Sophisticated Salzburg

Mirabel Gardens where scenes from sound of Music were filmed

View of Salzburg walking over the Salze River to the old town area

     Were were greeted with sunshine Monday morning and enjoyed a beautiful ride 
from Oberammagau to Salzburg.

When we arrived our tour guide was waiting to take us on a historic walking tour of
 the old town where Mozart was born.  Only licensed guides are allowed to give tours 
in Salzburg and the history lesson we received from our guide was remarkable!  She 
was also valuable in giving us a tip as to where to find "real" Austrian cuisine for our 
free night in Salzburg!

     Monday evening we dined together at a dinner theater and saw a lively performance
 of Austrian favorites from "Sound of Music" to Mozart.  Gary was handed the 
microphone by one of the performers and got to join the group in singing "Edelweiss",
 a real crowd pleaser!

     On Tuesday, our group ventured out to the Kehlstein mountain area to visit a very historic site. The " Eagles Nest " was a mountaintop retreat completed in 1938 by leaders of the Nazi party, and presented to Adolph Hitler as a gift  for his 50^th birthday.  The expertise of German engineering is apparent everywhere.  From the road that was carved into the back side of the mountain, to the brass-lined lift that elevates visitors the last 1838 meters to the mountaintop retreat, a project was completed in 13 months, before the start of conflict in WWII.  When we reached the top, the view was breathtaking!  A short walk to a cross placed near the top of the summit provided an overview of the “teahouse” as it was called.  Most of the inside is a restaurant and the large marble mantel presented to Hilter as a gift from Mussolini, is the centerpiece of the huge octagon dining area.  Enroute to the site, we watched a video that provided information about the construction of the site and viewed film clips of Hitler’s 14 official visits to the retreat.  The film also showed the Allies take over of the site, which was spared from bombing, and renamed “The Eagle’s Nest”.

 

      The weather at the top was very chilly, so a cup of hot chocolate by the huge fireplace hit the spot.  Our next stop proved to be a real surprise.  We visited a nearby salt mine that dates back to 600BC.  Salzburg gets its name as the producer of much needed “salt” that cured and preserved the meats before refrigeration.  The mines at Berchtesgaden are no longer producing much salt, as the extraction process is more expensive than water ( hydro )  processes.  A tour into the mines has become a favorite stop for bus tours in the area.  We were given overalls to wear, and lowered by a narrow train into the mine.  The tour included amazing information about this early extraction process, a ride across on a salt water basin, and two incredible slides that lowered us deeper into the mining area.  All in all, it was an educating and entertaining experience.

      Back in Salzburg, we feasted on Austrian cuisine preferred by the locals on a tip from our guide Isabella.  The Gastwirtschaft served up large helpings of saurbraten, pork, ham sausage, saurkraut and potato dumplings to name a few.  For dessert, warm crepes, ice cream, whipped cream and chocolate…to die for!   “Prost”!