The View of the Alps from Salzburg

Back in 2000 Jenny and I had the opportunity to travel around Europe, and one of our stops on our trip was the town of Salzburg in Austria, best known as the birthplace of Mozart and the setting for the movie The Sound of Music. Salzburg is built along the Salzach River, in the shadow of a large hill. And at the top of that hill, about 400 feet up, is a stone fortress that overlooks the town. It is the largest intact medieval castle in Europe, so – of course, we had to see it.

We took a funicular (a rail car) up the hill to the fortress. The castle was well-preserved and interesting, and, as our guidebook promised, the view back down on Salzburg was very nice. But there was more. Much more. Because the view from the other side of the hill was simply spectacular. For, on the other side of that hill was a lush green valley of green fields and dark green trees, and exploding up all around it were the Alps, mountain upon mountain, all blue and lavender, snow caped at the top, with layers of clouds above. It was absolutely stunning. Breathtaking. I have a picture of it, and when I look at it, it still evokes feelings of awe and gratitude for having been in that place, at that moment, where the valley, the light, the clouds all conspired together to create this beautiful moment. It’s like the feeling you get with you find yourself almost crying when you encounter great beauty – like listening to beautiful piece of music, or seeing a painting by one of the great masters.

It was a beautiful and unexpected revelation, perhaps just a taste of what the disciples experienced in our reading from Mark. Continue reading