SALZBURG – EAT LIKE MOZART
EAT LIKE MOZART IN SALZBURG.
By CHANTAL COOKE.
Enjoy a tasty chicken dinner – just like mother used to make. Only in this case it’s Mozart’s mother.
And it’s served in what may be the oldest restaurant in the world – dating back over 1,000 years. St Peter’s has been a community for monks since the 5th Century and is built into the side of the mountain, so whether you visit to admire the church architecture, the friendly Advent drinks in the courtyard or the famous Mozart Dinner Concert – St Peter’s is a must on any trip to Salzburg.
Their dinner concerts are unique. Set in a beautifully decorated baroque room, lit by candles and glittering chandeliers, you’ll enjoy good food (including chicken cooked to a recipe Mozart’s mother used) and great opera.
The musicians and the singers are dressed in costumes from Mozart’s era and perform some of his most famous arias – not on a stage, but between the tables, allowing you to get close to the action and really feel the passion of the music.
The dinner concerts are held almost every night of the year, and although it’s recommended that you book in advance, it’s not always necessary.
After your meal, take a stroll through the old town, cross the river Salzach and pop into the Hotel Stein for a late night drink and a stunning view across the city from their top floor terrace.
In the winter there are blankets to warm your knees and gluhwein to warm your insides. And in the summer refreshing drinks to help you relax and watch the surrounding mountains twinkle in the moonlight.
During the day Salzburg has shopping, sight seeing, culture and coffee drinking to offer. A Salzburg is good value if you intend to visit many of the museums and state rooms and soak up the history of a city that is one of the most important spiritual centres of modern Austria.
Take the funicular up the hillside to the Fort and get a sense of the lay of the land; the river cutting slicing through the middle and mountains peering protectively down on the inhabitants.
Back at city level pop into the Salzburg Museum to learn more about its origins – dating back to 15BC!
From there take a peek at where Mozart was born, and the apartment he lived in for many years. And when your feet cant take any more, have a rest and a well earned slice of cake in one of the many coffee houses. Some say these are more Viennese than the ones in Vienna! They are certainly elegant and exude an air of sophistication. The Tomaselli is reputed to be Austria’s oldest coffee house so it’s worth a visit, but personally I’d opt for one of the others, where you’ll be surrounded by locals catching up on the gossip.
Salzburg has so much more to offer than just the Sound of Music. It’s a great destination at any time of year, and well worth stopping by more than once – whether it’s for the Christmas markets in December, the Music Festival, or stunning displays of painted eggs during the Easter Festival.
More information:
For more information about Salzburg visit:
www.salzburg.info
About the Author:
Chantal Cooke is an award winning journalist and broadcaster. Chantal is co-founder of PASSION for the PLANET radio and writes regularly for a number of newspapers and magazines.