Salzburg & Hallstatt
julio
The birthplace of Mozart, the location for the filming of the Sound of Music and so much more. We fell in love with Austria, the style, people, food and land with little time or effort. Glorious old baroque building facades, salt mines and Christmas markets surrounded us as we delved into a living fairy tale. We took a day trip to delightful Hallstatt, whose quaint village and misty mossy hikes would leave an indelible imprint upon us. We were lucky enough to be staying right down the street from Salzburg's most notorious beer hall Die Weisse, which seemed to be the center of life and all things social. Tables where set up for groups of twenty or more and large families and friends were enjoying, toasting and eating plates of Austrain delicacies. We would delight in the local favorites of bratwurst, Vienershnitzel and the beer…oh the beer.
Salzburg means literally Salt Fortress, houses three universities and is a major tourist center for its historic center and Alpine surroundings. Once besieged by Napoleon and later bombed by the allies destroying 46 percent of the city's buildings the city is divided into two sections. We stayed on the new side (Neustadt) of the city at Hotel Jederman and would enjoy walking down the hill to the Salzach river and crossing over one of the many padlock covered bridges to explore the old city center(Altstadt). The city features a stunning mix of Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical and post-war modernism and contemporary architecture in a stunning blend all accessible by foot. Yes, we visited the famous Sod of Music shooting location of Herbert von Karajan Square and the famous “Horse Pond" and took turns riding the Unicorn statue while confused Austrians looked at us with bewildered curiosity. We visited the ancient monasteries of St. Peter and Nonnberg and tried bread from Europe's oldest bakery that tasted like Europe's oldest bread. My standouts were the The Collegiate Church (Kollegienkirche or Universitatskirche) with its restored Baroque interior and exterior and of course walking in the footsteps of Mozart.
Hallstatt
The day trip to the old village of Hallstat was just divine. The place has a charm and physical beauty that we as travelers long for and we spent hours walking its quaint streets and hillsides. We walked along Lake Hallstatt and took a long hike into the green valley along the Soleweg trail of which there are photos below. We noticed that the place was mostly filled with Chinese visitors. Although this seems to be the case all over the world due to the Chinese travel boom, Hallstatt was especially was almost wall to wall Chinese tourists. Wondering if there was some kind of special phenomenon afoot I looked it up online and it turns out that Hallstatt is so loved by Chinese travelers that an exact replica of the Austrain town has been built in Luoyang, Boluo County, China by the China Minmetals mining company. Don't believe me, see for yourself.
We returned to Salzburg and went for dinner and on the way heard the faint sound of what appeared to be hundreds of cowbells clanging in the distance and echoing off the cobblestone streets. What is that noise? As the bells got louder we began to see the most terrifying, ultra detailed costumes of giant demonic looking horned figures coming towards us by the hundreds, all more frighting looking than the next. They hissed and growled at us and as we watched mouths agape, several of them began whacking us with switches. We must have looked so funny and confused for we had no idea what was happening. It turns out that this is the Krampus phenomenon. Krampus is a demon who punishes children that are not well behaved all year at Christmas, in contrast to St. Nick who rewards the good ones. Believe it or not, this tradition is prevalent in Austria, Bavaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Nothern Italy, Slovakia, and Slovenia from before Christian times. It was actually scary but what an experience to stumble upon.
christina
Mozart, food, design and fashion – Austria?! I never thought we would end up here but by chance it is on our way to Switzerland so we thought why not? I’m so glad we decided to come – it’s a beautiful mountain town along a river and evokes a great sense of pride and beauty amongst its people and the way they live here. The visit to Hallstatt was breathtaking and I can't wait to visit more of Austria when we have more time.
Worth mentioning was the fact that we happened to be in Salzburg during the Krampus parade! In case you don't click on the link, a Krampus is: "a horned, anthropomorphic figure described as "half-goat, half-demon", who, during the Christmas season, punishes children who have misbehaved, in contrast with Saint Nicholas, who rewards the well-behaved with gifts. Krampus is one of the companions of Saint Nicholas in several regions including Austria. The origin of the figure is unclear; some folklorists and anthropologists have postulated it as having pre-Christian origins."
Let's just say that we were taken aback by this parade and it certainly felt a bit edgy to me. I had no idea Krampus even existed and to suddenly be witnessing them all running down the street, making noises and snapping whips - it was spooky to say the least. It was however amazing to see it in this town and to understand that it wasn't a show but truly a cultural act we were witnessing - great timing I guess.
