100% Afrika?

Part of Ben's birthday celebration was a visit to the Afro Cafe in Salzburg.  The teachers Ben works with gifted him some Afro-bucks, so away we went!

 

So, what am I taking away from this experience?
1. Well, I now know how to custom-set the white balance on my camera.  Red fluorescent lights? No, thanks.  But, it was necessary to learn because that mural needs to be captured for posterity.
2. Although it's called Afro Cafe, it was not African by any stretch of the imagination.  Speaking of Africa, I just read in Time that most African countries are experiencing incredible GDP growth and that the population of Africa will more than double by 2050 to an estimated 1.9 billion.
3. I'm not a child of the '70s, but the mural and aesthetic of the place are pretty African-American, circa ~1971,  right? We could get into a huge discussion about cultural appropriation, and if a cafe run by 100% white workers in Austria should be called Afro Cafe.

Also, there's been this advertisement plastered around town:

100% party, I believe, but 100% Afrika?  No.

Hmm...

And then there was an advertisement at the bus stop of a man in a stereotypical Native American outfit selling something.

Hmm...

This happens a lot; what begins as me trying to be light-hearted usually ends with me considering and critiquing what I experience, and often, it takes writing about it for me to work out how I feel.  Like, hey, look at all of these beautiful buildings!  Oh wait, what happened here?  Now, I just need to get into a classroom so I can teach my students how to develop a critical perspective.

Note: I think that many Austrians would not find this culturally insensitive, and that they do not open cafes like Afro Cafe to be demeaning to anyone, however, Americans tend to err on the side of political correctness.  Cultural differences.  

A Stroll Around Mönchsberg

Here's a quick post about our little trek to Mönchsberg last week.  Salzburg is blessed with mountain trails that can easily keep wanderers busy for a couple hours.  After Ben came home from work, we jumped on the chance to enjoy a 50-something degree day before the sun went down.

But first, the walk there - 

This bridge is called Mozartsteg, and no, I've never sang "Do Re Mi" on it before.    

I've been wanting a photo here since we arrived, and as Ben was taking this much-anticipated photo, a car drove by and splashed mucky water all over the back of his legs.  Good times.   

Finally, we made it to Mönchsberg.  This is probably as good a time as any to describe one of my pet peeves about living here.  So, I'm a warm-blooded New Yorker, and when the temperature gets to be around 55 and the sun is shining, I consider the weather to be pretty darn good.  As we hoofed it up the dozens of stairs with the sun on my back, my scarf found a new home wrapped around my purse.  We got to the top of the mountain, and as a warm-blooded woman, I needed to cool off.  We rested and I took off my blazer.  I was wearing a sleeveless top, and I was able to enjoy the crisp air for about 30 seconds until a woman walked by completely decked out in a full-length puffy jacket, gloves, hat, scarf, and Nordic walking sticks (so many people use them on the streets - why?).  I felt her eyes lock onto my exposed shoulders and my tainted virtue, and I covered up again.  I mean, seriously, in October on a 60 degree day, people were geared up for the Iditarod.  Then, there was the day last fall when I deemed it sandal weather, and I went out in my beloved Birks with no socks (because I don't do that), and nobody else had exposed toes.  Fashion nightmare. 

When the warm weather comes, I may just have to be the harbinger of spring who wears a dress and sandals one day and then all of Salzburg will follow suit.         

Don't look so pained; it's only a photo!

Kapuzinerberg across the river. 

I don't know why, but I was so into this little stream in town on our way home.

 via

How cool is this?

Stolpersteine and a Walk Back

It's difficult to imagine what life was like years ago.  

In towns that we've visited, we've come across Stolpersteine.  It translates as "stumbling stones" because when you least expect it, you just might stumble over one.  They're small, golden squares embedded into cobblestones or concrete that commemorate victims of the Holocaust.  When you find one, you'll read the name of a person or of a family, and learn of their fate.  They're placed in front of the buildings in which the victim or victims lived.  Sometimes you will find one, look up, and see a building standing there, a building like any other.  It doesn't cry out of the pain and confusion its occupants felt when they were deported.  Without the Stolperstein, you would have walked by without taking a moment to stop and reflect.

Even more unsettling is when you find a Stolperstein and no building exists.  In Wiener Neustadt, we came across one and when we looked up, there was a parking garage.  No amount of squinting could bring the home of the victims into focus.  But, we paused and then moved on.  I guess that's the point of Stolpersteine.  

What all of this is introducing is a walk down Steingasse.  Steingasse runs parallel to a major road on the eastern side of Salzburg's old city.  We got off the bus, and in one minute, we were walking down this street.  And, it was eerily quiet.  We encountered very few people, and for a little while, it felt like we stepped back in time.  The buildings towered overhead and I could imagine people opening their windows to shake out a rug or to say hallo to a neighbor across the street.  

It's usually so hard to imagine what the world used to look like in days gone by, but on this street, somehow, I could.

             

The Inner Stone Gate from 1634.

 

Then, we came upon this building and plaque.  "'Silent Night, Holy Night' Joseph Mohr was born in this house on December 11, 1792.  The words that he wrote in 1818 are sung today by people all over the world."

We didn't find any Stolpersteine on Steingasse, but wandering a bit farther, we found a couple.

Steingasse links to Kapuzinerberg, and I'll write about our little jaunt there soon.

We ended our outing by crossing the bridge to the Alt Stadt and I finally took pictures of the memorial of the bridge that we cross nearly every day.  

Festung Hohensalzburg

So, you know that fortress that's in all of my photos?  WE WENT THERE.  We've been having lovely fall weather, consistently in the 50s for as long as I can remember, so we made the trek to Festung Hohensalzburg before the weather turns.



First, we thought we would take the funicular up to the fortress, but the little holding room was overrun with people.  We overheard an American tourist, when asked how long the walk was, say "too far."  We knew then that we had to walk it.  And, walking saved about four Euros and I'm not one to turn down a savings.   

Admittedly, I wasn't the happiest of walkers.  We didn't capture that for posterity, thankfully.  My foot-gear wasn't particularly suited for the climb, but in less than fifteen minutes, we were feasting our eyes on all of the medieval splendor.

If you want the history on the place, click the link.  Although all of the information in the fortress' museums is translated into English, much of it wasn't absorbed.  War and sieges don't really do it for me, so looking at room after room of military uniforms and weapons left me feeling a little numb.  Maybe it's because I'm fortunate enough to feel disconnected from it.  It's difficult to imagine war, whether it happened in medieval times or yesterday.  And it's difficult to imagine it here, where everything seems so pristine.  Fortunately, the fortress' museums covered more than just the defense aspect of the site. 

What made it worth it for me were the details and textures.  Also, mimicking amazement as I glanced out a window while my face was stuffed with a secret, verboten chocolate bar.  Security was coming, or so I thought, and in my defense, the "no food" rule should only apply for food carried by hand, not by mouth.

 

You know when you go places and you're not sure if you can take pictures?  There's the awkward "Do I? Don't I?" battle.  Well, in this part of the war/defense museum, there was a sign with a drawing of a camera with a flash with the ol' red circle and line through it.  Did that mean no flash photography?  I decided that was what it communicated TO ME, but I was still a bit uncomfortable, hence the smug smile.  But, THAT DOOR. 

Ben felt connected to this man. 

Another museum in the fortress featured torture devices, like this chastity belt and this mouth-pryer-opener.  Not a torture device?  The serpent horn.  

Another Salzburg site checked off our list.

Cemeteries and Catacombs

October is one of my favorite months, and it's mostly because of Halloween.  I'm not talking about dressing up in a costume, but moreso the spirit of the holiday: cemetery visits, scary movies, and that indescribable smell.  You know it when you smell it.  It's the smell that makes you think, "Ah! Halloween-time."  It's part fallen leaves, part crisp air, part burning wood, and why do I try to describe something that I just stated was indescribable?  Because, simply, it makes me happy.  

In the spirit of Halloween and all things macabre, we decided to see what our new home has to offer to evoke the spirit of the season. Our adventures took us to the St. Peter Cemetery and Catacombs.  

Each memorial was distinct, and they all looked as if a family member had just come to take care of the graves, carefully weeding them and lighting the candles.  You cannot tell in the pictures, but many graves had little glowing white candles enclosed in the lanterns.  We didn't see anyone lighting the candles, so that added to the mystery of this beautiful place.  

The catacombs were built inside the mountain.  I had the preconceived notion that the catacombs would be underground in a dark passageway, and that we would continually hear the drip of dankness reverberating throughout the place.  That was not the case.  The catacombs were chilly, yes, but dry.

It's a fake smile because the stone was COLD.  

The windows and lookouts offered us spectacular views of Salzburg's skyline and the cemetery below.

After exploring St. Peter's in the Alt Stadt, we crossed the river to visit St. Sebastian's Cemetery.  Yes, we made a day out of visiting cemeteries.

Along the perimeter of the cemetery, there is this arched walkway, enclosing the field with tombstones.  

Wie, bitte?