What I now consider a luxury, that you meet people again and again and that everything moves rhythmically, ceremonially – from the Saturday morning bazaar dance, the Thursday Schrannen polka to the festival ring dance – all these familiar scenes once seemed very small-world and threateningly repetitive to me. Growing up here, Salzburg quickly became cramped, every corner in the coffee house and the few pubs was quickly explored – it didn’t take a second push to swap the narrow streets for the big city – Vienna. Vienna seemed almost paradisiacal to me: finally coffee houses that were open longer than 7 pm, a cultural life beyond the month of August and probably most important – people with the most diverse backgrounds and adventurously different life stories than I knew from Salzburg. As you might imagine, it didn’t stop in Vienna, I was drawn much further afield and every opportunity to see the world was seized. Often travelling alone, packed with a lot of camera equipment and responsibility, but it always seemed worth the price: South Africa, the Caribbean, Thailand, Argentina wanted to be discovered. Barcelona, Berlin, L.A. – conquered. The magic of the new, the adventure, the unknown always fascinated me, here and there I dove right in, sometimes even staying for a few months. I often thought about moving to one of these cities, but never did. 

Sometimes I think it will come, and sometimes that maybe it doesn’t have to: In the meantime, I have friends here from all corners of the world and often visitors – so now the world comes to my little Salzburg and I often have to smile that now, years later, I have become such a happy Salzburger. Although I am proud of the girl who had the courage to explore the world, and since I still travel a lot for work, I can’t imagine anything nicer in the meantime than coming home. 

Bad weather or not, Salzburg can also do this with composure – simply drink another “mélange” (similar to cappuccino) or take a look at the cake buffet before using the next break in the rain to stroll through the city.