One of the real surprises of this trip has been that there has been so many surprises. We had read and heard and noted so much about the places we were planning to visit but still we have experienced so many surprises. On arriving in Salzburg, the birthplace of Mozart we were ready for an assault to our musical senses. What we did not anticipate as that this beautiful city would be blanked in a quite dense smog and that the temperature would hit 35 degrees. Infact we later heard that the city experienced the warmest May temperature ever on record. The smog made it hard to appreciate the beauty of a city with a torrent flowing downs the an icy river , fuelded by the snow melting from the snow on the mountains around.
After a tour around town we discovered a few more amazing things about Salzurg. Firstly we discovered that this city was made wealthy in the 16th century by its trade with Venice ( on the other side of the alps). Secondly we learnt of the learnt that wealth was also built on a determination to seek peace in a world that was besotted with war –especially war over religion. Thirdly we visited a magnificent 16 the century cathedral dedicated to a God who delights in music, art, peace and light. ( It is the first time we have ever seen a church with 5 pipe organs).
Finally our largest surprise of the day was that the smog was not smog at all. As it began to clear later in the day we discovered from a local that in fact the air was thick with the sands of Tunisia. It seems that occasionally in spring a wind storm will send Sahara sands all the way to Salzburg in Austria.
So in a land where the national sport is Skying and rain is commonplace we experienced a heat wave and an African sands storm. Globilsation in a new form!
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