The Land of Mozart & Music (June 16th)

The way to start off a full day in Salzburg...Go to Mass and hear a Mozart Mass. We attended a church where we knew that Mozart's Missa Brevis in G-Major would be performed. I was excited for this. Anything Mozart is bound to be good. But to hear it in the Mass setting and in Mozart's hometown is even better. The soloists were quite good. We stayed for the entire thing, even a little bit after the service. The entire service was in German, so I only caught bits and pieces. 

After mass we walked around town a bit. We walked and saw the fortress from a distance, Mozart's home church (which was under construction, which made it hard to get a decent picture), and we made our way then over to St. Peter's graveyard. 

Salzburg Fortress

St. Peters

Saint Peter's graveyard was pretty sweet. Lots of cool looking graves, many of which were pretty old. They had some catacombs that I was able to go into. There was not much in there. All of the bodies had been removed. They had a chapel inside and as we walked in, we were rushed out so some people could take some professional-esqe pictures. From the graveyard we took the tram up the side of the cliff up to the fortress to explore around up there.

Catacombs

St. Peters

The graveyard

St. Peters

I explored the exhibits of the fortress with my dad. My mother, my father, and my sister has been through it before. It was interesting, but a lot like Edinburgh Castle or Stirling Castle in Scotland. It was just too new for me. And what I mean by "new" is that it's not in ruins nor is it plain. When I was done, we got lunch at a panoramic restaurant in the fortress. The view's from up there were quite spectacular. You could see all of the city. Salzburg is a beautiful city! However it reminds me of Edinburgh. Both cities are separated into New and Old Towns.

I had to get my fix of Mozart while I was in Salzburg. I began at the Mozart Birthplace Museum. Inside they had Mozart's first piano, some works of music (if they were real I do not know) and some other personal items. The museum focused primarily on Mozart's relationship with his father. Following that I went to Wohnhaus, the place where Mozart lived and worked. This museum was top notch. It was very modern, but was housed where Mozart lived. It was particularly interesting because it focused on portraits of Mozart. It had a excellent audio guide that would explain everything.  I learned that there are many supposed portraits of Mozart, many of which are not. At one point in the exhibit, the museum explained that portraits needs to meet many requirements to be considered an authentic portrait. To name a few, a portrait must be signed and dated (and that artist must have a known relationship with Mozart or the family), the portrait should have been mentioned in memoirs or letters, and what is in the portrait itself etc... For example, they were able to prove that a believed Mozart portrait was not Mozart at all based on the sheet music on the piano. It was assumed that it was Mozart because of his resemblance and the fact that the figure was playing the piano. But the sheet music was too simple, not anything that Mozart was known for writing. Small details like these either discredit or reveal a real portrait. Basically there are three authentic pictures that are the most accurate.

Young Mozart

This is believed to be one of the most accurate portraits of Mozart. It is an etching, and therefore had to be completed quickly. The artist is also known as a good friend of Mozart. 

The original of this picture is unfinished. It is unknown why it was never completed.

We then took our time to explore parts of the city yet unexplored. For my mother, we made a few Sound of Music stops. The fountain below is where the Von Trapp family sang their well known song. We also went to the Sound of Music museum. After that we made our way to Mirabell Gardens. 

Sound of Music Fountain

Mozart Living Statues were everywhere. This guy managed to make it look like he was floating. But he must have been warm in that paint and rubber/plastic costume

Mirabell Gardens are quite beautiful. People everywhere were enjoying the beautiful weather and the good company of friends. We slowly strolled through the gardens. One would would describe the gardens...Symmetrical. At one end of the garden is the stair case also featured in the film Sound of Music. I should mention that St. Peter's graveyard was also in the Sound of Music.

View across Mirabell Gardens at the Fortress

We called it a day after that. We were all rather tired. I sat outside on the patio of our hotel, journaled, read my book, and listened to music. I just needed some time to recharge my batteries. We then went to dinner across the street. It took a while to get the food. The place was really busy, and it was only a wife and husband group running the place. The husband cooked the food, which was wonderful, and the wife was the hostess. She was running around. I felt bad for her, but she probably is not that busy all the time. 

Thus ends my journey through Austria, for tomorrow we drive back into the wonderful world of Germany. I get to return to Erfurt and see much more of the town and its people.