January 25, Monday Munich - Salzburg

Today began with lots of strong, black coffee!

We were surprisingly fresh given the night before at the Hofbräuhaus which we put down to the purity of the Bavarian beer… thank goodness for that. Our Munich-born guide assured us that nobody gets hangovers from drinking good Munich beer!


On board the coaches, and off we went for a detailed guided tour of the main sights of Munich. Beginning at the stately Schloss Nymphenburg, the summer palace of the Wittelsbach's. Begun in 1664, this sprawling Italian style villa took more than 150 years to complete. The final palace plan was completed mainly by Elector Max Emanuel, who added four large pavilions in 1702.


Next sight was the huge Munich Olympia park, site of the 1972 Olympic games at the city’s northern edge. Constructed out of rubble left over the bombing during WW1, and partly underground, the park now features extensive landscaping, including ‘mini alps’ which can be used for walking, tobogganing or even skiing. Close by was the new home of BMW – very flash architecture and uber-modern. En route we saw an old air raid shelter, still standing solidly in the snow-covered parklands that surround the city. The main parkland of Munich is the magnificent 18th century ‘Englischer Garten’. Nude sunbathing is allowed in parts of the park, but thankfully it was a tad cold for that, and the only people who could be seen were the rather confused looking Geese and Ducks who were sitting on the frozen lakes!!!



Another superb example of German architecture was the massive and beautiful Bavarian National Museum building, the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum. Established in 1855, this vast building near the Haus der Kunst now contain millions of priceless works of art, including paintings, carvings, sculptures, statues, stained glass and church art.



Next was a sweep past the impressive New Parliament Building, the grand and imposing Bavarian Opera and the 1330 room Rezidenz (Palace) of Munich, which contains no less than 5 concert halls. We then disembarked from our coaches on the steps of the Opera House, and then continued our tour on foot, once again marveling at the Gothic splendor of the Neues Rathaus (City Hall), the Frauenkirche, Alt Peter, City Gate and the hustle and bustle of the Marienplatz. Everyone parted company for a few hours for a last minute shopping frenzy, where many beer steins, hats, postcards, glasses, miniature cuckoo clocks and Bavarian souvenirs were snapped up before we all headed for the famous ‘fisherman’s fountain’ to head back to our coaches for our trip to Salzburg.



On the way, with the Austrian Alps looming majestically in the background, we could not resist the opportunity to watch the Sound of Music… with the scenery so beautiful, and with 80 choristers all still in fairly goo voice, it was lots of fun and a great way to build excitement as we headed to the stunningly beautiful Baroque city known as the ‘Rome of the North’, with its baroque domes, elegant steeples, coloured bell towers and post card scenery.



We soon crossed the border and although we were all sad to have left Germany, we were equally excited to be embarking on the Austrian leg of our tour.



Upon arrival in Salzburg, we embarked upon a walking tour of the Old Town… beginning at Mirabell Palace, which was commissioned to be built by Wolf Dietrich for Salome Alt in 1606. The Mirabell Gardens hold groups of statues based on figures from Greek mythology. The gardens adjoin the Kongresshaus (Congress Center) and the Kurhaus (Paracelsus Health Spa) and are right next to the famous Mozarteum where we would be attending a performance the following day (on Mozart’s Birthday!).

Towering over Salzburg as a silent sentinel for the last thousand years is the Hohensalzburg Fortress, built in 1077 by Archbishop Gebhard. Considerably enlarged by Archbishop Leonhard von Keutschach (1495-1519), the imposing white fortress sits atop a giant mountain of rock, and is the largest, fully-preserved fortress still standing in central Europe.

One of the most beautiful sights in Salzburg is the charming Getreidegasse (main shopping street). This magic is not only generated by the high, narrow houses tightly nestled together, the enticing shops and the wrought iron guild signs, but also to the romantic passageways and courtyards which intersect the street. In Getreidegasse, no. 9 is where the Leopold Mozart family lived from 1747 to 1773. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born here on January 27, 1756. Today the rooms once occupied by the Mozart family house a museum. Mozart is everywhere to be seen in Salzburg, so this building is in many ways a spiritual centre of a secular kind in Salzburg.

If Mozart’s birthhouse is the secular heart of the city, then the Dom (Cathedral) is certainly the sacred heart. The original cathedral was built in 774 by St. Virgil (745-784). After a huge fire that devastated the Old Salzburg in 1598, reconstruction of the cathedral commenced in 1614 under Prince Archbishop Markus Sittikus to plans by Santino Solari. The great Italian Baroque style Dom was consecrated in 1628 by Prince Archbishop Paris Lodron and occupies pride of place in the city. A giant green dome and two smaller domes tower above the surrounding buildings, and the bells of the Cathedral can be heard for miles. We were granted a rare chance to perform and record a few short pieces in the Dom, and we certainly enjoyed the incredible acoustics of the building, singing in front of Mozart’s favourite organ (the Cathedral has five significant organs which are all still in use!). The vast baroque paintings and marble carvings, the massive dome and the sheer size of the place is certainly inspiring. The nave can hold some 10,000 people standing and yet, the architecture makes it feel smaller. In any case it is certainly a magnificent building and we were greatly honored to be allowed the chance to perform there.


Next to the Dom is Prince Archbishops Residenz. The medieval bishops' residence was given today's magnificent early Baroque appearance at the end of the 16th century. It has recently been renovated, and it was in this building that the young Wolfgang Mozart gave his first public concert, at the age of 6!

St. Peter’s Abbey and Benedictine Monastery was founded by St. Rupert about the year 700, the latter with romanesque and gothic cloisters. The church is high romanesque converted to late-baroque. Adjoining the church is St. Peter's cemetery, the final resting place of prominent personalities, including the composer Michael Haydn and the sister of Wolfgang Amadeus, Nannerl Mozart. The St. Peter's Cemetery (Petersfriedhof) in Salzburg has a fascinating history. It's one of Europe's oldest cemeteries; the catacombs in the cliff (Moenschberg) behind it date to 215 AD. A small church is also partially contained within the mountain, carved straight out from bare rock.

Another favourite spot was the various cafes which have been an important part of life in Salzburg for centuries and still are. Of particular note are two cafes, which were well frequented by the MUCS contingent: Tomaselli’s (Mozart’s favourite café, and founded in 1705), and Furst’s, immediately across the road (founded in 1805 and home of the original Salzburger MozartKugel.) Coffee in Salzburg is a real tradition, not to be rushed, but always to be enjoyed. We certainly enjoyed the elegant waiters in their dinner suits, the table service and the amazing cakes, but apart from anything else it is the coffee itself that is so great. But not just any old coffee… there are dozens to choose from including: Melange (a normal white coffee), Verlängerter (a large black coffee), Einspänner (a coffee served in a mug, topped with whipped cream and icing sugar; rather lovely!), Kleiner Brauner (a small coffee with cream/milk), Grosser Brauner (a large coffee with cream/milk), Kurzer (a short espresso), Fiaker (a black coffee served in a tall glass with a shot of cherry rum which will certainly warm you up and keep you going for hours!)

After a long day, the weather was turning much colder and we all made our way across the river to the Mozarteum Restaurant, where we enjoyed a meal of Goulash and Spetzle (Austrian Pasta), with salad and bread, washed down with more beer and wine and followed by a lovely Apple desert. We then made our way to our Oekotel Salzburg, a few kilometers out of the centre of the town - and apart from a silly few who were too excited to sleep, we all enjoyed a warm bed and a good night’s rest after another amazing day of sightseeing, history and European magic!!

Andrew Wailes