Autumn Colours in Salzburg

Maria’s favorite things include doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzels with noodles. I am undecided on the bells, but schnitzels definitely made it on my list.

as seen from the fortress

We arrived in Salzburg on a frosty afternoon after a restless 5-hour train ride from Budapest. Our hotel was in a quiet neighbourhood, 15-minute by foot from the train station.

To get to the Old Town, we cut through Mirabell Gardens, nary a bloom this close to winter, but still beautiful. Being ardent Sound of Music fans, we hopped down the steps, skipped round the fountain, and run ‘neath the vine tunnel for posterity.

View of Salzburg Fortress from Mirabell Gardens

Just before crossing the Salzach, is Hotel Sacher. During my previous visit we sampled the Sachertorte but the legendary dessert was definitely too cloyingly sweet for my taste.

Famished as it is way past lunchtime by now, and we found ourselves on Goldgasse, a picturesque little alley way. Seeing some classic Austrian dishes on their menu, we popped into a small restaurant attached to Hotel Goldene Ente.

the cosy restaurant

we still dream about this at night

beef goulash with dumplings

We were a little apprehensive at first since it was on a touristy lane, but we ended up having a memorable meal, the kind we will speak fondly of whenever we think of Salzburg. We reckon we had the best schnitzel of our trips here.

Restaurant at Hotel Goldene Ente
Goldgasse 10 | A – 5020, Salzburg, Austria
Website

 

A brief stop by Mozart’s birthplace, we saw a Manner store and bought a huge stash of wafers and chocolates for our friends back home. The summer edition strawberry wafers were my favorite but alas tis was the wrong season for them.

Mozart’s birthplace; via

can’t get enough of these goodies

We crossed Residenzplatz into the smaller Domplatz, where our eyes were immediately fixated on the statue of the Madonna built in the 1700s, depicting  the Virgin Mary enthroned on a mountain of clouds and a globe, carved from Untersberg marble.

According to a plaque on the side of the cathedral, the figure group represented reactions towards the mystery of the Immaculate Conception—the angels are delighted, human wisdom vanishes, the envious devil growls, and the triumphant Church rejoices.

Salzburger Dom quadratisch

The classicist column is positioned in the central axis of the cathedral for a specific visual effect – If you position yourself directly beneath the arches facing the Madonna, it will look as if the angels carved on the cathedral wall were placing a crown onto the Madonna statue.

The Salzburger Dom is a visual-feast of intricate Baroque sculptures, paintings, and embellishments. Gazing at the tallest dome from within, my mind is not able to fathom the sheer height of it and the amount of work by hand during that time. Entrance is free but a donation would be appreciated.

Salzburger Dom

No matter whereabouts in Salzburg, one cannot miss the imposing fortress, Festung Hohensalzburg, looming majestically over the town.

the looming fortress

We wanted to catch the sun set from the top of the fortress, and was waiting for the funicular when I remembered that the 17th century glockenspiel will go off at 6pm in Residenzplatz – it was mere minutes away. We decided to scurry back to the square and our unexplained haste to drop out from the funicular queue might have alarmed the other visitors a little :p

Sure enough, at 6pm movements in the square halted as ears pricked to a sweet melodic chime that floated across the platz. After a few minutes the tune was over, and it was as if someone hit “unpause” on the remote control, and the square jolted back to its bustle.

on the funicular – up, up, and away

We did ride that funicular and got up to the massive fortress. It is possible to buy only the funicular tickets without admission into the chambers and museums, if you wish to only explore the exterior grounds and enjoy the phenomenal views.

A little about the funicular: Built as many as 20 years before 1515 AD, the Funicular is the oldest in the world! It cost €10.50 for one person which also includes admission to Hohensalzburg Fortress, or €4 just for the ride.

Once we reached the top, I went a little trigger-happy with the camera, trying to capture if just one shot that would do justice to the beauty of the sun-drenched valleys below (note: I failed).

Unexpectedly, another wave of chimes arose, building up towards a glorious concert of ancient church bells. The peal of bells of Salzburg is considered the finest sounding in Europe. It was quite an experience to hear all the church bells ringing simultaneously. The final sun rays vanished over the horizon and the city started to glow and twinkle…

as view from the fortress, whilst listening to the symphony of church bells chiming from every corner

Still satiated from the very late lunch, we returned to the hotel and snacked on some Manner wafers whilst listening to masterpieces by Mozart on the iPad. It seemed appropriate to do so (:

Tags: Austria, Salzburg, UNESCO