Salzburg: These Are A Few of My Favorite Things

Forenote: Sorry if this post is a little messy or has some grammar mistakes. Not sure what it is but I've lost my writing mojo. 😖

We finally made it off campus. Salzburg was the kind of city that felt old; as if it had never stepped foot into the modern era. The tall mint green, banana cream yellow, and baby blue houses were packed tightly in the valley, the snowcapped peaks rising around them, and steep cliffs pushing them so close to the river it seemed they might fall in. Church spires rose to the height of the cliffsides, and standing like a gaudy sentry above it all, was a white castle with the Austrian flag fluttering in the afternoon breeze.

I have dreamt about seeing Europe for many years, and this was what I meant. Salzburg is what I had always imagined. It was the perfect city to call my first. It was a hodgepodge of different histories, eras, and architectural/art styles, yet there was something synonymous and pleasing about it. It was not chaotic, just artistic. On one side of the street, a baroque cathedral with old copper domes and robust arches towers above the cobbles, on the other side of the street, there's a twelfth-century gothic church, spikey needles piercing at the sky and angular arches leading to dark interiors and ancient cemeteries overflowing with marigolds and violets. Inside an old 1940s cinema, the foundation of a Roman temple to Asclepios protrudes from the wall. Next to the river, Bustling streets full of shoppers and tourists give way to quiet graveyards where people still leave flowers at the Mozart family gravesite. These things should compete, but somehow they work together. It is easy to get lost in the hundreds of years of history, all vying for your attention.

"Look at me," says the first Christian church in Austria.

"Here I am," calls the garden where Sound of Music was filmed.

"I am the most important building." Shouts the house of Wolfgang Mozart.

Where should one begin? Well, our group started with a statue of Empress Sisi, then we wove our way toward the heart of the city and wound up in the tediously manicured Mirabell gardens where "Do-Re-Mi" was filmed. We snapped a photo of Mozart's house and tromped across the river to his birthplace, took a gander at the smallest house in Salzburg, and ended up in the palace of the Archbishop. Here we waltzed in the grand hall and made our necks soar as we followed the story of Alexander the Great which was painted onto the ceiling of each extravagant anti-chambers. From the doors of the Archbishop's dining hall, we came out onto a balcony that led to the cathedral. Here the sound of the organ rose to the vaulted ceilings and left an echo in our eardrums. Then we ate Italian (Shout out to Joshua who is from Italy and helped me pick out my pasta.) After lunch, we took a walk up to the lookout where all of Salzburg, and maybe all of Austria, was laid out in front of us; a city backdropped by a castle, backdropped by mountains, backdropped by heaven. After that, we stopped at Mozart's parents' grave, another church, which was smaller, yet somehow more spectacular than the first. Finally, to end it right, a chocolate store.

I couldn't afford the chocolate, so I was waiting on a bench with a friend. She looked at me and asked if I was okay and I began to cry. I told her, "This is everything I wanted it to be and I think this has been one of the best days of my life."

I don't think it was necessarily the impact of what I was seeing that had brought me to tears, but the impact of what it meant. The reality of it. I have made a lot of dreams for myself over the years. Some of them are small, and some of them are unobtainable. Although I spend a huge majority of my time and energy perpetuating these dreams, there is a very cynical part of me that never really expects any of them to come true. So, each time they do, I am left baffled, speechless, and grateful.

We didn't get to go up to the castle, which should have been a shame, but it wasn't because it means we have to go back. :)

European men are just better.

"Doe, a dear, a female dear"

Getting asked to pose too many times
=A disgruntled Afton

The Greek-style sculptures were some
of my absolute favorites!

The art in these Baroque buildings is both extravagant and unnerving. This was a period in which a serious revival in art was taking place. Simultaneously, people were becoming fascinated with Greek and Roman thought, iconography, and science. This is clearly reflected in their art and architecture. Greek capitols and facades adorn the buildings and each picture and tapestry appears to be a depiction of Greek/Roman mythology and/or history. It is beautiful and interesting for someone like me. Yet, it also leaves one feeling uncomfortable when faced with so much pagan iconography mixing so effortlessly with Christian and religious symbolism. The line between Christianity and paganism becomes very blurred.