9 July 2012 - Salzburg

 The fortress over looking Salzburg

Salzburg old town streets

Gillian has decided that she would like to add her voice to the blog so I've handed over to her.

It's GillieB here – Stephen is tad tired so I am doing the bloggie thing . We spent yesterday in Salzburg – near the centre in quite a modern hotel. Staff all have excellent English – they told us it was necessary as Salzburg is a tourist town – and certainly we saw a wide range of ethnicities as we walked the streets. We did lots of the walking of the streets!! ( mostly after we arrived on the 8^th July) and saw all sorts of sights – many of which made more sense after the tour we did with the 'Sound of Music' today– don't cringe folks. It was a good decision as we were given lots of the local history of sites we passed . This was because of the exceptional guide for our trip – one Naomi, who had a well developed sense of humour and a fine sense of drama and knowledge of local history. I am continually aware of the need for schema -aka coat hangers – to make sense of what we see. The trip took in lots of Salzburg, important places and sites where the movie was shot and then we were taken out into the countryside. We enjoyed the anecdotes – cited by our guide, as offered by the caste ( many when they were the children in the movie) when they returned as adults and confessed to all sorts of naughtinesses during the filming. We stopped at many villages and lakes en route – with lake Mondsee – (moon) being the last. This happened to be the site of the church where Maria married her captain in the movie -what and amazing church. We are continually amazed by the artistry and opulence and skill of churches in Europe – this church had all this. 

 

The tour gave an excellent overview of Salzburg – we were interviewed by a German doctorate student en route for reasoning for going on the tour!!!!!

 Stephen in front of a palace that was used as a set in th eSound of Music

The ultimate tacky souvineer- a Yodelling Marmot

We ate at a restaurant called 'Die Alter Fuch'; ( The other Fox ) but would Stephen stop his conjecturing!!!! Lovely Austrian food – so yumm but so heavy in the tum. We staggered up the road back to our hotel.

Moment for reflection : As we travel I find moments magic and spiritual in the most unexpected places –an example of which being the church in Diano San Pietro. We were immersed in Ligurian countryside – wandering around, identifying the details of local life as described by Annie Hawes - when we happened on the local church, bonging and banging the hour and half hour to keep us on track. OK – we locate ( eventually) the access into the parish church ( each village has a church with a bell that chimes the hours and half hour – just as Annie recounted, each village has their own time keeping – never the same - so the bells ring for some time around the valley!! Wonderful!!)So – we wander into what we are expecting to be a dark, damp crumbling one time place of worship. How wrong could we have been – we gasp in awe and wonder as around and above us we are surrounded by a huge sanctuary and knave – embellished with the most exquisite artistry – the quality of the painting thereof can only have endured through the preservation and loving care and sacrifices made by the local parish and people .

 Interior of church - the outside was dreary and crumbling

The peace and presence in this place of worship is tangible and very precious. This is not something I expect or seek in all or every chapel / cathedral etc we explore. San Pietro came as a gift – and so I say thank you! A similar experience in the church outside Fontaine Bleu – in the Loire. After the stark spendour of the abbey we entered into the still quiet calm of a place for worship that has existred for hundreds of years.

As so often on our journey we find the unexpected where we we least expect it and it is of course the most exciting part of each day!