It was close to midnight and the much-touted punctuality of the Deustche Bahn (German Rail) was clearly faltering. Our Intercity Express from Munich was well over an hour late, and as it rolled in to Salzburg Central Station, the scene outside was far from comforting. The rain was coming down in thick sheets and there was hardly a soul to be seen anywhere. ?It?s usually like this at this time of the year, right before summer sets in. Don?t worry, this will go on for a few days and then it?s going to be all warm and sunny,? the friendly cab driver consoled us, en route to the hotel. Suddenly, the idea of an impromptu jaunt in Alpine terrain didn?t seem so jocular anymore. We had been in Munich for a week, taking in the Residenz and the innumerable beer gardens, when a casual conversation with a German friend had led to the discovery that the Austrian border town of Salzburg was only an hour?s journey by train from there.
A hop, skip and a jump later, there we were, in Mozart land, but it was hardly the kind of welcome we had in mind.
Cityscape
A good night?s sleep though can go a long way in changing perspectives. In the morning, the rain had petered to a light drizzle and the odds looked hardly insurmountable. While the older part, a UNESCO world heritage site since 1997, houses much of the sights including the Hohensalzburg fortress, Mozart?s birthplace and the cathedral, those who have grown up trilling with the Von Trapp kids, will have the Mirabell Garden and Palace on the other part of the town to revel in.
We began our tour from this side of the river, taking in the Mirabell Gardens and Schloss. Built by Archbishop Wolf Dietrich Raitenau in 1606 for his mistress, Mirabell Gardens? fame today rests largely on its appearance in the Sound of Music, where the Von Trapp kids and Maria sing Do re mi around the Pegasus fountain. It was here that Mozart composed sections of his famous opera The Magic Flute in 1791. Local legend has it that the composer?s librettist, Emanuel Schikaneder locked him up in a small wooden building at one end of the garden to ensure that he finished the opera on time. In fact, it?s difficult to escape two of Salzburg?s most enduring cliches ? Baroness Maria Vonn Trapp, whose story was later immortalised by Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music.
Shopper?s paradise
When I could finally part from the shops, armed with trinkets I would never use, it was time for a tour through the maestro?s house, which is now a museum housing his musical instruments and other memorabilia. By the time we finished, the weather had completely changed. The pleasant sun was a welcome break after the chill and soaking in the atmosphere along the famous Getreidegasse, dotted with quaint cafes and shopping hot spots seemed the perfect thing to do.
Historical reminiscences
As we ambled up to the Hohensalzburg Festung, the fortress begun during the rule of Archbishop Gebhard von Helfenstein atop the Festungsberg hill, we stumbled on to rows of Christmas and Easter decoration shops that looked straight out of a fairy tale. The 900-year-old Hohensalzburg Fortress is a living testimony to the constant power struggle that existed between the monarchy and the clergy. It?s also one of the best preserved. As we clambered down on to the ramparts after a swift furnicular ride, a breathtaking panorama greeted us. The entire city of Salzburg lay stretched ahead like a cardboard town. Down south the Untersberg peeped out from behind a fleecy cloud cover, even as the 1300-year-old Benedictine convent, Stift Nonnberg, the oldest convent in German-speaking lands, appeared like a speck on the eastern side. But there?s much more to Hohensalzburg than just the sights, if you can tear yourself away from it, that is. A tour through the inner chambers of the castle took us to the torture chambers with its gruesome spikes and iron mannacles, hardly a pleasant sight, but a reminder of why Hohensalzburg remained unconquered by enemy forces throughout. A strange leitmotif that runs through the fortress is that of the turnip that we saw at most corners. Later, a local explained to us how it was the symbol of Leonhard von Keutschach, the archbishop of Salzburg between 1495 and 1519, who expanded the fortress majorly.
The next day found us at the Dom. Earlier in the day, we had taken a leisurely stroll by the Salzach, watching the dappled waters throw up a myriad different reflections. Now, at the 15th century cathedral with its three bronze doors symbolising faith, hope and charity, the feeling of deja vu was quite strong. This was another landmark tied up with memories of Mozart, since this was the place where the music maestro was baptised. Inside a choir was practicing for their upcoming concert. Listening to their lilting melody, suddenly it came to me that this was how I would always remember Salzburg: A charming city, where the past and the present coalesced effortlessly and where, music, quite undoubtedly, was the pulse.
