My apologies for dropping the ball the last few days. Today is Monday, June 8, 2015. Saturday and Sunday we came and went to Salzburg, Austria. On the Friday prior, we hung around Ludwigsburg just doing the very normal things.
I'll start with highlights from Friday. Despite what we were told, there are loads of people who don't/won't/can't speak any English. Maybe they didn't do very well at it in school? We're finding the people who typically don't speak English are the waiters/waitresses and operations staff on the trains. I'm definitely hoping this to be the extent of it as I prepare my course for Friday. The college students that we've met all speak English very well and are happy to do so. I also fully acknowledge that I am in their country and that English is not the official language. We all do our best. One of the difficult things is ordering food at restaurants. Believe it or not, there is a Mexican Grill and Bar in Ludwigsburg. We went there with hopes of an easy meal. Not so much. Our waitress didn't speak English and seemed a little snooty that we didn't do very well in German. We ordered. It was no Fiesta Mexicana but it was as good as anything we've made at home. Win.
The next day we opted to live the life of many of the college-age students we see here. We each packed a smallish backpack and hit the rails. This was our first time seeing the rural side of Germany. We took the S Bahn for 1.3 Euros each to Stuttgart (the train stop is just down the street from us). In Stuttgart, we used our DB Rail Pass to catch a train to Munich and then Salzburg. The rail pass is nice. You just write the day you'll be traveling in the box at the bottom and find an unreserved seat. You could ride around all day on this ticket. The country side is more what I expected from Germany. Lots of rolling hills, big mountains on the horizon, and quaint little villages. Pictures from the train didn't turn out so well as we were traveling close to 150 miles/hour. Either way, it was a great ride to and from Salzburg.
Once in Salzburg, we settled into the Boutique Hotel von Am. It's a great little hotel tucked in what looks like an alley and, maybe ironically, across the alley from a store called American Heritage. Our room had a view of the spires from some of the local churches. It was fairly small but very modern (LED lights in the shower, lots of IKEA furniture, and you have to turn the main switch for your lights on with the key card). Like most things, location was a big factor. We were easy walking distance to all the churches, castles, Mozart sights, and shops.
After lunch at a little cafe, we toured Mozart's birth house. It was great, lots of very cool exhibits and displays. I really enjoyed the sound chamber they made that looped one of the Mozart Violin Concerti. It looked like an oval-shaped sauna and reflected the sound to imitate a concert hall. There were other smaller chambers that you ducked under and heard a recording in an acoustically superior top half of a phone booth. These all had dioramas to show you scenes from the opera you were hearing. There were models of the original sets to his operas. I see why he got in a bit of trouble from the Masons. We spent a few hours there and, despite it being very crowded, really enjoyed ourselves. My big thing at museums is to not let the flow of the crowd change my experience. You have to be willing to plop yourself in front of an exhibit that interests you and just stay there and read the material and enjoy the display.
After Mozart's birthplace, we walked around and looked at the churches. After purchasing a beautiful watercolor from a woman selling her work on the street, we opted to attend a small recital. Every Friday and Saturday night, someone plays Mozart piano sonatas. We heard Elana Braslavsky but I wasn't sure if it was a different pianist every week or just her all summer. http://www.agenturorpheus.at/agentur-orpheus/konzerte/salzburg/mozart-klaviersonaten-salzburg.html We heard K. 330 and 331. I am not sure if she plays the same 2 sonatas every week. It was a good performance and nice to see how people in Salzburg perform Mozart. The space was a stone room adjacent to a church. I think we'd probably call it a fellowship hall now but it had some other name. Essentially, enough room to sit 50 people and a piano. Tickets were 22 Euros but it was money well spent. I love intimate recitals like that and it's great to hear live music. Unfortunately, there's a big trend away from consuming arts in the US and probably everywhere. A recording of a piece cannot convey what it feels like to hear it live (especially given the venue in this case). At the Mozart museums, we saw several paintings that are typically in text books when discussing Mozart. It's one thing to see the painting in a text book, it's really quite another to see the painting. Then consider the artist had some first hand connection with Mozart and you are left with a sense of awe. I think the paintings, instruments, and hair displays were the most powerful to me.
Following the recital, we had a bit to eat at another cafe on the way home. Town closes down around 7:00 so it was rather quiet. The cafe wasn't far from where a group of dudes was busking with their Mumford and Sons-copies. They really weren't bad but a little out of place. The cops arrived and reluctantly sent them on their way. Cops in Germany/Austria are a little more every-man looking than they are in the US. Mostly, they are young, fit, men and women in their late 20's and 30's. No bulging biceps or commando-look. They all wear what I call tactical casual attire (kevlar vests, combat boots, no helmets, full belt rigs, including handguns). They are not very intimidating but just good at their jobs.
The next morning I got up a bit early and went for a nice run around Salzburg. There is a great river walk extending throughout the city that I followed for a while until I figured out a way up the hill to the Museum of Modern Art. It was a great run.
I'll start with highlights from Friday. Despite what we were told, there are loads of people who don't/won't/can't speak any English. Maybe they didn't do very well at it in school? We're finding the people who typically don't speak English are the waiters/waitresses and operations staff on the trains. I'm definitely hoping this to be the extent of it as I prepare my course for Friday. The college students that we've met all speak English very well and are happy to do so. I also fully acknowledge that I am in their country and that English is not the official language. We all do our best. One of the difficult things is ordering food at restaurants. Believe it or not, there is a Mexican Grill and Bar in Ludwigsburg. We went there with hopes of an easy meal. Not so much. Our waitress didn't speak English and seemed a little snooty that we didn't do very well in German. We ordered. It was no Fiesta Mexicana but it was as good as anything we've made at home. Win.
The next day we opted to live the life of many of the college-age students we see here. We each packed a smallish backpack and hit the rails. This was our first time seeing the rural side of Germany. We took the S Bahn for 1.3 Euros each to Stuttgart (the train stop is just down the street from us). In Stuttgart, we used our DB Rail Pass to catch a train to Munich and then Salzburg. The rail pass is nice. You just write the day you'll be traveling in the box at the bottom and find an unreserved seat. You could ride around all day on this ticket. The country side is more what I expected from Germany. Lots of rolling hills, big mountains on the horizon, and quaint little villages. Pictures from the train didn't turn out so well as we were traveling close to 150 miles/hour. Either way, it was a great ride to and from Salzburg.
Once in Salzburg, we settled into the Boutique Hotel von Am. It's a great little hotel tucked in what looks like an alley and, maybe ironically, across the alley from a store called American Heritage. Our room had a view of the spires from some of the local churches. It was fairly small but very modern (LED lights in the shower, lots of IKEA furniture, and you have to turn the main switch for your lights on with the key card). Like most things, location was a big factor. We were easy walking distance to all the churches, castles, Mozart sights, and shops.
After lunch at a little cafe, we toured Mozart's birth house. It was great, lots of very cool exhibits and displays. I really enjoyed the sound chamber they made that looped one of the Mozart Violin Concerti. It looked like an oval-shaped sauna and reflected the sound to imitate a concert hall. There were other smaller chambers that you ducked under and heard a recording in an acoustically superior top half of a phone booth. These all had dioramas to show you scenes from the opera you were hearing. There were models of the original sets to his operas. I see why he got in a bit of trouble from the Masons. We spent a few hours there and, despite it being very crowded, really enjoyed ourselves. My big thing at museums is to not let the flow of the crowd change my experience. You have to be willing to plop yourself in front of an exhibit that interests you and just stay there and read the material and enjoy the display.
After Mozart's birthplace, we walked around and looked at the churches. After purchasing a beautiful watercolor from a woman selling her work on the street, we opted to attend a small recital. Every Friday and Saturday night, someone plays Mozart piano sonatas. We heard Elana Braslavsky but I wasn't sure if it was a different pianist every week or just her all summer. http://www.agenturorpheus.at/agentur-orpheus/konzerte/salzburg/mozart-klaviersonaten-salzburg.html We heard K. 330 and 331. I am not sure if she plays the same 2 sonatas every week. It was a good performance and nice to see how people in Salzburg perform Mozart. The space was a stone room adjacent to a church. I think we'd probably call it a fellowship hall now but it had some other name. Essentially, enough room to sit 50 people and a piano. Tickets were 22 Euros but it was money well spent. I love intimate recitals like that and it's great to hear live music. Unfortunately, there's a big trend away from consuming arts in the US and probably everywhere. A recording of a piece cannot convey what it feels like to hear it live (especially given the venue in this case). At the Mozart museums, we saw several paintings that are typically in text books when discussing Mozart. It's one thing to see the painting in a text book, it's really quite another to see the painting. Then consider the artist had some first hand connection with Mozart and you are left with a sense of awe. I think the paintings, instruments, and hair displays were the most powerful to me.
Following the recital, we had a bit to eat at another cafe on the way home. Town closes down around 7:00 so it was rather quiet. The cafe wasn't far from where a group of dudes was busking with their Mumford and Sons-copies. They really weren't bad but a little out of place. The cops arrived and reluctantly sent them on their way. Cops in Germany/Austria are a little more every-man looking than they are in the US. Mostly, they are young, fit, men and women in their late 20's and 30's. No bulging biceps or commando-look. They all wear what I call tactical casual attire (kevlar vests, combat boots, no helmets, full belt rigs, including handguns). They are not very intimidating but just good at their jobs.
The next morning I got up a bit early and went for a nice run around Salzburg. There is a great river walk extending throughout the city that I followed for a while until I figured out a way up the hill to the Museum of Modern Art. It was a great run.
River walk in Salzburg
View from the Museum of Modern Art
View west of Salzburg on the castle on the hill on the way to the MoMA
Locks with people's names on them. Presumably, the keys are in the river.
After breakfast, we explored the Mozart House (different from the birth house). Again, very impressive and lots to see. With our packs in place, we made our way to the train station and hoped the trains back to Ludwigsburg.
(...but where does the coal go?)
That was quite an adventure. Stay tuned for more to come! Auf Wiedersehen!
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