Being in Hitler’s elevator was unnerving and there was a noticeable silence during the trip up. Unfortunately, the rain from the previous evening resulted in some serious fog around the mountain that prevented us from seeing much of the view below.
Even so, we toured the mountain top for a while and then sang in front of a cross erected in 2003 as a memorial to those victimized by the Holocaust. Singing Ave Verum and The Lord Bless You and Keep You here seemed slightly out of place. Yet, despite the irony and the lack of oxygen, we sounded very good!
Next, we made our way to the nearby Salt Mines. Access was provided by way of an awesome train ride. Then we took a pair of slides down into the mountain in our oh so attractive white suits to see the operation close up. No fashion statements are being made on this trip!
Lisa and I held on for dear life; it was a little scary. My only salvation was the safety of sitting between Lisa and Ms. Flo on the way down! The slides were soooo much fun. They must be considered one of the perks of being a tour guide at the salt mines - a cool job, in more ways than one. With free samples of salt in hand, we headed back for our first concert, in the small village of Eugendorf.
Although the exterior of St. Martin's Catholic Church was obstructed by scaffolding, the interior altar was gorgeous. Despite our lack of sleep, our first performance went well. Our friendly bus driver Olaf loved it and told us that even though he couldn’t understand English very well, he was touched by our music. Dagmar, our contact in Salzburg congratulated us on an excellent concert.
We were presented with what are commonly known in these parts as (believe it or not) “Mozart’s Balls” - Watch Saturday Night Live? Anyone? What they really are is the most AMAZING chocolate candies in Salzburg. We quickly became obsessed! The treat was a prefect end to day two. We returned to our hotel happy and eager for bed.
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