Salzburg pix: Mozart's house = Neverland Ranch
After visiting, that's my theory. And, honestly, that seems to be the birthplace-turned-museum's theory too. Inside the blinding yellow building, everything says "genius manchild." Consider the text found in an opening room — "son Wolfgang was small, thin, pale, and entirely lacking any pretension as to physiognomy and bodily appearance. Apart from his music he remained a child almost throughout his life…"
The text is confusing next to this painting of Mozart. Is he age 10? 30?
As you work your way through the house, you meet a neon sign. Glad to see a long neon sign working (ha!), but still. Then things get weird.
Such as large, unexplained, gun-toting wooden cutouts…
… standing directly across from this dartboard, also unexplained.
But how much does any of that matter? The next room is upside-down.
And the next room is pitch black with headless mannequins inside.
At least we were able to see our palace in the back of a painting.
Maybe to process what had just occurred, the most appealing items in the gift shop were tiny bottles of ultra-strong Mozart chocolate liqueur. The house was flat-out weird. What had Mozart's people done to him? Classical music, there weren't nothing strange about your daddy.
July 30th, 2009 at 9:03 AM
Working long neon sign=a nice change from the Breaking News Cafe hallway, eh?
No mention of baby Mozart…was he there? Was he still swathed in blankets (and a wig) in his bassinet? Does he still look creepy? So many unanswered questions!
July 30th, 2009 at 9:33 AM
No baby — basically no furniture in the house! It's like the residents who came later sold it on eBay.
July 30th, 2009 at 10:01 AM
Wow, I went to the wrong Mozart house when I was in Salzburg. That is awesome.
July 30th, 2009 at 10:56 AM
I can't believe the baby is gone. I have no reason to ever return to Salzburg. Except, naturally, the Salzburger nockrl. Don't come back to America without trying it!
July 30th, 2009 at 10:56 AM
The other house is, I think, the apartment where the family lived here. Haven't been there yet, and was honestly a little confused when buying a ticket for both spots. Oops.
July 31st, 2009 at 10:18 AM
Think of classical musicians as the rock 'n' rollers of their time (and they were), and this all starts to make sense. This place isn't Neverland — it's totally Graceland, right down to its own Jungle Room.
July 31st, 2009 at 3:51 PM
Nice call! This comment sent me on a major Peter Guralnick relapse kick today. How have I never been to Memphis??