Phil and I just returned from a wonderful weekend in Salzburg, Austria. Salzburg is famous for many things including being the birthplace of Mozart and, to many Americans (and Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer lovers), as the location of The Sound of Music. Salzburg is also famous as the hometown of Deitrich Mateschitz, billionaire owner of Red Bull. While many people may be aware of the Sound of Music and Mozart connections, I'm not sure many people know about the latter. Why do Phil and I know about the Red Bull connection (considering I had never tried Red Bull's infamous energy drink until last weekend)? Well, that brings us to why we spent a weekend in Salzburg...
A childhood friend of mine, Jen, used to be a bartender in New York City. During her time mixing cocktails at swanky NYC bars, she began to work with Red Bull. I'll spare everyone the lengthy details, but this fall she was offered an amazing opportunity to live in Salzburg and work for a few months at Hangar-7, a one-of-a-kind airplane hangar/restaurant/museum/bar. Adventurous soul that she is, Jen decided to do it and move to Salzburg for a few months. Phil and I obviously had to visit to: 1) most importantly, spend time with Jen, 2) see Salzburg and 3) check out Hangar-7.
First and foremost, we had an amazing time with Jen. She's just one of those beautiful people who makes the world a better place just because you know her. She makes you laugh, helps you see that the world is full of opportunities, and loves life. I don't know anyone else in the world like her, and Phil and I are lucky to call her our friend. Jen, we love you so very much.
As for Salzburg, what a beautiful city! Everyone we talked to told us we were very fortunate to have beautiful weather, particularly on Saturday afternoon. The skies were clear and the weather wasn't too cold. Considering it was the first weekend of December in Austria, I couldn't complain about 40 degree weather...Phil, Jen, and I spend most of Saturday walking around the city. Salzburg is very accessible, small enough to walk around but large enough to still feel like a city. We started the day off by exploring Monchsberg, Monk's Mountain, for all the non-Deutsch speakers (like me). We hiked up the hill and had an incredible view of the city. The Austrian Alps felt like they were only a stone's throw from the city. These were not the Appalachians of Virginia!
In addition to the views, we cruised by the Museum of Modern Art, the Sacher Hotel (famous for the Sacher Torte), walked along the Salzach River, and explored the Mirabell Garden. Below is a photo of the garden, made famous by Fraulein Maria's singing and frolicking under the arbor.
We also timed our visit to Salzburg to coincide with the first Sunday of Advent. In Salzburg (and in Prague), Christmas markets open up in all the squares throughout the city. The opening day of the markets was on Saturday, and the streets were packed! All the Christmas decorations, lights, and general merriment made it really feel like the start of the Christmas season to me. And I really love Christmas, so this was an extra special treat!
Our Friday and Saturday night destination was Hangar-7, where Jen has been working for the past few months. Our evenings at Hangar-7 with Jen "the mixology queen" were fantastic. Hangar-7 is difficult to explain, and I'll try to be brief. Herr Mateschitz, Red Bull's billionaire owner, apparently loves airplanes, cars, and other vehicles that go fast. As his collection of these large toys increased, he needed a place to house them. So he decided to build his own airplane hangar next to the Salzburg airport. But he didn't just stop there. He also decided to build another gorgeous glass building and call it Hangar-7. This building houses a "museum" of prized planes and cars, an art gallery, a beautiful restaurant, and two swanky bars, the Mayday Bar and the Sky Bar. While I think Hangar-7 is completely over the top in its extravagance, I'm glad that Herr Mateschitz decided to invest his money in food and art in addition to his fast vehicles;) Phil and I spent most of our time with Jen in the Sky Bar, which was a pretty astounding structure in itself. The bar is an enclosed glass "bubble" hanging from the ceiling above the planes and cars below. Even the floor is glass so you can see straight down - certainly not a place for people with a fear of heights. What I was struck by was the attention to detail of Hangar-7. The sleek, modern style was executed exquisitely. Whoever the architect and designer of this place are, they really know what they are doing. I'm not sure my photos will do it justice, but the Hangar-7 website is pretty incredible if you want to take a look. Our trip to Salzburg was quite an experience. From the snow-capped Alps to a chi-chi, glass-encased bar, there was never a dull moment. Jen, you are an amazing hostess! Much love to you!
No comments:
Post a Comment