Germany has one of the best train systems in the world. A few weeks before leaving home I purchased a First-Class German Rail Pass. The pass is good for four days in a 30-day period. We have the twin-pass which is perfect when two people are traveling together. It is only good when both people are traveling at the same time.
I walked over to the train station in Munich on Tuesday and had the pass validated. The German Rail Pass is only offered to non-German residents and it must be validated before it can be used. The conductor is supposed to write the date you travel on the pass---the pass is then good for any train for the rest of the day.
The friendly agent who validated our pass had to see our passports, then stamped it and told me to enjoy. I asked him if I needed to reserve certain trains. “No,” he said. “This is good for any train in Germany. Get on any train you wish; no reservations are needed.”
This gives us a great amount of freedom on the days we travel. On Wednesday morning, Joyce asked me what time we needed to be at the train station. “There is a train to Salzburg every hour so we can go anytime we get ready.”
We could have made the 9:55 a.m. train, but didn’t want to rush, so we left the hotel around 10:20 and walked over to the station and found the first-class compartment for the 10:55 a.m. train to Salzburg. Fifteen minutes after walking out of our hotel room we were sitting on the train. Even though Salzburg is in Austria, you are allowed to use the German Rail Pass as long as Salzburg is your final destination.
When the conductor came by asking for our ticket I handed him the Rail Pass. He looked at it briefly and said, “Okay.” He didn’t even record the date on the pass.
It took us less than two hours to reach the beautiful town of Salzburg. We walked off the train and found a taxi. I had the name of the hotel, but not the address. He put it in his GPS and said, “Oh, this is a small hotel. It is in a beautiful location.”
Our hotels in Munich, Rothenburg, Wittenburg, and Berlin are all in the city, but when I was looking at hotels for Salzburg, this beautiful little Pension out in the country, the Bloberger Hof, kept jumping to the forefront. This family owned and operated hotel is in a beautiful setting, just a few kilometers away from the city center. The house looks like a fairy-tale Austrian home. There are balconies with flower boxes. The balcony off of our room looks over a lush, green pasture—complete with cows—with majestic mountains still partially covered in snow before us. If you look way off into the distance to your left, you see the breath-taking snow-covered Alps.
This has been the perfect place for us to enjoy Salzburg. We have found this promotional brochure to absolutely true: “So, are you looking for a lovely, cozy place to stay in Salzburg? Well, you are in the right place with us here at the Bloberger Hof. Why here? Well that’s quite simple---the food tastes great and there is wine. Allegedly, grandpa has the best Swiss pine schnapps in the country. But come and see for yourself!”
We came and there is no doubt---we picked the best place to stay!
I was concerned about getting back and forth into town, but that has not been a problem. The bus system in Salzburg is most efficient. We catch bus 21 that runs every 15 minutes on weekdays and every 20 minutes on weekends into town. We took the bus into town that afternoon and spent some time walking through the Old Town of Salzburg. There was still some rain, but it was not heavy.
Salzburg is a charming city, full of life and full of music. Even on a wet day this Baroque showpiece of cobbled streets and elegant buildings is a stroller’s delight. It is hard to get lost in Old Salzburg. It did not take us long to find the massive Salzburg Cathedral. This incredible edifice was consecrated in 1628. Its size and grandeur are meant to emphasize that Salzburg was the “Rome of the North,” as it remained true to the Catholic Church during the Reformation. This is the church where Mozart was baptized in 1756 and the bronze baptismal font that actually dates back to an earlier church in 1320 is still in the cathedral today.
We made a stop at the Franciscan Church before finding our way back to the waterfront. We didn’t wait long for bus 21 to take us back to the Bloberger Hof. We had a delicious dinner. Willy and Inge Keuschnigg opened this small hotel with 10 guest rooms in 1989. In 2001, daughter Sylvia joined the family team and her boyfriend, Robert became the cook. Robert and Sylvia are now married and have two adorable sons who bring much life to this special home. We felt just like we did at the farmhouse in Italy, like part of the family.
We watched “The Sound of Music” twice before coming to Austria. Everyone who loves “The Sound of Music” looks for the special sites around the city that appear in the movie. Luke picked us up in a van Thursday morning. We were joined by a family from Arizona and were off to see the sights from the “Sound of Music.” One of the first things we learned was that while much of the movie was filmed in Hollywood, the scenes that were filmed in Austria took much longer to complete than planned. A lot of this had to do with the weather. I did not know that it rained so much in Salzburg. Luke told us that Salzburg is like Seattle. A sunny day is a rarity. You will notice that in all the outdoor scenes in the movie the sky is crystal clear. Sometimes the film crew would have to wait for days to have a clear day. We saw the Leopoldlskron Palace that served as the back of the Von Trapp home on the lake. The lake scene where Maria and the children fall out of the boat really happened—in real life! The director wanted to film it again but Julie Andrews and the children refused. For one thing, the water was ice cold. And little Gretel did not know how to swim and it was very frightening to her.
We saw the miniature golf course where they entertained the children. We visited the gazebo where Liesl sang, “I am Sixteen Going on Seventeen.” The gazebo was built for the movie and after the filming it was presented as a gift to the city of Salzburg. We walked through the Mirabell Gardens where Maria and the children sang, “Do-Re-Mi.” We saw the Nonnbery Abbey from the outside, but the public is not allowed inside the see the courtyard where the nuns sang, “How Do You Solve a Problem like Maria?” And we saw St. Peter’s Cemetery where the family anxiously hid from the Nazis. That scene was not filmed in Salzburg, but in Hollywood. They perfectly reconstructed the cemetery from St. Peter’s.
This was much more than a “The Sound of Music” tour. We learned about the history of Salzburg, then took a lovely ride through the country to the lake country and the town of Mondsee to see the church were the majestic wedding scene was filmed. We spent about an hour in this charming lake-front town. We found a little bakery and enjoyed some apple strudel and coffee.
The tour ended at beautiful Mirabell Gardens. By the time we ended the tour the sun was shining. We spent some more time in Old Town. We wanted to see St. Peter’s Church but the church is being renovated. We strolled through the streets of Salzburg and went into a few shops. We started to visit Mozart’s birthplace, but a huge group walked in just before us, so we decided to wait. We caught the bus back to the Bloberger Hof and enjoyed another delicious meal.
Daylight comes early to Salzburg in the summer. The sun is up shortly after 5 a.m. The daylight streaming into our room woke me and I turned over to see the most gorgeous sight—a beautiful, cloudless day. The sun was already illuminating the glorious mountains outside of our window. We knew that today would be a great day—we were going to Obendorf, the birthplace of “Silent Night.”
We enjoyed a delicious breakfast at Bloberger Hof then took bus 21 to the town center where we changed buses for a quick ride to the train station. I was not using my German Rail Pass, so we found an information booth. I told the agent I needed two round-trip tickets to Obendorf. He pointed to some stairs behind me and said, “Quick. Go down those stairs. The train leaves in two minutes and you can buy a ticket from the conductor.”
We went down the stairs and just as we walked on the train the doors closed. We were on our way!
The young conductor was most friendly and helpful. He asked if we needed bus tickets. When I told him I already had bus tickets he said, “Let me see them. They will give you a discount on your train tickets.”
Before we arrived in Obendorf the conductor asked if we were going to the Silent Night Museum. He said it was an easy walk and gave us directions.
It was a beautiful ride to Obendorf. We went through lush pastures, lovely forests, over streams and rivers. The majestic mountains were never far away. It was a picture perfect day—not a cloud in the sky!
We stepped off the train at the small Obendorf station on this beautiful day and it was like we stepped into a fairy tale village. Austria is not only beautiful, but it is always fresh and clean. The little train station reminded me of one of the stations at Disney World. Obendorf had just celebrated the 200th anniversary of “Silent Night” in December and they had been prepared. There were numerous signs directing us to the small chapel and the museum.
The walk took us to the river that played a major role in the story of “Silent Night.” Joseph Mohr was the Parish Priest at St. Nicholas Church in Obendorf. His parishioners were “bargers,” hard-working people who made their living transporting salt to Salzburg on barges. They were totally dependent on the river.
Joseph Mohr quickly made a name for himself in Obendorf as he spent time in the taverns getting to know his people. He ate and drank with them and joined in their festive songs. His behavior caught the ire of his supervisor, who considered it unbecoming of a priest. He wrote a letter to the Bishop trying to get Mohr moved to another parish. But the Bishop had also heard of Joseph Mohr and approved of how he was identifying with the people.
I used to think I knew the story of “Silent Night.” The story I had shared for years was that on Christmas Eve, 1818, Father Mohr discovered that the organ at the church was not working. Mice had eaten through the leather straps rendering the organ inoperable. As he could not imagine the Christmas Eve Service without music, he quickly wrote the words of “Silent Night,” and took the words to his good friend and church organist, Franz Gruber, who composed the music. Because the organ was broken, Father Mohr and Gruber sang “Silent Night” as Gruber played the guitar. But this story was all wrong.
As last Christmas was the 200th anniversary of “Silent Night,” and knowing that we would be visiting Obendorf, I spent a lot of time researching the background of the song and discovered a different story. The story I found was that the river had flooded, which was a frequent occurrence, destroying the organ. I did learn last December that a guitar would not have been suitable for worship, so “Silent Night,” was performed after the service was over. And I learned that Joseph Mohr had written the words two years before. But I was to learn even more . . .
We visited the beautiful little “Silent Night” Chapel. St. Nicholas Church had flooded so many times that it was eventually torn down. The little chapel rests on the site of the original church, the site where “Silent Night” was performed for the first time. It is very peaceful to sit inside the chapel admiring the two stained glass windows, one for Joseph Mohr, one for Franz Gruber, and the gorgeous hand-carved Nativity scene at the altar.
After spending some time at the chapel, we went to the “Silent Night” Museum. I didn’t understand at first why the museum spent so much time talking about the bargers and their hard life in Obendorf, but soon it became clear to me. The year 1818 had been a terrible year for the bargers and the people of Obendorf. The river had flooded, they had been unable to transport salt down the river; plus there was extreme poverty and hardships. Father Mohr was looking for a way to provide hope to his people in a manner that they could identify with.
He remembered the words he had written two years before after a particularly hard winter in another parish. He had written the words but had never shared them. Because he often sang with the bargers and spent time with them, he felt that the words would speak to them, especially if they were sung with a guitar, which of course could not be used in formal worship.
He asked his friend, Franz Gruber, to write the music on Christmas Eve. The Museum states that the story of a broken organ was probably a myth, but now I realize that whether the organ was working or not doesn’t matter. The people of Obendorf came to worship on Christmas Eve knowing that after the service was over, their priest, a true man of the people, had something special for them. The worship service was very traditional, but after the service they heard the beautiful, powerful words of “Silent Night,” for the first time. It was an experience they would never forget—and neither will we.
“Silent Night, Holy Night, All is Calm, All is Bright”
In a dark and chaotic world, the soothing message of peace and light was a powerful witness to the good people of Obendorf. Little did anyone know that “Silent Night” would become the most popular Christmas carol of all time. It remains a powerful witness to hope and peace around the world today.
Our visit to Obendorf had been a powerful spiritual experience. Everything about the day was perfect, just too good to be true. We walked back to the train station and soon the little train came to take us back to Salzburg.
We jumped on the first bus we saw at the Salzburg train station. Most of the buses go to the Marketplantz in the New City and that was where we would get off. But this bus took an unexpected left turn and I told Joyce, “We need to get off now.”
We jumped off the bus and I said, “Let me open my Google Maps and see where we are.” But then I noticed a lot of tents and said, “Let’s see what this is all about. Lo and behold, we had stumbled on an Austrian Wine Festival—it was too good to be true!”
Many of the small winemakers in Austria had gathered in Salzburg for this weekend event. You rented a wineglass and then could enjoy any wine for two and ½ Euros. They were also cooking sausage which they were serving with what we thought was sauerkraut and mustard.
We normally don’t drink much Riesling wine, but we found the Riesling in Germany to be totally different. We would now have a chance to sample Austrian Riesling. We found a tent with a very friendly and helpful young man who spoke excellent English. His winery, like most at the festival, was a small family-run business. We got two glasses of Riesling and after one sip we knew it was the best we have ever tasted—even better than Germany! We ordered a sausage with (what we thought was) sauerkraut. Joyce took a bite and said, “That is the hottest sauerkraut I have ever tasted!”
I took a taste and said, “No wonder it’s hot. It’s not sauerkraut. It’s shredded horseradish!”
We enjoyed the sausage and the wine while Joyce avoided the horseradish!
We found another tent and tried their Sauvignon Blanc. A well-dressed guy with a flat-cap who reminded me a lot of Chip Holton was standing at the tent. It was obvious that he had sampled a good number of wines and he wanted to talk. He wanted to know where we were from and how long we would be in Salzburg. We shared some good laughs with him, although I’m not exactly sure why we were laughing. We also met a winemaker who told us he used to live in Johnson City, Tennessee. As you would expect, he spoke very good English.
The Wine Festival, as I discovered, was next to the Mirabell Gardens. We enjoyed strolling through the gardens again before we caught bus 21 to return to the Bloberger Hof.
We enjoyed another delicious dinner at the Bloberger Hof, eating outside since the weather was so nice. We ended with a glass of Grandpa’s Swiss pine cone schnapps. It has been a perfect day!
Saturday morning also dawned bright and beautiful. The majestic mountains were keeping guard out of our open window and we could hear the cows mooing in the pasture next door. We had a delicious breakfast—Inge scrambles eggs to go with the different breads, meats, and cheeses.
We caught the 21 bus into town. Early Saturday morning was the perfect time to visit Mozart’s birthplace. We were able to take our time studying the many different exhibits in the very house where Mozart was born in 1756. It is hard to believe that such a legendary musical genius as Wolfgang Mozart lived only 35 years. He spent 25 of those years in Salzburg. It was in this house where the young boy learned to play the violin and the piano. His father, Leopold, also a musician, recognized his son’s amazing musical gifts early on. Wolfgang was only 6 when he gave his first big concert at the opulent Residenz (which we would visit later) in front of the Archbishop.
The museum gives an excellent introduction to Mozart, his complicated life and his troubled times. For Mozart fans, visiting this house is like a pilgrimage. Salzburg is a city alive with the sound of music, Mozart’s music. Every night there are concerts and you can buy everything from candy to music boxes with a Mozart theme.
It was market day and we enjoyed watching the locals gather in town for a huge open-air market. They not only have stands for fruits and vegetables, but they have mobile meat markets and cheese markets.
We found a little café off the market and enjoyed coffee and a very delicious apple strudel with vanilla cream. We didn’t really have a plan or a schedule so I told Joyce, “Why don’t we check out the Residenz?”
Up until the early 1800s, Salzburg was ruled by powerful Prince-Archbishops.” They had ultimate religious and political authority.
We bought our tickets and when we walked up the long flights of stairs and finally entered the grand hall, we could not believe what we were seeing. We have visited palaces all over the world, but this was just as ornate, opulent, and ostentatious as any palace we have seen. We wandered from one tremendous room to another, filled with priceless antiques, flooring, and paintings. We saw where little Mozart gave his first concert at the age of six. We saw the private chapel of the Archbishop. We saw the passage between the palace and the great Cathedral, built so the Archbishop could attend church without being seen. We also saw artifacts from both the Salzburg and the St. Peter’s Cathedral. There were breathtaking views of the main square and the mighty fortress on the mountain that looks over the city. We had a great tour.
We went back to the Bloberger Hof for the rest of the afternoon. The family attended a wedding on Saturday so the restaurant was closed. We rode bus 21 back into town and found a neat little outdoor restaurant where we ordered a green salad and a Margherita Pizza. Even though we were not in Italy, the pizza was very good.
It started to rain again about the time we got back to the Bloberger Hof, but we had enjoyed three lovely and spectacular days in Salzburg. This city truly is alive with music. Tomorrow morning we head for the train station. Our destination is Rothenburg and it looks like it will be an adventure just to get there!
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