A Tour of Salzburg, Austria, for the Von Trapp family fan

Fountain
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When I researched Salzburg, of the list of places to go, things to see (a comfortable length for a few days visit whilst exploring central Europe), many matched the destinations marked on the Sound of Music tour my companions had already booked, give or take a few landmarks (like Mozart’s birthplace). Salzburg has a lot of history. It also has a lot of tacky. I like to think this is part of the culture, that the people of Salzburg truly enjoy kitschy trinkets, which adds a familiar, friendly aunt feel to visiting the city. Thus, the idea of letting Dietmar drive us to most of the highlights, all while singing hits from the musical and sharing snippets of history, well it sat with me quite comfortably.

Salzburg from Festung Hohensalzburg
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Once off the train, the duration of my first night in Salzburg lingered away at one of my favorite European experiences: Stiftskeller St Peter (St Peter’s Beer Cellar). And although the beer was excellent, as well as the food, it was a single fact that made this the penultimate dining experience (can’t ever give away ultimate so early in life)- this is the oldest restaurant in Europe. First mentioned in historical record in AD 803, this is where legend has it Faustus sold his soul to Mephistopheles, among other not-so interesting famous diners like Charlemagne. Carved into the rock face, this is a literal cellar of the earth. The decorations are sparse - it continues as a monastery, albeit fine. A highly recommended meal.

Fair!
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Festung Hohensalzburg, the Salzburg Fortress, is another great activity for the day, and a find for kids. Archbishops over the centuries built up and added to the castle until it was more of a towering, portly fortress.  After taking a tram up the hill, we found it quite open, with a courtyard bathed in summer sun, and a number of cool, windy passages between buildings. Some rooms were restored and roped off, but allowed entry. The fortress squats on a hill above the city, giving the best kinds of landscape and cityscape shots from various views along the perimeter walk. What I can only describe as a Renaissance Fair was happening in the courtyard, which was actually quite fun. There were booths, crafts, musicians in fantastic medieval garb, adding a liveliness to the fortress. We didn’t go in the marionette museum. But I’m sure it’s a hoot.

on the way to Wolfgangsee and Fuschlsee
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The Sound of Music tour, with the Renegade Bob Austrian tour company, takes the same route around Salzburg that all the tour companies follow. And I don’t mean to recommend this particular mode of exploring this city, necessarily, as it may appear a bit, well, tacky, to some. But when in Rome, eh? The movie offers a generous number of settings, and we began in the city, at Mirabell Gardens. Here the Do-re-mi ditty was sung among the meticulous floral yards, and for a public park it seemed a perfect afternoon stroll and read a book by the ancient statues location. Next we moved along to a view of Leopoldstrom Castle, which lent its frontage to the Von Trapp mansion in the film. From there, we found the reconstructed glass gazebo (from 16 going on 17) at Hellbrunn Castle, which I know nothing about except the gazebo bit. Then we got back in the van, started singing the next tune, which I believe was The Lonely Goatherd, and only our tour guide was practiced enough to pull that one off, while he headed for the hills of Salzammergut.

one of the lakes
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The countryside around Salzburg has exceptionally pretty farms, pristine blue lakes, and that day, the blue sky to bring home the pastoral portrait. We drove around the hillsides, on to Mondsee, a bright and colorful town that was just hedging the line to “Tourist Destination.” It was nearby farmland and the gorgeous Wolgang and Fuschl lakes, and had the quality of real time, where I wanted to settle in for a lunch and beer, and play local. After we missed that opportunity for more tours of the churches, we headed off for the laketowns, and it really was the perfect day to explore the countryside. The only site we missed was the Nonnberg Abbey, location of the opening number, Maria, and the first scenes of the film, as well as most likely a lot of history.

Mozart family memories
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We thanked Renegade Dietmar before heading off to Mozart’s home. I had heard rumors that a McDonalds occupied the ground floor of the house, but never went in to look. It seemed too disturbing. And unfortunately, was done with site-seeing. It was time to find a biergarten, order a dunkelweis, and feast.