The Hills are Alive - Lissa Poirot
The Hills are Alive - Lissa Poirot
The Hills are Alive - Lissa Poirot
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ƒravel<br />
s a l z b u r g<br />
ƒravel<br />
s a l z b u r g<br />
Top to Bottom: Although winter’s snow hides<br />
Mirabell Garden’s color, the winter-white scene<br />
is still an impressive sight to behold; Panoramic<br />
view of Salzburg; Step back in time for a dinner<br />
served by candlelight and period-costumed<br />
musicians performing classic works by Mozart<br />
72 LIFEstyles ! DECEMBER 2007<br />
My desire to visit Salzburg was never because I have a passion for classical music and<br />
this is the birthplace of Mozart. It wasn’t because I wanted to see where Maria Von<br />
Trapp fell in love while singing to the children in her c<strong>are</strong> (although I very much<br />
want to burst out singing “<strong>The</strong> hills <strong>are</strong> alive with the sound of music” when I first<br />
arrive by bus into the city, surrounded by hills and mountains). Perhaps it is because<br />
of my German lineage (don’t let my husband’s French name fool you) that I have<br />
always had a desire to visit the Alpine villages and towns of Bavaria. It was everything<br />
I ever imagined.<br />
A Musical History<br />
So here I sit, on my chaise in the Hotel Sacher Salzburg, eating my rich, chocolate,<br />
world-renowned Sacher Torte and taking in the view as the cathedral bells toll 6. It’s<br />
time to visit that cathedral and monastery for my first evening in Salzburg, a Mozart<br />
dinner concert in St. Peter’s Baroque Hall. Candelabras flank the white-linen covered<br />
tables, the silver polished and sparkling and period-costumed waiters <strong>are</strong> freely pouring<br />
Austrian wine. <strong>The</strong> three-course dinner begins with songs performed from “Don<br />
Giovanni.” As is custom in Austrian opera, songs <strong>are</strong> sung in the language in which<br />
they were written, so Italian fills the air. A short break for a light lemon cream soup<br />
with cinnamon, and then we <strong>are</strong> entertained with a selection of songs from “Le Nozze<br />
di Figaro.” <strong>The</strong>n it’s dinner of roasted capon breast with polenta and truffle-sagecream<br />
sauce served with potatoes and vegetables from “Father Prior’s garden.” <strong>The</strong><br />
concert ends with performances from “Die Zauberflote” and a semi-frozen parfait of<br />
honey. <strong>The</strong> event and meal <strong>are</strong> the perfect welcome to an ancient city.<br />
<strong>The</strong> next day is right out of “<strong>The</strong> Sound of Music,” visiting sites I have only seen<br />
in the movie. Austrians <strong>are</strong> bemused with our fascination with the movie and the<br />
Von Trapps, but I am eager to discover Salzburg myself. I cross the street of the Hotel<br />
Sacher to visit the Mozart Museum, as this was his birthplace. His original home was<br />
destroyed during WWII, but an exact replica has been created nearby, with the addition<br />
of a basement to keep everything safe should history repeat itself. Beside the<br />
museum is Mirabell Gardens and Palace (where Julie Andrews trapezes with the children),<br />
which unfortunately lost most of its belongings to Napoleon. <strong>The</strong> palace and<br />
gardens <strong>are</strong> Reich Dietrich’s homage to his beloved Salome. A popular figurehead,<br />
Dietrich did not want to be named an archbishop – Salzburg was ruled by archbishops<br />
for 300 years – as he wanted to marry Salome. He was elected bishop anyway, so<br />
he asked the pope for permission to marry. Denied, he kept Salome in this palace,<br />
fathering her 15 children and loving her his entire life.<br />
Top to Bottom: Tiny<br />
streets lined with Bavarian<br />
shops make holiday shopping<br />
even more fun; A tribute<br />
to Mozart.<br />
LIFEstyles ! DECEMBER 2007<br />
73