Salzburg -Sound Of Music City

One more of the innumerable  statues, paintings and structures of the old city . Each has its own story from the period it was made and installed, and the inscriptions give a fairly good idea about the goings on at the time. I once saw a statue of Henry  Havelock (next to and below Nelson) in Trafalgar Square and was amused and surprised that he was honored for his role in suppressing the Indian Mutiny of 1857.

At one time or the other we have all seen this house and let us see if you can remember/ recognise it. This is  the house, lake and the swan where Sound of  Music was filmed decades ago and made the city all the more known and popular. We were informed that the Swan and its family was the same which was in the Sound of Music. Besides Sound of Music , Salzburg is also famous for its Stiegl beer which was first brewed in the 1400s. The same brewery still stands next to the latest present day ultramodern brewing facility on the outskirts of Salzburg. Of course the omnipresent Salzburg fortress can be seen from every where in Salzburg. It is set on a high daunting hill top but there is a small train going to the top from the center of the old city. The train back to Bad Gastein again took 1hour 20 minutes and we refreshed  from the tiring day with the help of the Hot Coffee and Snacks served by a stewardess ,pushing an aircraft like snack trolley on the train. She completed the length of the train by the time the train reached Bad Gastein in 1 hour 20 minutes

Salzburg -Sculptres and Architecture

Artistic Sculptures from the Roman Era to the latest times dot the  Old City of Salzburg. Once inside the walls of the old city one is transported into a another world of another time. The imposing buildings of the Church and also other old government buildings loom large above you . The quality of the detailed  sculptures and paintings makes one wonder how could all this be done in that time when computers and machines were out of imagination. It is indeed wonderful. What remains when empires collapse into dust are the architectural wonders created in the era and studying them closely can give one a taste and flavor of the kind of life which existed in that period. Our own Taj Mahal , Red Fort etc are themselves prime examples. 

So are the sculptres and the architecturally wonderful buildings of Salzburg. However there was no concept of toilets in old  Austrian buildings. Old paintings show people doing  the thing in the living room or in the open. 

Salzburg -The City

Salzburg; meaning  "Salt Castle" is the second most important city of Austria and derived its name from the Salt laden boats  which were carrying salt from the salt mines down the Salzach river. "Old Town" (Altstadt) has internationally renowned baroque architecture    and one of the best-preserved city centers north of the Alps. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The city is noted for its Alpine  setting. Salzburg was the birthplace of 18th-century composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In the mid-20th century, the city was the setting for parts of the American musical and film The Sound of Music. It is also the birth place of Doppler ,the famous scientist who  we all know for   the Doppler Effect studied in Class VIII by all of us .



The Train  to Salzburg. We got a discount  on our Gastein  Tourist Card . The journey took  an hour and we landed in  Salzburg. The train was going up to Munich. Salzburg Railway Station had an old time feel  but was undergoing modernization. Salzburg was connected to the international railway only in 2004. Breakfast at Burger King just outside the station, included a purple colored blueberry flavored hot tea which was heartily enjoyed by my wife.



On the right  is  Maria church, the starting point for city tours. There is a big market in front of the church every Thursday which is a 400 years old tradition. The guide while passing by the Main Prison informed us that it was the cheapest accomodation in Salzburg and you really don't have to do much to get in there.

The house where WA Mozart was born. At the age of 4 he was performing in Empress Maria Theresa court and under her patronage the prodigy Wolfgang became the acclaimed  WA Mozart on whose name we get Chocolate Balls in duty free shops and the Salzburg Airport is named after him. Later  he shifted to Vienna and performed/composed  there till his death from Asthma at age 57.


The house in Salzburg where William Doppler was born.It is almost adjoining the house of WA Mozart. Doppler effect can be felt when the pitch increases/reduces when sound source like Car/Engine is approaching or receding.Doppler effect is also used to measure speeds of stars and galalxies through red/blue shift.

Hotel Salzburger on the bank of the Salza river. We were surprised to see the Indian Flag flying atop the Hotel. Later on we came to know that the Indian President was visiting Salzburg and could havebeen staying/visiting the Salzburger.

The Salzach River with the twin towers on either side.On one side is the old city with the Church and the Fort. The river front here is filled with tourists from all parts of the world and you can get a glimpse of various cultures ,African, Middle East, Pakistan and India, the Japanese groups in a straight line behind the tour guide ,you name it ,you can see it.

Stubnerkogel Hilltop

Base Station,Stubnerkogelbahn, Bad Gastein, Austria

The new  Stubnerkogel Lift consists of two sections and runs from Bad Gastein directly up to the Stubnerkogel. It is a beautiful sight with Orange coloured cable cars gently moving up to the top against the back drop of green grass on the lower slopes of the Eastern Alps.The base station of the cable car system is located next to the Railway station. 

Machinery of the  Stubnerkogelbahn at Bad Gastein

This lift is the key installation in Gastein’s core ski area of Stubnerkogel – Angertal – Schlossalm, covering a length of 2,600 m and a vertical rise of 1,136 m. The cable cars move at a speed of 6M/sec or 22 Km/hr.Depending on the demand and number of tourists the Cable Cars seen in the background are introduced or removed from the operating system.

Chairlift at Bad Gastein

There is a chairlift also which winds its way up the slopes to Stubnerkogel mountain top. It works mostly in winter when the skiing season is at its peak with skiers repeatedly going up to the top in chairlifts and cables cars and skiing down at speeds depending on the individual skill.

Stubnerkogel Mountain Summit Restaurant

There is a restaurant at the summit of the mountain which serves all kinds of food throughout the year. Chilled beer is popular in summer and hot chocolate when there is snow.  In summer ice cream is popular while apple strudel in snow.                                                                     

Snow Capped Eastern Alps from the Observation Deck

Magnificent view of the snow capped Alps  from the Glocknerblick observation deck on the Stubnerkogel.The observation deck is jutting out of the mountains and supported by chains. It has glass covered holes in the floor so that one can have a view of the depths under the observation deck.

Stubnerkogelbhan Station at Mountain Summit

The cable car  lift up to the Stubnerkogel has been built at a cost of around €16.5 million. At a length of 2.6 kilometres, the lift is able to carry as many as 2800 people per hour from Bad Gastein to the main ski area.

Stubnerkogelbahn Summit 7400 Feet, Bad Gastein

The Stubnerkogel lift is one of the eight prize winning summer lifts in the province of Salzburg as it supplements the regional offer for tourists in the form of downhill hiking in summer and downhill skiing in the winter snow. 

 Summit Restaurant, Stubnerkogel, Bad Gastein 

In winter the whole area outside  becomes white with snow.

Cable Cars Descending, Stubnerkogelbahn, Bad Gastein

As the Stubnerkogel is exposed to wind, great importance is also given  to  reduce the  vulnerability to wind. This is achieved through reduced height and a change in the position of the supporting pillars - particularly in the sections where the lift enters the stations, higher roller rims, heavier cabins providing better behaviour under windy conditions as well as the use of the latest technology, such as automatic monitoring of the rope position using rope position detectors.

Stubnerkogel Cable Cars, Bad Gastein

The Stubnerkogelbahn is a top attraction of Bad Gastein and contributes towards making Bad Gastein a top destination for hikers and skiers.

Flight from Vienna to WA Mozart Airport

DASH -800  Austrian Arrows

The aircraft taking us to Salzburg was Dash 800 a twin engine turbo prop and the passengers could all it into one  bus.  After flying in jets the propeller driven aircraft did not inspire much confidence but there was no choice. The engines started one by one with lot of fluttering noise and soon the plane was speeding down the runway. The take off was smooth and slowly the fear of flying in a small aircraft went away even though there was some turbulence in the morning air .

Inside DASH-800

The flight was of 45 minutes duration with flying time of 30 minutes. Shortly after take off the plane headed into the mountains-eastern Alps of Austria which looked magnificent in the rising sun. Off and on we could see some snow capped mountains and we were wondering whether we would be able to reach the snow and touch and feel it. Hot coffee and cold drinks were served quickly before the captain announced that the plane was landing at WA Mozart airport at Salzburg. 

Barely Visible Alps Between Clouds

Hotel Bellevue Mondi -RCI Resort at Bad gastein

Hotel Bellevue Mondi Bad Gastein Austria

Our RCI resort at Bad Gastein was Hotel Bellevue of the Mondi group of Hotels. The group has 5 hotels in the area which are absolutely jam packed during the Skiing season which starts from Nov  and continues up to March. Built in 1831 as a Spa the Bellevue is a luxury hotel catering to  ski guests. The restaurant serves good food along with excellent beer  during the daily dinner buffet. 

Jagerhaus Restaurant, Bellevue Mondi, Bad Gastein, Austria

At the back of the resort about 200 ft below is another Resort Restaurant called Jagger Haus which served excellent Austrian beer. The waitress in Bavarian dress was surprised that my wife refused the beer ,preferring the water instead. She did not know that it was the holy fasting period of Nav Durge when Indians are supposed to fast for 9 days. We needed to purchase some groceries and the helpful waitress guided us by pointing upwards and said go up and up and up............. We had to do just that ,and it was a steep climb.

Inside Hotel Bellevue Mondi-Bad Gastein, Austria Our unit No 1002 ,on the ground floor consisted of a Living room on the upper level and a bedroom on the lower level. On the ground floor was our kitchen and dining area. Resort Suite Hotel bellevue Mondi, Bad Gastein, Austria  Extremely comfortable. It was one the good accomodations we have enjoyed courtesy RCI. The balcony of the living room ,opening in front of tall pine trees, was the perfect place to enjoy the October Alpine weather. Excellent Weather In Bad Gastein with Stiegl,Austria Bellevue Mondi was established in the ninteenth century as an upper class spa for water treatement.Water treatment was the only sucessful cure for rheumatism ,arthritis and blood pressure etc and therefore the rich and the famous of Europe came to Bad Gastein to take the waters and get relief. By the twentieth century medical science had provided better and sure shot cures for most of the diseases and Bad Gastein changed to a Ski Resort and accordingly Bellevue Mondi changed from a Spa to a modern hotel with all weather swimming pools instead of spas. All Weather Swimming Pool of Bellevue Hotel Mondi, Bad Gastein, Austria

WA Mozart Airport Salzburg-The Gateway To The Skiing Areas Of Austria.

 W A Mozart Airport,Salzburg

Salzburg is the second largest city of  Austria and is named after the Salt Mines which were owned by the Archbishop of Salzburg and the ships carrying the salt used to come down the Salsa River for onward distribution to European cities.The W A     Mozart Airport of Salzburg is named after the famous music-composer of the 18th century who was born in Salzburg. The  airport is small, but efficiently run and the descent into the airport is particularly impressive as you come flying in through the mountains.

Departure Lounge, WA  Mozart Airport, Salzburg 

WA Mozart Airport is the gateway to the excellent,vast and numerous ski areas of Austria in the eastern alps.The ski areas come to life during the ski season which lasts from November to March.With powered flights starting in 1910, the WA Mozart airport handles about 2 million passengers annually. There is free wi fi  internet service available all over the airport .There are excellent restaurants in the departure hall and excellent  beer bars in the arrival lounge for a befitting start to a holiday.The Stiegel Terminal  is famous for its fresh beers and the Mayday Bar and Takeoff Bar serve a wide array of excellent drinks. The Ikarus restaurant at Hangar 7 offers high class gastronomic delights. 
The shopping area is called a shopping street and lies between the arrival and departures hall. Retail shops are lined in this street selling souvenir items, jewelry, accessories, clothing, newspapers, maps, tobaccos, books, snacks and so much more. Duty free shop is located in the departure lounge.

Boarding Gate, WA Mozart Airport 

There is a Taxi Stand right outside the exit of the arrival lounge and the drivers are extremely friendly, helpful, courteous, relaxed and knowledgeable and seem to know everything about the whole area. The taxis are well maintained, tidy, neat and clean and therefore the  first impression of Salzburg is excellent.  
All the above make Salzburg a top destination among places to travel and surrounding ski areas a popular tourist place.