Beattys Overseas

Our train from Munich (Germany) into Salzburg (Austria) on Tuesday morning was lovely, taking us through snowy landscapes and past charming farmlands. We decided to visit Salzburg for a few reasons: 1. It's a mid-sized Austrian city which is close to ski destinations in the Alps, and a few other cool other day trips; 2. Salzburg is a heaven for cultural and historical sightseeing, being the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Michael Haydn; and 3. We found a sweet apartment rental on Craigslist that would allow us to stay very comfortably for nine days.

The apartment is making this long visit truly decadent. Finding a gem like this on Craigslist is unbelievable, as it’s so unique, being built onto the side of Mönchsberg mountain. The owner, we soon came to learn, is a woman living in the U.S., who rents out her Salzburg apartment when she is not in Austria. Sylvia has been an excellent hostess to us, even while in Florida, arranging for us to be picked up at the train station upon our arrival and providing loads of suggestions for sightseeing and dining. The apartment itself is situated steps from the historic Old Town with a direct view of the Salzach River. With unique décor, a fully-equipped kitchen, washer/dryer and wireless internet, we are living very well here. The apartment is more than twice the size of our studio in Manhattan, so we’re spreading out, unpacking and making ourselves at home.  If anyone has an intention to visit Salzburg, check out Sylvia's holiday rental. 

Having such a long visit ahead of us has allowed us to relax our first few days here, walking around and getting to know the layout of the city, which is very easy to figure out. The Alstadt (Historic town area) is so adorable, especially now that it’s all dressed up for Christmas. Salzburg is renowned for their Noel festivities and shopping. Every streetside and plaza has dozens of little mangers with artisans selling homemade ornaments, candies, clothing, etc. Combine this with the dozens of Baroque architecture masterpieces standing on each block, and you’re in a little city that is exactly what you wish every European city looked like. Salzburg one of the prettiest places we’ve encountered in Europe, by my account.

- Whitney

John’s long-awaited dream to ski the Alps came true when we took a day trip to Obertauern, a ski village about 90 minutes south of Salzburg. We bought a combo transport ticket, which took us by train to the city of Rasdadt, where a city bus picked us up and drove up the mountain into Obertauern.

Obertauern, baby!Now, this is where we became a little confused. Obertauern isn’t a ski resort… it’s an entire village. So, where do you ski and how to you begin? The Tourist Information office told us that you buy your lift tickets anywhere in town, and just hop from lift to lift. But, we wondered, each lift seems to be hundreds of yards apart from each other with buildings and parking lots in between them – how does this work? Each of us have skiied in the States, but always at a singular ski resort, with a primary lodge as a 'homebase' and lifts that start at a main point near the 'homebase lodge.'  

We were a little out of our comfort zone with this giant ski community. We innocently inquired “Where are the lockers?” to which we were informed do not exist here. “Didn’t you bring your car?” they asked, incredulous that we were so poorly planned. “Nope; we’re tourists form Salzburg. Here for the day. No idea what we’re doing...” Somehow we prevailed, finding the one ski shop in town that rents clothes as well as equipment and buying ourselves two all-day lift passes. And, with a little gumption and John's charming smile, we talked our ski rental place into holding our shoes and Whit’s purse while we hit the slopes.

The conditions were good, and it was a beautiful sunny day, so we were in for a good time. It’s been a while since either of us have skied, but we hopped onto the first lift for a ‘blue hill’ (clearly listed as ‘Easy’ on the map), and were heading up into the sky on a cushy leather seat.  Off the lift we went and looked down onto what (to me, at least) seemed like K2. Trying to be brave, I did my best snow-plow (pizza slice, whatever you prefer for imagery) with my skis and tried to ski alongside my darling husband.  But, gravity took control, and I somehow spun around backwards, went upside-down, lost a ski, and slid down the hill on my back about 25 yards before John even turned around to notice that I wasn’t with him. A very nice German skier stopped to help me, but I was so pissy and frustrated that I basically shooed him away from me (“No, danke. No no, danke! No!” a.k.a. Thanks, but, get away from me. I am embarrassed and mad and I don’t want your help).  Fifteen minutes later, I retrieved my ski, gathered my composure and snow-plowed my way down the rest of the hill to meet up with John. And, that was only 1/8 of the way down the slope. It was a rough first run, but John was very patient with my defeated & angry attitude, and we made it to the bottom together in one-piece.

We found our way to another lift (but we had to walk up a small hill near the main street which, in those rented ski boots, was none too fun), which took us right up to a hilltop restaurant bar... How do you say "Jackpot!" in German??  We stopped for a mid-day lunch of goulash and frankfurters and – of course – a few brews.  Soon thereafter, John was ready to head down to ski, but I was so comfortable sipping on a beer in the sunshine, so I sent him on his merry little way.  I would sit, sipping hot chocolate or a beer while John went down the hill, came back up the lift, waved at me at the lounge and skiied back down.  Repeat process.  Soon enough, I gathered enough courage to brave these Austrian ‘easy blue hills,’ and we did a few runs together -- without any other catostrophic wipeouts, thankyouverymuch.

All in all, it was a great way to satiate John’s desire to get out and ski some Alpine peaks. We had a blast together (as we almost always do!) and John may come back to Obertauern during our stay for another ski day.  I, however, may stay here and go on The Sound of Music tour.

- Whitney

Salzburg is known for number of things. I'll go through them in order of how I, as short-term visitor, perceived them chronologically:

1. It's a STORYBOOK village, this place.  Seriously.  And, we've been here for 9 days, so it's not just our immediate romantic reaction to all the prettiness.  Salzburg is clean. With the exception of the occasional graffiti, it seems crime-free and very safe.  The townspeople are extremely friendly and more than willing to chat with two nice American tourists like us.  Just cruising the historic old city, we would find a little passageway that would lead onto another adorable street with shops and street vendors.  Oh yes, the street vendors.  Oh, yum.  The big drink here is the gluhwein, a hot mulled-wine-type drink.  Gluhwein is served on the streets from little makeshift counters, or from the street vendors who can sell you a snack or a week's worth of groceries.  Add this to the Christmas market mangers, and the place is a strollers' paradise.  Occasionally, we'd catch ourselves walking in our New York City super-fast pace, and we'd be passing people left and right who were doing the Salzburg stroll.  The buildings are so beautiful and even if you're not up for shopping (like us), window-shopping can be just as fun when walking along the narrow, store-lined arcades that connect to Getreidegasse, Austria's most beautiful shopping street. Intricate, beautifully decorative wrought iron signs, originally designed as a means identifying, for illiterate citizens, the wares sold within or the name of the owner, overhang the street.

A straw Santa and Whit2. Salzbug LOVES Christmas. The Advent season, preparing for Noel, is really adorable and old-fashioned here. In the Alstadt historic area of town, little wooden mangers are set up all over the sidewalks and streets with vendors selling Christmas ornaments, homemade baked goods, winter clothing and a few handmade vases. It’s all very pretty stuff, and none of it seemed over-the-top Christmasy. No reindeer cartoon stuff, no fat Santa stuffed animals. Come to think of it, Santa isn’t too visible here at all. With the exception of the life-size straw Santa that Whitney sat with, his presence isn’t as pronounced as it is in the States. For me, a lover of all things Christmas, it's been a great way to feel the warmth of the holidays while on the road. Plus, in this storybook city, it feels more special than the corner aisle at Walmart selling jinglebell necklaces.

3. The birthplace of Mozart. From the moment we got here, we see him everywhere. We obviously didn’t buy any of it, but believe us when we tell you that Mozart coffeemugs, Mozart T-shirts, Mozart candies, Mozart wrapping paper and Mozart bookbags sell like hotcakes around here. He's the hometown hero, being born here and living until he started touring Europe as a child prodigy. He returned multiple times throughout his career to play for the Prince-Archbishop and other concerts.
Mozart concert in the Fortress

We visited his birthplace museum, which was well-done, as the curators really used artistry to convey the importance of the place with strategic lighting, sound effects, etc. It was unlike other birthplace museums which try to keep the property in the exact form of the person’s time. Interesting. We also attended a gorgeous Mozart concert at The Fortress, atop Monschberg. It was a lovely evening in such a unique setting with 3 violins, a cello, a bass, a harp and a flute playing such gorgeous melodies.

Salzburg Cathedral4.  City of Churches. Salzburg is home to more than 20 Churches. The history of the city is well etched within the walls of these different religious buildings. From St Peter's Monastery, Cemetery & Catacombs dating from the early 13th century to the Dom (Cathedral) which was rebuilt and extended after many disasters throughout history since year 774 when it was first consecrated, to many many more. Their towers and domes have a strong presence over the cityscape, which is hugged by the Fortress and Castle on Moenschberg.

4a. The Churches are among many buildings in Salzburg which exemplify some of the most perfect Baroque architecture we've seen in Europe. It's called the city of High Baroque in certain circles, and now I know why. The Residenz, arguably the most important historic building of Salzburg, is a Baroque palace that was the official residence of the Prince Archbishops of Salzburg until it was secularised and became part of Austria. We toured the Residenz (est. 1600) with an excellent audio guide, and took tons of photos of the amazing rooms where the royal bishops slept and held court, including private concerts with Mozart.  

Our Salt Mine Tour commemorative photo5. Salzburg = Salt Hill. Salzburg and the surrounding area became very wealthy in the 16th century with the discovery of salt in the mountains.  Salt deposits were formed by the sea 250 million years ago, and over the course of many years, the formation of the Alps enclosed the salt in solid rock.  Under the reign of Salzburg lord Wolf Dietrich, over 36,000 tons of salt per year were mined our of Durrnberg mountain, making the Salzburg empire extremely wealthy.  We took a day trip to Bad Durrnberg, to tour the salt mine, which officially stopped operating in 1989.  The tour took us 210 meters below ground, by pit railway and by slide (see Our Photos – so fun!).  Traditional mining methods were not fast enough for the greed of Wolf Dietrich, so the miners during his time began using water to bring more salt out of the rock more quickly.  This salt water, known as a brine, sits under the mine is a huge brine lake, which we crossed over on a large raft during the tour.  The brine is 27% salt – compare that to ocean water, which is 3% salt, and you can imagine how it might taste –ick.  John did taste it (everyone was offered the opportunity) and can confirm that it was indeed "salty".  It was a fascinating tour (we didn’t expect it to be so educational AND entertaining, honestly), and – as long as you’re not claustrophobic – it was extremely fun. 

- Whitney

We only had two days to visit Vienna, so we were ready for a whirlwind tour. If you’re into history, architecture, and music, Vienna is your city (well, I guess any European city can offer these things, but Vienna especially so). We arrived on Thursday afternoon via train from Salzburg, and used the efficient, clean subway system to arrive to our Hotel (which, in this area of Europe, is also called a “Pension,” more on that later in the photo album of Vienna). After checking in and settling our bags, we were off to explore the Old City for the evening.

We happened upon Karlsplatz, at the entrance to the Vienna Opera House, which is a dominating structure. John suggested we peruse the ticket office… We’re in Vienna; why not try to see an Opera?!?! But, they were sold out for that evening’s performance, and only had one ticket for Friday night to sell at 178 Euro (roughly $220).  No thanks. We found the Tourist Information office and asked about seeing musical performances. They were very helpful and quite honest with us about the ‘tourist shows’ all over Vienna, for which tickets are sold by the musicians who stand on the street corners, dressed in 17^th century costume, hawking their shows. 
The Prague columnThe Tourist Center advised that the Vienna Philharmonic Symphony would be a good choice, but unfortunately they didn’t have tickets to sell us, and we would have to walk the 15 blocks to the Symphony hall to buy them. No problem – we’ve got nothing but time, and it gave us an excuse to see more of the Old City streets.   Within minutes we had plans for the following night to see a symphony - ooh la la.

Vienna looks beautiful dressed up for Christmas (Noel). The Old City was swathed in little white lights, which are strung across the streets, providing an arbor of holiday beauty. Austria is generally a Roman Catholic nation, so the Christmas (Advent) decorations can be very religious as well (Epiphany on Jan 6^th is a national holiday, and all public offices are closed). As we crossed Karlsplatz, a large street covered in rail tracks, a young Japanese guy dressed in a hotel uniform asked if we needed help; he obviously spotted our maps and Vienna guidebook and aimless stroll. We informed him that although we weren’t lost, we could use a restaurant recommendation. He happily told us that whenever his friends from Japan come to Vienna, he brings them to this traditional Austrian restaurant with cheap prices. Yay. He showed us where to go on our map and walked across the street back into his hotel. Yet another chance-encounter on this trip that has proven to be very helpful in navigating new cities...

StephansplatzAfter dinner we walked toward Stephansplatz, the center of the Old City and site of St. Stephans Cathedral. Then we followed a sign to Mozart’s house, where he lived as an adult in Vienna, and where he became sick and died at age 35. Easy to navigate and easy to communicate, we were enjoying the easy vibe of Vienna’s downtown at night, but decided to take an early night, as we had plans with a new friend the next day.

John and Franz - the BEST!Friday morning, after a full breakfast buffet at our hotel (included!), we met Franz, Vienna’s IPA representative. The IPA (International Police Association) is an excellent professional and social network for active and retired police. During this trip, we have planned to make contact with a number of local IPA sections, and Franz has been the most accommodating and generous yet. He suggested the hotel where we stayed (it’s always best to have a local’s opinion on these things), and offered to show us the city on Friday morning. Despite a steady rain, the three of us ventured out for a walking tour of ‘The Ring’ of Vienna’s most important landmarks. Franz retired from the Vienna PD after 41 years and now works with the United Nations in a consultation position. A life-long Viennen, his historical knowledge and anecdotal offerings made for a thorough and entertaining tour. We shared lunch, then parted ways with the promise to keep in touch (Thanks Franz!!).

John tinned us into the stable at the Spanish Riding School and we had a private tour - it was spectacular!  See our photos of the visit. 

Gazelle, by Toulouse-LautrecThe rest of our Friday afternoon was spent at the Albertina museum, which offered both an amazing exhibit of the Habsburg State Rooms (yea, more interior design ideas!) and a recently-acquired private collection of Monets, Chagals, Latrecs and Picassos. Yes, I said Private Collection.  Apparently, this couple - Rita and Herbert Batliner - recently donated their long-established personal collection of art to the Albertina; a collection which contained multiple pieces from some of the most prized artists of the last two centuries. We giggled at the thought of owning art like this; waking up and scratching your behind in front of your very own Picasso...  It was a very crowded exhibit, but we managed our way through, and even took a few photos of our favorite works. (Yes, taking photos in the exhibit was not allowed, but we kept our flash off and expect that none of you will turn our photos into money-making reproductions.)

A quick trip back to our hotel had us freshening up and dressing up for the Symphony. We were so excited to see this performance, as we knew we were attending a genuine Viennese music concert, and not a Mozart/Strauss-ized tourist version from the street hawking guys. The crowd at the Symphony was a little geriatric, as is almost always the case at classical music performances... I almost lost my cool when John allowed a pushy old woman to cut in front of us in line at the coat check desk; a woman who I would swear was the actress that played the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz. I was steamed (no one cuts in front of me without getting an earful about it), but because she was old and rickety and frankly, so scary-looking, I didn’t make a fuss. Whatever, I’m at the symphony in Vienna!!!!

Vienna PhilharmonicThe performance of Brahams' Requiem was incredible.  A huge choir and two operatic soloists accompanied the symphony, whose powerful presentation shook our seats – even in the WAY back!  The conductor was the star of the show, though, with very exaggerated movements and a passionate style.  We left the performance with chills; it was the perfect way to wrap up our stay in the Austrian capital. 

However, we actually ended the night at a piano bar near Stephansplatz called Bellini.  From the outside, it looked to be a classy and compact Italian-style bar, but inside it was the Viennese version of NYC's Mimi's, the piano bar near our apartment with a zany singer behind the keys and a crowd of 60-something singles.  Yikes.  The performers were a husband/wife (or maybe brother/sister?) Slovakian pair singing Italian, English and German soft rock tunes.  The man played an electric keyboard just like the one that John took his piano lessons with, and the woman, dressed in a black & gold prom dress, used a wireless microphone to sing and move around the tables of this small bar.  We sat in the back and people-watched.  It was entertaining, and a hilarious frosting on the cake of our visit to Vienna.