Mirabell means "wonderful beauty," and our guide told us a dramatic story about the Prince-Archbishop who originally built the palace for his mistress, Salome Alt, with whom he had 15 children! When he was removed from power, he was imprisoned in the fortress overlooking Salzburg, where he was forced to look down upon the palace and gardens he had built for her. An 1818 fire badly damaged the palace, which was later rebuilt to what you can see today.
There's also a roughly 335-year-old Dwarf Garden (Zwergerlgarten) nearby, the oldest in Europe and inspiring future garden gnomes for years to come.
We stood outside both the birthplace and later residence of Mozart, the Michael Jackson of classical music (he didn't have much of a childhood thanks to an overbearing father who pushed him towards musical genius). Mozart allegedly didn't like Salzburg that much because the Prince-Archbishop placed limits on the music he could make, particularly church music and its length. He was happier and more productive in Vienna, where he moved at 25 and remained until his young death at 35.
We walked by the birthplace of Christian Doppler (the physicist behind the "Doppler Effect," meaning that a sound coming towards you has a higher pitch than one moving away).
We also ambled through Getreidegasse, where metal signs, some over 400 years old, line the street. These signs traditionally indicated what was being sold underneath... i.e. scissors and ribbon for a dressmaker (but now a Mango clothing store).
After our walking tour, we went to Augustiner Bräu Mülln Biergarten for some Munich-style refreshments. It was really cool: you bought your beer and got a ticket, then picked up a stone mug, washed it yourself, and gave it and the ticket to the bartender, who filled your mug from a wooden barrel. On our walking tour, we learned that when Biergartens were introduced, they became so popular that restaurant owners got upset, so rules were introduced limiting what food Biergartens could serve (mostly bread and beer!). The law has since been lifted, but the tradition remains, so we indulged in bread and beer just the same.
Every city deserves a side quest, and mine was finding the "Gurken" statues (thanks to Instagram travellers for the inspiration)! There are five pickle statues near the university library made by avant-garde artist Erwin Wurm (whose art was featured in the Red Hot Chili Peppers' music video for "Can't Stop"). According to Wurm, just like humans, each pickle has a different shape, curve, and size, but at one glance, you know what it is -- its a pickle. Humans though always looking different, are still humans.
Tarun's favourite meal of the trip so far was a fire-roasted Margherita pizza at Pizzeria Ciro that we grabbed near our accommodations (Numa Salzburg Vogelweider). I was happy because when I tried to order in German, the server was surprised and asked if I spoke German. Proud moment for me! My favourite meal, however, was the Austrian Spinatknödel, a spinach dumpling made with spinach, cheese, breadcrumbs, and eggs.
As we wandered through the Old Town, we noticed signs for an open-air opera on Saturday in one of the main squares. Tarun begrudgingly agreed to go, but when we got there and realized it was a filmed version projected onto a big screen rather than live singers, *Carmen* unfortunately did not win out. 😅
We also had two very dramatic moments in Salzburg involving emergency services! One (less worrisome) was that our entire hotel had to be evacuated due to a fire alarm, and we got to see firefighters coming in to check the alarm system. Nothing like standing around outside in my PJs.
The second was that we had to call an ambulance for an older man who drove his bike into a wall! We were walking back from the bus in our very deserted suburban area when we heard the crash and saw him lying on his back. But we didn't have phone data, so Tarun had to run and flag down some random people walking by to ask if they spoke English and could call Austria's 911 (Note: it's 112!). We waited for the ambulance and police, but luckily I think the man was going to be okay. They took him away on a gurney, and from the police officer's attitude and the fact that they made him do a breathalyzer, I think alcohol may have been the culprit. He wasn't able to move after hitting his head, though, so I think we definitely did the right thing.
And as for the other famous thing Salzburg is known for? IMMA GONNA DO A WHOLE FANGIRLY POST ON IT NEXT... ;)
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