A bit of time in Salzburg

I realize it’s been a while since I really posted, but the internet is a bit sparse at the camping ground/giant tent I am in here in Munich. I will start by talking about my disaster of the day, which I really hope will be the disaster of the trip… I got my wallet stolen!

Yep,  last night I had my wallet in my purse, which was in my carry-on bag, which was under my bed… and while I went to the bathroom in the middle of the night, someone apparently snuck in there and got the wallet part. So I had a lot fo fun this morning with getting my cards cancelled and re-iussed, but I think everything is goign okay now.

So. Salzburg! In case you didn’t know, Salzburg is a city in Austria that is mous famous for being surrounded by the Alps, the Sound of Music, and Mozart, who was born and lived there. I decided at the last moment to add in one little night to go to Salzburg.

I got settled at my hostel (the Youth and Family Guesthouse, not so hostel-y friendly, but it was comfy and warm), and then headed into the town. I had heard that the hostel was right by the centre of town, so without a map, I just decided to follow the route that everybody seemed to be either going or coming from. A tourist mecca?

But no! I came upon…. a big festival, with rides, games, booths, food, and a giant beer tent spread out throughout the old town centre. Perfect! I wandered the festival, wandered the streets a bit more (saw Mozart’s birthplace), and then ended up perfectly in time for a “5-Uhr Konzert”. Or 5:00 concert. I headed in to see a guy playing the harpsichord. I enjoyed the music, I found it interesting to hear a harpsichord rather than a piano…. but the guy was just too ridiculous. He rocked and jumped like an autistic kid the whole time, and at one point I thought he was going to climb into the piano. He looked so surprised when he played staccato that I thought he was going to pass out. I could barely concentrate.

But it did end… and as I walked back (chilly), I heard some oompapa music coming from the beer tent, and decided to go on (where it was nice and cozy because of all the people packed into it). I took a seat at the end of a long table. Somehow I ended up talking (in English, eventually) to the 2 middle aged ladies and the old man (all Austrian) at my table, and they decided I had to try all the drink specialties of Austria. Including the schnapps (which they bought for me and then clapped and cheered when I took the shot… which was obviously horrible). Haha. I felt like I really achieved something in connecting with the real people!

Oh.. also. There were tons of people who had come down from villages in their authentic dress! I was entirely delighted, because I didn’t realize the real people still wore the outfits sometimes! (I was to see even more once I reached Oktoberfest… more on that later). The festival was apparently the Feast of St Rupert, Salzburg’s patron saint and an annual party weekend!

The next day in Salzburg, despite having the very worst cold ever (you would have thought the schnapps would have cleared it up!), I went to Mass ast the Salzburger Dom (cathedral), where they did a Beethoven symphony with a choir of about 60, with one of their pipe organs, about 10 violins, and a few other string instruments. Wow!

I also somehow made it up the funicular to the Hohensalzburg Fortress on the hill. It was the perfect CASTLE castle rather than a opulent palace, and I liked it a lot. Unfortunately, I was really feeling my sickness, and couldn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped…