AUSTRIA: Alpine Cities

“Salz” is the German word for “salt”. 

Not surprisingly, Salzburg’s name and prosperity go back to the centuries-long international trade in, what else, but, salt.

Salt was so valuable that it was dubbed "white gold".

The income from the salt trade enabled the ruling prince-archbishops to build an affluent city. 

Salzburg was also called the "Rome of the North" because of its Italian character and numerous churches.

Salzburg's most well-known claim to fame is that it was the birthplace of Mozart in 1756. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote 24 operas, 17 masses and 50 symphonies and continues to live on through his many famous compositions. His family lived in an apartment on the third floor of this building for 26 years, from 1747 - 1773.

The city’s main cathedral, a baroque design, is the Salzburger Dom. 

Mozart was christened in this cathedral. 

Joseph Mohr, the man who wrote the words for "Silent Night” was also christened in the cathedral. "Silent Night" is probably the most famous Christmas carol, and has been translated into more than 300 languages and dialects. 

The narrow and winding streets of Salzburg’s historic center have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of the city’s well-preserved baroque architecture.

Back in the day before the general population was literate, icons were used to indicate the type of business being conducted. 

The iconic signs are still used today. It was fun looking at the signs and figuring out what business they represented. Some are obvious and others take a little more thought.

Another Salzburg highlight is the baroque Mirabell Palace & Gardens. It has a bit of a chequered history, for those who like a diversion with a little gossip. Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau had the Palace (originally called Schloss Altenau) built in 1606 for his mistress Salome Alt and their 15 children. (Fifteen children!) When he died his successor kicked out Salome and her children.

Since I didn't know what a Prince Archibispo was I googled: “In the Holy Roman Empire, a prince-archbishop was a bishop who was also the ruler of a secular principality, and was considered a prince of the Holy Roman Empire.”

Mirabell Garden was featured in the Sound of Music movie. Maria and the kids dance around the Pegasus fountain behind Mirabell Palace, singing the song "Do-Re-Mi".  

Now knowing that, it means I will have to watch the movie again  – which means John will have to endure me belting the songs out at high volume with great enthusiasm and zero musical talent. John does not look forward to this.

We didn't have the best of weather when we were in Salzburg, 

So on a cold and rainy afternoon, we stopped for some traditional Austrian sausages and drinks.

It didn't change the weather, but, kept us dry.

Another big alpine city we went to was Innsbruck. The city is nestled in a valley between two mountain ranges, to the north and south. The setting is beautiful and an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise. 

Innsbruck hosted the Winter Olympics in 1964 and 1976 and has nine ski resorts close by. There is a 3-stage ride up Hafelekar Mountain using 2 funiculars and a gondola.

At top of the 2,300 peak there are 360° views.  On one side is Innsbruck and on the other is Karwendel Nature Park.

Innsbruck's historic core is over 500 years old with cobblestone streets, boutiques, medieval buildings, and sidewalk cafes with a stunning backdrop of mountains. 

The most famous landmark in the old town is the Golden Balcony, completed in 1500 to commemorate the (arranged) marriage of the Emperor Maximilian I and Bianca Maria Sforza. The roof is not covered with actual gold but with the 2,657 fire-gilded copper tiles. 

The structure below the roof has a variety of figures and images showing scenes of life back in those days.

The royal newlyweds would watch jousting tournaments and festivals in the square below. Things soured, though, when Bianca failed to produce an heir. When she died, the emperor didn't attend her funeral or even commission a gravestone. A bit harsh, in my humble opinion.

I had fun looking for interesting signs.

Somehow North American franchises have found their way into the historic centre.

For those tourists who want to pretend they are locals, they can opt to buy some typical Tyrol clothing. 

Since we have no room in our suitcases

we didn’t even think about trying to look like tourists pretending to look like locals.