do everything!

After showering and getting ready, we started off the day in a dream-like state as we found this little bakery with scrumptious desserts and sandwiches (and low priced too!) right across the street from our Pension (Bed and Breakfast). Austin and I got this massive loaf of croissant bread turned-icing pastry, plus two sandwiches, plus two waters for only 11 euros! Then we boarded the bus at 2pm to begin our tour of “The Sound of Music.” The 4 hour drive was absolutely breathtaking! Not only did we go to all of the famous scenes where “The Sound of Music” was shot, but learned a ton about the real history of the Von Trapp family and Solzberg as well. It felt like we got to see everything Salzberg, nature, and history had to offer in one trip. We saw beautifully serene lakes, pompous palaces, roaming landscapes and fileds of wildflowers, old churches and monasteries, Medieval towns and homes, and even the birthplace of Mozzart!

Some of the notable places we went were Lake Monsee (where kids riding their bikes) and the Monsee Church (where they are married), St. Gilgen (beautiful mountain lake panorama view), The Mirabel Gardens (“Doe, Ray, Me” song in the gardens), the Hellbrun Palace, and tons of other places. Just an incredible experience that I will never forget.

After the tour, we walked around the luscious, impeccably groomed Mirabel Gardens, and then wandered the city a bit. It was so cool because old stone walls covered with plants, weeds, and other vegetation, along with the massive castle over looking the city and other medieval constructions made me feel as if I was in two places at once. It was like I lived in both the past as well as in the present.

Following this perusal of the city, the experience that came next was one of my favorites of the entire trip. It combined history, with beautiful art and decorating, with fantastic food, and a sampling of the Germanic culture (which includes both Germany and Austria; both speak German). I love German/Austrian food! And we can lump them together kind of because for a large part of history they have been one country whether under the “Holy Roman Empire,” the Prussian Empire or the Third Reich of the Nazi regime in World War II. Anyhow, we went to the largest Bier Garten in all of Austria. We also went to one of the oldest monasteries in Austria. In fact, these two are one in the same. Founded in 1621, the St. Augustine Monastary has watched over the spiritual health of Salzberg for almost 400 years from its perch atop a hill overlooking Salzberg and the Salzach River, which divides the ancient city into two parts (Old Town and New Town).

When the monks are not praying and serving God, they are brewing some delicious beer and serving it to the locals. It was absolutely fantastic being able to see this cool old monastery, and beautiful paintings while also getting to experience the distinctly Germanic culture of the Bier halls. But one of the parts that I have liked a lot about Europe is how differently Europeans approach alcohol. Yes there are some tables made of table tops mounted on old fashioned wooden kegs, but these pubs are nothing like the bars we think of in the states. They are more like restaurants rather than a place to party. Also, Europeans drink alcohol really only with dinner. The Germans, Austrians and other Europeans consume for the purpose of complementing the many delectable tastes presented to the palette of your tongue by the (in this case) hearty diet of the Germanic people.

And boy what a finely crafted cuisine the Austrians and Germans have brought into this world! It is truly the diet of manly men. This diet is characterized by such hearty meats as Bratwursts, Currywursts, meatloaf, and steak. Add to that a large portioning of potatoes and sauerkraut (cooked, fermented cabbage) and you have the makings of a great meal. Then just wash it down with some fine beer and you will leave completely satisfied.

So as you can imagine, once inside this amazing place, we did the only thing we could do – eat the most German food we could. Tonight I had some fantastic Curry Bratwurst topped with sauerkraut, washed down with beer and finished off with fresh, crisp, warm applestreudal. Wow, I could not have imagined a much better meal. Though I had never had any of the items that landed on my plate, it was simply fantastic with each food or drink complementing and balancing out the others. The warm, stringy, somewhat bitter sauerkraut vegetable was great for balancing out the very hearty, meaty Currywurst. As for the beer, it was served in this awesome stone mug that made me feel like I was a king sitting at the wooden banquet table at the heart of my medieval kingdom. And the thing is that in Europe, there is no pressure to get drunk or crazy drinking alcohol. It was nice just to be able to appreciate the drink for what it was – a refreshment made to complement and wash down food. Finally, we topped the meal off with a delicious, warm applestreudel for dessert. Needless to say, I love the German and Austrian food.

So far, this trip to Salzberg has been one of my best experiences this summer. I mean when you put great food, great people, grand historical sites, wonderful cultural expriences, and a little bit of danger, uncertainty, and spontaneity in to the pot, you get a fantastic trip.

Now we are out to hit the town again through the concierge recommended pub crawl encompassing some of the oldest, most historic homes and pubs in the city. You will definitely have more posts and pictures to coming from Austin and I in Salzberg and the rest of Europe. Our experience has been surreal, almost like a fairy tale so far. Thanks to all my family and friends who have supported me and made this trip happen! It has been a life changing experience already and I have you all to thank for that!

P.S. – I am sorry I haven’t been able to post anything since leaving home. The combination of all day excursions to the Cannes Film Festival, the lack of internet at our French residence, and the constant work in review writing and marketing presentations has occupied almost all of my time (and no sleep is not included in that list, haha). But never fear, I have found some time to journal in my paper notebook in between traveling and downed internet. So in the coming days look for me to type up and post these journal entries as well as some pictures. Y’all are the best and I love you guys!