Desert rose meets Edelweiss

The average tourist comes to the Austrian province of Salzburg for one of two reasons: Mozart or mountains. In recent times, however, there's been an ever-expanding number of vacationers who are allured neither by music and culture nor by hiking and skiing, but--unbelievable as it is--by rain. With their notorious bad-weather summers, the mountain valleys of Salzburg have become a popular destination for wealthy visitors from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, who are seeking refuge from the broiling desert sun in the midst of rain-soaked lederhosen and edelweiss. Funnily enough, these Arabian tourists have picked my home town of Zell am See as their number-one vacation resort. Here's an eyewitness account of a comical clash of cultures. 

Working for the Elite.

I’ve had all sorts of jobs: summer, badly paid, physically straining and mentally draining, amongst other kinds of jobs. From organizing files in a tax office at 14 to bartending at 19, these kinds of jobs come and go. None of them fascinated and bored me more than my job at Café Mozart.

"Out of the blue vacation"

Every year, with summer nearing, you ask yourself the same questions: “Where should I spend my vacation and can I afford to visit some far-flung exotic country?” Well, I guess, I'm one of those lucky people who don't have to think about these kinds of questions, since I was born at the seaside. It doesn’t really make any difference if I stay at home or visit an exotic country. Then again, I'm also a broke student and I can only dream about an exclusive vacation. But let's formulate it like this: “No money, no worries!” There will be some opportunities in the future, but for the time being I don't have high expectations. Yet, when I least expected it, something incredible came around. 

Why you shouldn't walk through the Getreidegasse in a hurry

Photo by Yoshio Sato – © 2003 Focus Features. All Rights Reserved.

Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0335266/

Ever wanted to be like Bill Murray? A walk through Salzburg's main pedestrian zone, the Getreidegasse, will make you feel a little Lost in Translation, too.