Austria
Who: Helen and Dennis Matthews of Greenwood Village and Andrew and Gina Pierce of Evergreen
Where: Outside the Dom cathedral in Salzburg after the 10 o’clock Mass. Gina and Helen had just sung Schubert’s Mass in G and the Saint-Saens Ave Verum Corupus for the Mass with the Berkshire Choral Festival chorus under the direction of Karl Kamper.
Best meal: Austrian food is good and hearty: wiener schnitzel, sausages with potato salad and goulash. We generally walked along and chose restaurants based on the menu posted outside. All were great. The beer and white wine are excellent. A great treat can be found at the Hotel Sacher, across the
Salzack River from the Getriedegasse, the main shopping street, in old town. The chocolate Sacher torte, served with a generous dollop of whipped cream and steaming Austrian coffee is not to be missed.
Best deal: The shops along the Getriedegasse are a little pricier than the ones on side streets because the rent is more. The museums are well worth the money. I think The Mozart birth house, the Mozart museum in the house where he lived for years with his family, and the Fortress are the best deals. You can spend many hours learning about Mozart and the life he lived as well as the Austrian Empire.
Best time to go: The September weather is good, and there are fewer tourists. If you are interested in the Mosarteum and the performances, the summer would be best.
Don’t leave home without: Good walking shoes.
