Writing About Lives

SALZBURG – On the afternoon of May 31, I took a fast train from Munich’s central train station and listened for the conductor to say the magic words “Hauptbonhaf Salzburg.” I grabbed my two bulky pieces of luggage and my shoulder bag, making my way to the district where taxis gathered. I hopped in, showed the driven the written address of my destiny and I was on my way.

From now on whenever I see tourists dragging luggage through the streets of Manhattan and flipping through maps or guidebooks written in other languages, I will have even greater empathy. That’s one of the first things that goes while living there. This trip to Germany and Austria marks my first time traveling to a region of the world alone and where I didn’t know the language. In both Munich and Salzburg I have relied heavily on the kindness of strangers.

Within minutes I was in the car listening to the driver, who spoke a little English. He told me I had chosen to come at a good time of the year. In July and August, because of the Mozart festivities, the town is crammed with tourists from all over the world. He spoke quite a bit of English it seemed to me.

In three minutes I jumped out onto a cobblestone square. Dozens of shops and restaurants with outdoors seating abounded. In the very center of the square stood a gigantic statue of Mozart himself. That’s right next to the Salzburg Museum. Right smack in the middle of town.

I’ve traveled a bit in Europe, Central America and the Caribbean, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a place quit as charming as this classical music capital. With castles on the hillside, a riverside dividing city almost more a moat, and shopping allure, it’s everything I’d imagine Monaco looks like or 100 times the charm of Park City, Utah.

Since I have mostly been interviewing and taking notes for my project, I have not ventured into any of the Sound of Music tours or even any of the museums. (Sorry Glenn.) I have observed that all of the shops close right at 6 p.m. I eaten quite a broad swathe of international cuisines on the road, most notably and fantastic Vietnamese place and a wonderful Mediterranean restaurant.

I’ve been hanging out a bit with Ann, a soprano who grew up Toronto and was born in London. She told me that when she arrived here a few years ago, she asked an official from the Austrian government what were her rights as a person who was born in the European Union. The guy told her “we have a NON-immigration policy.” Fluent in French, Italian and English, she moved here and is now fluent in German.

Ann warned me to always keep my passport with me “just in case.” The area where I would take the bus to costs 2.20 Euros. She said if I got on the bus without paying the fee a uniformed man would hold my passport until I paid the 60 euro penalty. Not that I would have done that, knowing the penalty makes me aware of the attitudes and opinions of the authorities.

One does see quite a few uniformed “polizei.” They don’t seem to be bothering anyone.

But I digress. This is a lovely European city, just a train ride away from Vienna, Switzerland and München (Munich).

On Wednesday night I’m taking a train to Berlin where I will bum around for the weekend. I’ve only been there once but it totally captivated me.

I couldn’t be more pleased with how things are turning out on this trip. My host is extremely gracious in every way.

Samuel