Oompah Bands in Salzburg

Many traditions thrive in Salzburg, the region became rich because of the Salt Mines, Salzburg, salt mountain and Salzach river, Salt river, many references to salt and you can visit the salt mines in the lake district around Salzburg. There are a lot of attractions, hiking in the mountains, camping around the lake district, fishing etc.. It is not all music festival.


Here are some photos of the Pentecost Parade each year on Saturday at 11am where the different parishes congregate in the centre of Old Salzburg and march across the Staatsbrucke.

All in traditional costumes, bands and parish flags, very colourful and lots of fun to watch.

Here we are Will and I at the parade in our traditional costume. Love those hats.

The riders crack their whips 

Dult sponsors the parade and gives out beer to the crowd, everyone loves a good parade. This beer is brewed in Altötting, Bavaria just across the border. Dult sponsors several beer festivals in October and in the summer time.

Munich, Bavaria

In Italian Munich is known as Monaco di Bavaria not to be confused with the other Monaco the Principality. Munich is where we will spend our first night after arriving from Canada.

A city that is fascinating and has so much to offer, we have been to Munich in summer and winter. The Christmas Market is simply great and full of food and very good street food Bavarian style.

From Munich you are almost at the border with Austria and we will take the train to Salzburg.

On this trip I decided I will not blog and will simply make notes of things I wish to blog later. Am not bringing my computer, too heavy and too cumbersome, one less thing to worry about.

Dark brooding castles in the Allgau.

Today by pure coincidence, I discovered that it is Richard Wagner's 200th Birthday and here we are in this town which so reflected his inspiration for his operas in the castles.

The Wittelsbach Royal Family ruled in Bavaria for several centuries until 1918 when the German Republic was proclaimed. They are part of the Swabia Royal families. The Hapsbourg of Austria are their cousins and also started out in Swabia as their other cousins the Hohenzollern who ruled Prussia and then as German Kaisers until 1918. They too have some fantastic castles in this part of Bavaria.

This morning we got up and after breakfast took the bus to the Castles, on a good sunny day I would have walked it, the surrounding scenery is perfect for walking. But since it was raining pretty hard we took the bus for only 5 minutes. There are many mountain stream fed lakes in this area, the water has that strange glacier colour combined with the green of the forest is quite beautiful.

At the Visitor centre all is well organised and despite the crowds, we got our tickets in hand in a few minutes. You have a choice of visiting one or both castles at a pre-set time with a guide, all visits are guided and very regimented. We first went to Hohenschwangau, the old summer residence of the Wittelsbach family, they have owned this castle for 6 centuries. It was previously the seat of the Knights of Schwangau (the Swan) who controlled this border area between Bavaria, Austria and Switzerland. It is a dark and brooding place, full of heavy dark wood furniture and wall paintings telling stories of Tannhauser, Parsifal, Lohengrin, Tristan and Isolde. Richard Wagner was a friend of the family and they supported him financially for many years. It is difficult to imagine anyone living in such emotionally charged castle with its dark rooms and gothic architecture.

It is at Hohenschwangau that Ludwig and his brother Otto grew up. Their father King Maximillian II of Bavaria was married to Princess Mary of Prussia. At the age of 19 Ludwig becomes king and he goes on a mad spending spree building several palaces and having plans for several more, all more and more elaborate in size and architecture, costing basically the entire national treasury of Bavaria. Ludwig appears to have been a strange man, he was deeply religious and his Catholicism was a mixture of Arthurian Legends, Knights in shining armour, Holy Crusades and Christ Lord of the World. It appears that Ludwig thought he was Lohengrin mix in with St-George, his family patron Saint.

Hohenschwangau will remain his mother's Queen Mary home until her death in 1889. His uncle Prince Luitpold will live there until his death in 1913. Because the staff of Hohenschwangau work for the Wittelsbach family, they are very circumspect on what happened to Ludwig and his brother Otto. The only answer you get is that this family tragedy is all a mystery.

Ludwig II behaviour alarmed his uncles and the family, Prince Luitpold in particular will try to advise him to no avail.  After visiting this depressing castle we went up the hill, way up, above the lake to Neuschwanstein, what you see today took 17 years to build and is incomplete. You can visit 3 floors where the rooms are complete with furniture and interior decoration.

Neuschwanstein is even darker than Hohenschwangau, the Gothic decor is oppressive, heavy and full of mythical dragons and gargoyles starring at you in the semi-darkness. Heavy drapes of gold and silver thread, enormous chandeliers of gilded bronze with semi-precious stones and coloured glass. Rooms look like Byzantine cathedrals, again the legends of the Knights and Christianity painted on the walls everywhere you look. Everything is massive, the bedroom of Ludwig II took 4 years to decorate. The canopied bed alone is in Oak with 9 Gothic spire sculpted as its roof. The wash basin is also uncased in
Oak and the water spout is a solid silver Swan. The water for the castle comes from a stream 150 meters above the castle. What is interesting in the castle is the servants quarters, beautiful furniture and very pleasantly appointed rooms with views of the mountains.

 Neuschwanstein Castle

The throne room and the Singer's Hall are both spectacular by the wealth of the decor and the multitude of symbols recalling King Arthur. To say that Neuschwanstein is the result of an obsessive mind, is an understatement. Even photos of Ludwig in his thirties show a man with a wild look in his eyes, there is something not quite right with him.

He will be arrested and deposed in June 1886 in his bedroom at Neuschwanstein. His Uncle Prince Luitpold realizing the precarious state of Governmental affairs and the drain on the treasury the palace building program has created, will arrange for a quiet Palace coup. However another more powerful hand is at play, the German Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck has a strong dislike for both brothers, they are not playing along in his plans for a strong German Empire ruled by the Kaiser in Berlin. It is believed that Bismarck supported the removal of Ludwig II and the internment of his brother Otto, they were seen as too critical of the Kaiser, thus undermining the Empire.

Ludwig is told that he is insane, no one will ever examine him and no doctor will ever have a chance to observe if he is or not insane. The only medical document that does exist was signed by a medical doctor at gun point. This doctor will later declare that he did not know anything about Ludwig state of mind. Ludwig will then be escorted to a palace just outside Munich under very heavy guard. He is more or less a prisoner of his uncle. Only three days later he is found drowned in a lake nearby with another doctor who was a friend. Immediately all construction projects are stopped and Neuschwanstein is opened as a museum. It will never be completed.

Otto the younger brother of Ludwig is proclaimed King of Bavaria, however he too will be declared insane,  the doctors will write that he suffers from melancholy and is depressive. Today we would say that he suffers from Post Traumatic Stress syndrome, he had an active military career and after the Franco-Prussian War 1871, he is showing signs of distress. He will spend the next 26 years in a palace sanatorium under heavy guard, often sedated for his own good. Prince Luitpold is declared Regent and will govern Bavaria for many decades until his own death in 1912. Otto will live on until 1916 but unable to assume the throne. His cousin Ludwig III will take charge until 1918 when all kingdoms and principality in Germany are dissolved.

After all this melancholy we went for lunch. A beautiful place but such sadness.

Füssen, Bavaria, Germany

We have been going through very green country side as we travel from Munich to the southern border with Austria and Switzerland. Lots of nice farms, pastures full of horses and cows, dark pine forests, mountains, streams and a healthy smell of manure.

Füssen is a very old small town, it was during the first century AD under the reign of Emperor Claudius a garrison town and the Via Claudia Augusta was as is today the main street. Roman Legions could easily come up from Italy by passing by the Brenner pass which is open all year round over the Alps and from Innsbruck came to what would then have been the border of the Roman Empire in the North with all those dark forests full of German barbarians.

Füssen, Via Claudia-Augusta

Hotel Sonne, Fussen

From Munich 104 Km away it is a regional train so many stops in many small villages, all very picturesque.
We had some very nice pastries and tea on arrival, difficult to find a bad pastry in Germany or Austria.
We are staying at Hotel Sonne in the middle of Füssen, a nice hotel with charm.

Füssen is somewhat like the Benidorm (Spain) of Germany, population 14K swells to 3 million in the summer with crazy tourists who only come here to see one castle, Neuschwanstein (New Swan Rock).
The other castle Hohenschwangau just below and still owned by the Wittelsbach family who operates it now as a museum since 1913 is not that popular, though has a very old history going back to the 12th century. Neuschwanstein on the other hand is fairly new and incomplete, partly furnished since contruction stopped in 1886, though the architecture is more spectacular.

 Hohenschwangau, the Wittelsback Family Summer Residence

The unfinished Neuschwanstein Castle in the morning mist at 850 meters in altitude.

Disaster struck tonight, we had made reservations for dinner at the hotel Sonne restaurant. As we approached the dining room you could here a lot of screaming and loud laughter. I thought, oh they must be full tonight, when we walked in we saw a large group of Chinese tourists. The language Mandarin, screaming for more beer, yes I was back in Beijing all over again, their guide was encouraging them to be raucous in a demented approach to what they thought beer gardens in Germany c.1938 must have looked like. I was dumbfounded and had a sinking feeling that we were in the wrong place, we had a drink and left promptly. We ended up in a bar restaurant across the street, the food was good and so was the service. It is raining a lot and the clouds have swallowed up the mountains. Hopefully tomorrow will be a little better and we can steer clear of the maddening Chinese crowds.

On the train to border area between Austria and Germany

Dienstag, Tuesday

Train Station in Salzburg.

Travelling this morning on DB from Salzburg to Munich en route to Füssen to see the castles of Ludwig II of Bavaria. We hope for good weather, so far it is sunny but it looks like in Füssen the weather is much colder around 15C and a mix of sun and clouds. Füssen is on the border with Austria and near the border with Switzerland. The Ski Station of Garmish-Partenkirche is only a few kilometers away.

It was a wonderful Festival in Salzburg, we had a great time. Said our goodbyes to Mr. Lackner the manager of the Hotel Bristol and sent our good wishes to his mother, who we know, and is now retired and living in Vienna. We are considering coming back in May 2014 for the next edition of the Music Festival which will be dedicated to the composer Rossini. The Festival starts a day earlier on Thursday and of course we will return to the Bristol. Some clients like Dr. Malkin who has been coming for years as told us that he has already booked his tickets. The tickets for next year's festival are going on sale today and like in the past, I suspect that most tickets will be sold by next week. Cecilia Bartoli is bringing many big opera names, many retired, but the mere fact that they will be there for a Charity Gala evening to help local children in the Salzburg region, is most likely to attract people. Some of the artists are Teresa Berganza, Montserrat Caballé, José Carreras, Rugero Raimondi, Erwin Shrott and many more. The Gala dinner is catered by one of the best restaurants in the world, Arzak which has 3 Michelins Stars to its name. The chef Elena Arzak will prepare dishes associated with Rossini.

They are presenting 3 operas, La Cenerentola and Otello with Bartoli and Il Barbiere di Siviglia which will be at the Marionette Theater. Petite Messe Solennelle, a Lied Matinee and many other offerings, including a Kino (cinema) of Rossini Opera movies by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle featuring rare footage of Tito Gobbi. A good diverse program. See the link for the Festival, http://www.salzburgfestival.at/

entrance lobby of the Grosses Festspiele Haus, Salzburg.

back of the University Church, Salzburg under renovation still.

Salzburg old town.

Munich, München,

Did you know that you can surf 4 foot waves in Munich, how can this be, the city is landlocked at the foot of the Alps. Well I discovered today by going to the English gardens in the Park of the Residenz the man made EISBACH stream crosses the park, it is a tributary of the Isar River, underwater boulders have been placed strategically to create big waves which allows for surfing and in other places waterfalls. The Eisbach stream crosses the large English gardens of the Residenz of 1030 acres, one of the largest public park in the world.

The Residenz on Odeon Platz was from 1500 to 1918 the Royal Palace of the Dukes and Kings of Bavaria. The large buildings have an Italian air about them, reminiscent of Florence and the Medici Palace. Along the side of the Palace are French Gardens which have recently been restored to give them back the look of 1776 and then just beyond is the English garden which is larger than Central Park.

The English garden was created in 1789 by a British Officer, Sir Benjamin Thompson Lord Rumford who fought with the Loyalist troops of the British Crown against the American rebels. Thompson is an interesting man, born in Woburn, Massachusetts then a Colony of the UK, he married in Rumford (now Concord) Mass. He was a physicist and inventor. He wrote on thermodynamics and help change thinking in that field, he introduced the cultivation of the potato in Bavaria and created soup kitchens for the poor. As Bavarian Minister of War, he reorganized the Bavarian army, he also did several studies on the force of gunpowder which influenced its use in Europe.

Eisbach stream, English garden, Residenz, Munich

The gardens are open to the public since 1920, its vast green spaces are used for nude sunbathing and water surfing and even farming in some area with flocks of sheep and goats. Strange to think that in the middle of the city such an area would exist. We saw about a dozen surfers in their wet suit ride the waves, the current of the stream is quite strong and is also very shallow in some area.

We also walked along the pedestrian mall in what was many centuries ago the original central area of Munich, with its cathedral (Dom) and Marien Platz where City Hall is located with its clock tower which chimes the hour while life size mechanical figurine dance. We visited St-Michael's church where the Royal Wittelsbach family have their crypt, the famous Louis II of Bavaria is buried there and so is the step-son of Napoleon Bonaparte, Prince Eugene Napoleon Beauharnais who married the daughter of the King of Bavaria and died in 1821 at the age of 40. Their sealed lead coffins are in the basement of the church. Like so many buildings in the centre of the city who were badly damaged during the Second World War, much had to be rebuilt according to records on hand, quite lovely to see.

St-Michael's Church, Munich

It is asparagus season and many stalls sell them, white or green, they look wonderful. Louis XIV is said to have loved asparagus so much that he asked his gardeners at Versailles to grow them all year round. Apparently special trenches were dug in the gardens and filled with horse manure to allow the asparagus to grow even in Winter. The manure came easy since there were about 250 horses in the stables of the Palace. Bavaria also means beer and they have some beautiful beers, dark creamy golden colour with a nice head.

White asparagus 2 kilos (4.4 lbs) for only 4.90 euros a bargain!!!

We did a bit of shopping bought shoes and validated our train tickets for tomorrow. This up-coming weekend is a major holiday in Germany and Austria, Pentecost, so lots of people will be traveling Friday, we will travel Thursday mid-day to avoid the crowds, the DB railway representative told us that the 5:20pm train to Salzburg with connection onward to Budapest was completely full.
The weather is sunny and quite warm around 24C. We hope for good weather for the  rest of our stay.

Traveling, Voyage, Viaggio

Today on this day 7 Mai 1664, the Sun King Louis XIV inaugurated the Palace of Versailles.

After yesterday's good news, the trip to Europe is back on schedule, though somewhat truncated, we will not be going to Dresden or Meissen or Bayreuth, this we can do later this year. Instead we will fly to Frankfurt and then with DB we will travel to Munich for a few days and on to the Whitsun Festival in Salzburg. On the return leg we stop at Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau Castle.

What is great about Frankfurt airport is that the train station is in the basement of the airport. So you get off the plane go get your luggage and proceed through Customs and Immigration and down the stairs you go to your train. How easy can that be? The first time we did this, I thought to myself why can't we have such integrated services in Canada. This is something you find in many German cities, trains, subway, airports are all integrated in one hub, clever really.

We have been planning this trip for one year and it is a return trip for us to Munich and Salzburg.
Favourite restaurants, sites, cultural venues etc....

The website of the Whitsun Festival gives a good idea of what is on offer with Cecila Bartoli as Director this year. Click on the trailer on the website to get a glimpse of what it is like. We have been going for a few years and enjoy it immensely.  http://www.salzburgerfestspiele.at/whitsun

Hotel Bristol, Salzburg

Because Salzburg is a small city and all the music venues  are all in walking distance, restaurants are around the venues and it is not unlikely that you are sitting next to an artist you have just seen on stage. What I also like is the offering of Asparagus ''Spargel'' in May, many restaurants have them either white or green with ham or sausages. On arrival in Salzburg, we will go to Café Bazar for lunch, since 1927 it has been a wonderful place for something to eat in a decor of wood panelling and large windows which has not changed. The food is excellent and the Café is on the river Salzbach.

Café Bazar, Salzburg


Munich is a beautiful city, Capital of the Kingdom of Bavaria, prior to 1918, home of the Von Wittelsbach family.  We went to Munich on different occasions, either for the Christmas Market which is wonderful or at other times of the year. On our return we will visit the two castles famous for their architecture in a style reminiscent of Wagner's Operas.