19 Dec 2010 Sunday @ Salzburg 0 to -10 C windy, clear

I have earlier booked a Panorama Tour to the Bavarian salt mines from their portal, said to be friendly and reliable in their service. It costs 45 euros per person, admission to the mines included. The plan was to have a care free visit to 2 different places in the comfort of a tour van with narratives and no worry of fighting with the elements.

Berchtesgaden

At 8.30 am, the tour guide came to pick us at the hotel lobby. Along the way, a New Zealander family of 4 and a lone HK girl joined us. We went past Untersberg and beyond into German territory in Berchtesgaden. The landscape was indescribably beautiful as we passed snow covered forests and running brooks with ice floes.

Eagles nest at the top of the hill was inaccessible to traffic in winter

Our first stop was  midway in the mountains to view the resort home of Hitler, famously known as Eagle's Nest, from afar. There was not much to see from where we were, the road being cut off from the snow. But what was most breathtaking was the snow covered peaks surrounding us in the shadowed alpine valley, with aquamarine blue skies as a giant backdrop.

A pit stop, before the Saltmines ,in Berchtesgaden

We wondered about aimlessly , without our guide, around town

Unremarkable little place with no activity on a Sunday

Another pit stop in a little town to walk around for half an hour and then we were off to the Salt mines. We could only enter the mines with the clothes on our body minus bags and parkas, as an overall is provided for visitors. A short train ride and all of us were herded to learning stations where the workings of the mine was briefly explained. When it was time to go down the slide to the next lower level, all of us chickened out. I made the poor HK girl our leader and all of us clutched the overalls of the one in front and zipped down the wooden slides, unscathed.

Some more walking in the 12 C saltmines, licking walls and scrambling to follow the guide and then it is another steeper but shorter slide down. Luckily, the HK girl offered to buffer the scary slippery descent down again but her overalls was nearly 'ripped' off as we who were behind her were lifted off into the air by the steep descent. Thankfully there was only 2 slides, so all of us breathed a sigh of relief.

Some more chemistry lessons on the nature of salt and this time, it was a boat ride across an underwater lake. This lake was created when workers used water to flush out the salt and send the brine to the salt works for salt extraction. We sailed in total darkness, with cheesy and kitschy  light shows on the cave walls, so nonsequitor!

Our ride out of the mines was by means of a cable car up and then a train ride to the world of the living. The visit make me appreciate the efforts of those who risk their lives extracting salt from the belly of the earth. We reciprocated their efforts by making a quick purchase of salt in various forms, 20 euros in all!

Quickly we were herded back to the tour van and dispatched to town, where the next tour awaits. It was a pity we did not spend more time in Bechesgarten, and soak in its postcard scenery. The tour was too hurried, the guide not adapt at ice breaking and too much politics about the second world war was mentioned which 50 %  of us could not follow. Had I known, I would have taken a bus there instead and spend a leisurely day ourselves. The moral of the story : we are definitely not cut for guided tours!

The second half of the day saw us eating our way from the old town all the way to the hotel

To eat this cheese sausage with horse radish again speaks volumes about how delicious it is

This puppet show attracted the most audience despite the long performance in the bitter cold

Gluh Wine stalls selling the hot red wine can be found everywhere

Our mascot, Mr G, loves to be in the limelight. Behind, the Salzach

Sitting pretty on the Stadbrucke, Mr G pretendds to be pensive

We walked along the river from Old Town back to the train station, a good 3 odd km

Walking all the way saps Mr G's energy, what more without winter clothes

The end of Monchsberg glows in the sun at 4 pm

Goodbye, Festung! Hope to come back to Salzburg again one day

The day ending early, we lunched in the Old Town and walked all the way along the river back to the hotel in frigid weather. It's our last day in Salzburg and one of the most interesting. My mission for Salzburg, the second leg, is a success and I hope it will happen again in our final leg in Vienna.

18 Dec 2010 @ Sat Salzburg -5 to -7 C

Outside Untersbergbahn or cable car station

Untersbergbahn

Untersberg, the nearest mountain in the vicinity of Salzberg, is our target of the day. We took bus 25, from bus terminus all the way to the terminal station, Untersbergbahn, all under one hour. From there, we hopped up the cable car that will ferry us all the way up all of its 1800 m, together with skiers and intrepid tourists. All are covered  by the Salzburg card.

Untersberg before us on a clear day

Thermometer outside the tavern reads -14C but it felt like -20C in the wind

Beyond the cable car station to the first look out point took forever.

The weather report for Untersberg was -12 C yesterday, so all of us took extra care to dress right for the mountain visit ( chemical heaters, thermals, 2 sweaters, down parkas with hood, beanies, leather gloves, 2 pairs of socks, leather boots ). Therefore, when the cold biting wind hit us the moment we got out of the cable car station, I was glad for the chemical warmers and thermals, which initially was thought excessive.

Salzburg at our feet.

100 m is a very long way to go if frost forms on your hair. I never did venture beyond 100 m from the cable car station.

Pat and H attacked the mountain with gusto but I knew something was not quite right. The pesky problem of altitude sickness was bothering me again, although this time it was not as severe as in Taiwan.

The blinding white makes seeing difficult

The scene unfolded before me on Untersberg  like  a scene from a documentary by National Geographic. The sky was azure blue, devoid of cloud, and relentless winds whipped up frost from the ground, lashing our faces and stinging our eyes. Many times,  snow blindness made seeing unbearable ( we have forgotten our sunglasses ) and each windy gusts pushed me to the walled side of the pathway.  I made every step of ascent painfully, from the cold and altitude issue.

Soft rime

Even so, it was a novel experience and we spent quite a bit of time laughing at the icicles that formed on our hair, frost on our glasses and crusted runny noses. Everyone from the cable car has already overtaken us and reached the first peak, demarcated by a huge ice frosted cross. We did not make it there, mainly because of me. Yet, in the short stretch, we managed to take lots of photos of wind swept ice, perpendicular to the ground, growing from poles and rocks. I began to pity the guys who had to stay at the Arctic an entire year filming the penguins movie.

Our refuge and lunch place near the cable car station

Relieve for the cold and tired travelers.

We had a little information exchange with 2 Korean girls, dressed lesser than us. After discussion, they concluded that they were in no form to continue beyond the first 25 m from the cable car station, in their woolen overcoat. While they gave up and took the next cable car down, we settled for a break at a snow covered tavern.

Lunch at the tavern was this very salty dumpling

Inside the tavern on Untersberg

Scrambled potato which is just as salty

It was the coziest place ever visited, a god-send in the numbing -14C weather, wind chill not considered. Skiers were having their beer and watching a live skiing competition on TV while we almost enjoyed a full blown meal: We had the saltiest soup ever in Salzburg and Pat had meatloaf which looked suspiciously like luncheon meat.  It was a happy one hour seeing the ice and snow billowing past the windows and playing with the tavern's resident dog, Jackie .

Salzburg card entitles only a single round trip at Untersberg so little H snapped away for all it is worth !

Around Untersbergbahn. I am still trying to figure what this sign means

The bus at Untersbergbahn that took us back to town

 

1pm. We took the cable car down ( latest departure 4 pm ), which runs on the half hour, and transferred to bus 25 back to town. A heavy fog came in as we depart from the frost and cold.  Back in town, we continued our trip to Europark on bus 1. It is a very big shopping area with all of Salzburg's youth hanging around there. After Untersberg, this is really a non-event. Pat got himself a nice Faber Castell pen for 45 euros from  a sweet English speaking salesgirl. This does little , however , to relive the adrenaline rush of Untersberg, and perhaps for a long time to come.

Gelato place at Level 2 in Europark, a cavernous mall 

17 Dec Friday @ Salzburg -8 C sunny

The most important program today  is the 6.30pm Borodin Quartet performance at the New Mozarteum ( Solitar Saal ). I had stumbled upon this program at the Mozarteum website, after a tip off from travel guide books, many months back. The tickets were purchased through the portal polzer.com, the only agent handling the university's concerts.

The  activities this day   evolved around the concert so that we need not rush back to the Mozarteum and  commit the crime of missing the concert.

Morning market stalls at Universitatplatz

Cheese and fresh produce at the morning market

MDM is raeched by a lift hewn into the Monchsberg

MDM's lift access is at the end of Getreidegasse

Bus 25 took us to Rathaus, where we made a  detour at Universitatplatz to take in the morning's atmosphere and have post breakfast cheese sausages with horse radish. Then it was a walk to the  Modern Art Museum via the Monchsberg lift, hewn into the rock mountain of Monchsberg.

Salzberg beneath the MDM

The footpath between MDM and Festung  is very breathtaking

MdM lies on the same ridge as the Festung, 2 km down. The scenery outside the MdM was extremely beautiful, with the wooded path covered fully with frost and and ankle deep  snow. We see Salzburg dressed in the same white with the valley gleaming in the morning sun . MdM is apparently not a very popular place so we had the whole place to ourselves for nearly 2 hours. It felt far flung although the tourist frenzy is just below our feet.

The view outside MDM kept us busy the entire morning

One of the very few exhibits inside MDM

As for MdM itself, it is a total non event. It was nothing like the TATE modern in London. The lighting at the exhibits were poorly laid planned resulting in reflections  and  viewing was extremely difficult. There were  exhibits with limited themes. If entry had not been covered for by the Salzburg card, I would have asked for my money back.

The food here is decent and service reasonable

A platz beside the toy museum. Beside is part of the Monchsberg

Lunch intermission was at Nordsee, a (fast) seafood chain. It starting snowing and got heavier just as we headed back to the Toy museum at the foot of Monchsberg. The toy and music instrument museum was very small and exhibits hardly interactive. Old toys displayed had no explanations. Again,we  would have scooted off had it not been for the heavy snow.

Toy exhibits inside the museum lacks interactivity

3 pm. We made our way to the Mozart Wonhaus on foot, across the Salzach's right bank. It is located at Markartplatz, steps away from the New Mozarteum. Surprisingly, we had a very educational and enlightened visit, learning about the life and works of Mozart. The audio-guide gave very interesting commentaries, accompanied by , what else but Mozart music in the background. This is one of the best museum visit in Salzburg.

The night scene near Mozarteum

4.15 pm. Our plan to have a snack at the café in the Mozarteum was thwarted because the café closes at 4pm ! We had pre-concert dinner at a very non-descript café , service and food quality non-existant, and by 5pm was back to recee the concert venue. My planning was not too good and we spent a good hour waiting for the concert hall to open. Meanwhile, we waded through the snow to the nearby Mirabel gardens and its Christmas market.

Finally, 6.30 pm came. The Borodin quartet gave a brilliant performance with the works of Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich  and of course, Borodin. This is my first quartet concert and admittedly, it is better than I expected. Violins, viola and cello made a collective voice like a woman making conversation in music. The snow covered Monchsberg glowed behind the musicians, separated by a wall of glass .it was surreal, mesmerizing and dramatic, like an MTV played out before us, by the instrumentalists. Will there be another concert experience as wonderful as this again ?

We had no opportunity to get their autographs after the concert, after all the effort getting the CD. Across the Mozarteum, along Mirabel, we took the bus back to terminus. We ate our second kebab meal in Europe, this time in Salzburg, also after a concert. What can I say ? Kebab stalls are life savers!

16 Dec 2010 @ Salzburg -8C

We have a restful night at Der Salzburger Hof. Credit must be given to the toasty bedroom where we clowned around until the middle of the previous night.  Weather wise, today is no better but we are all comforted by the forecast of some sun in the day.

Mozartplatz is located in the center of tourist town

We bought ourselves a 3 day ( 72 hour ) Salzburg pass, good for all public transport and almost all museum visits. At the bus terminal just 2 junctions off our hotel, we hopped on bus 25 at alighted at Mozartsteg. Mozartplatz is just steps behind the stop. Pat and H took day shots of Mozart, evidently Salzburg's favorite son. He did not look very dignified, with a tuft of white snow on his head. The glockenspiel was undergoing repair and its 11 am public performance cancelled. This more than sums up our lack of luck at catching any glockenspiel show in Europe this trip.

Ticketing office in Residenzzplatz

At Residenzeplatz, recognizable by the horse carriage and Residenzgallerie, we picked up our Borodin Quartet tickets at the Polzer ticket office. This is our Salzburg highlight, H's mostly, tomorrow evening at the New Mozarteum Soitar Saal at 6.30pm.

Salzburg Dom

9.45am. We visited Dom at Residenzplatz, a very big and ornate church just steps from the Festung cablecar station. The quartet organ pipes was impressive and so was the painting on the ceiling.

The fortress as seen from the Dom. The cablecar station is at an obscure entrance beside the truck.

10am. We took the Funicular up the Festung Hohensalzburg and looked down the entire Salzburg town, sun-drenched, from Festung's ramparts. It was a happy 2 hours oohing and aahing at the beautiful town below from all possible angle. There was a little museum place which was interesting with world war I relics.

The steep cable car ride to Festung was over in minutes.

Salzburg as seen from Festung,partly nestled in the Festung's shadow

Houses behind the Monchsberg, the reidential part of Salzburg

The Salzach cuts through town. Festung sits on its left bank

On the roof of Festung

Pancake stall at Christmas Market

Our new favorite snack

Salzburg at 2 pm, 2 hours before sundown

12 noon. We took the funicular down and visited the Christmas market at the foot of Festung. Lunch became a very disorganized affair as we interspersed pancake with sausages and then some more snacks in no particular order. Then it was an hour visit to the Salzburg museum, just beside the platz. It is a big place but some filming caused us to miss a fair bit of exhibits.

Almost 2 pm, we thought the best part of the museum visit was over. So we were pleasantly surprised that the Mozart Geburthaus near the Rathaus ( within walking distance ) offered so much history lessons for us concerning Mozart. It was an enlightening hour poring over the exhibits and understanding life in Salzburg at that time.

Childhood home of Mozart in the Old Town

 

3.40 pm. It is nearing sundown. To warm up, we had a drink at Macdonalds at Getreidegasse. Scores used the washroom here , free WC being so hard to come by. From there, we crossed the Salzach and made our way on foot to Mirabel, hoping to catch the end part of the farmer's market. We had to be disappointed, because the entire market had reverted to a car park.

Knocked off course from my plans, we zoomed for the Barock Museum nearby, more to seek shelter from the cold and snow. Someone was rehearsing for the night's concert, an attempt which H said was poorly executed. It was a small place and we spent more time poring over the map looking for things to to do.

Our dinner place which service could be better

We bussed back to Rathaus, wielding the Salzburg card. We had no difficulty locating Zipfer Bierhaus, located right smack in Universitat square, by now our favorite square for sundry and activity spotting. Service at Zipfer Bierhaus was non existant, waiters grumpy and unwelcoming and food terribly salty. In fact, we have yet to come across food that is lightly salted. I wonder how Austrians  manage their blood pressure, with diets like that.

Then it was  titbits stock up time at DM in Forum before we call it a day.