Experience white Christmas at Mozart's birthplace, where the highlight of the month-long celebration is the Christkindlmarkt.
A EUROPEAN winter with snow-capped mountains and warm beverages in front of log fires is something most of us want to experience at least once in our lifetime.
Those dreaming of a white Christmas should put Austria in their sights in December to enjoy the festive season and most importantly, its Christmas or Advent markets.
Advent is an important celebration in many parts of Europe, with numerous towns and cities in Austria creating a fairy-tale setting of powdery snow and decorated markets.
At the beginning of December, many families start decorating their homes with special Christmas wreaths crafted from twigs, candles and ribbons. Chefs also dust off tried-and-tested recipes and make plans to bake Christmas treats.
Austrians celebrate St Nikolaus Day on Dec 6, when good children are rewarded and the naughty ones are punished. Children also open the first window in their Advent calendar, and from then until Christmas Eve, one window is opened daily.
Despite the cold weather, Christmas markets are popular venues for families to visit to enjoy a warm mug of gluhwein or mulled wine for the adults and punch for the children and those who don't take alcohol.
In some smaller rural markets, open fires keep the revellers warm, and sleighs may even bring people into town markets.
Christmas decorations are also sold to those who want to liven up their homes for the festive season.
THE CHRISTKINDLMARKT
Advent markets or locally called Christkindlmarkt are set up all over the country, with one of my favourite settings being Mozart's birthplace of Salzburg where the month-long celebration is full of activities for all to enjoy.
Markets are set up in several parts of the city, with the main one extending over Domplatz and Residenzplatz and the smaller ones operate on Mirabellplatz, Hohensalzburg Fortress and Hellbrunn.
Salzburg's main Christmas market is a magical setting with the Baroque-style cathedral as a backdrop. From it radiate narrow cobblestone streets that date back to medieval days when Salzburg was an important salt production and trading centre (salz is German for salt).
Salzburg's Getreidegasse pedestrian precinct, in the Unesco World Heritage Site old town, is one of Europe's most exciting retail precincts at any time of the year.
At Christmas, twinkling lights and festive decorations create a magical scene. I especially like the old iron signs above the doors of the boutiques, cafes and restaurants lining the narrow thoroughfare and adjoining alleyways.
Elsewhere in the city, carols are sung and concerts are staged in venues such as the historic Burgsaal at Hohensalzburg Fortress or the Gothic Hall of St. Blasius Church.
A CHRISTMAS FEAST
The aroma of roasting chestnuts fills the air and multi-coloured candied fruits are sold along with an enticing selection of cookies, such as gingerbread figures and gingerbread houses.
Christmas bread and stollen have been baked for centuries at Christmas time. Children love the candy apples; everyone enjoys toasted almonds, roasted chestnuts and hot Salzburg farmer's doughnuts enjoyed with either sauerkraut (fermented finely-cut raw cabbage) or jam.
In preparation for the Christmas celebrations in the home, Christmas cookies such as nut bars, Ischl cakes (an Austrian traditional cake), cinnamon stars, poppy seed cakes, nut strudel, vanilla crescents, coconut kisses, marzipan potatoes, rum balls and meringues are baked.
Kletzenbrot or klotzenbrot, a delicious fruit cake made from dried pears, apples, plums and spices is baked and decorated with stars, circles and hearts on the crisp crust.
Christmas Eve is time for the family to gather and dine on wurstlsuppe (also known as mettensuppe), which is a tasty beef broth with noodles and white sausages.
Some families also choose to dine on smoked fish from one of the lakes around Salzburg or to snack on a platter of cold cuts.
Christmas Day is also devoted to eating and drinking, with a favourite being roasted goose with dumplings and red cabbage, or roasted meat or maybe carp from a nearby lake.
Side dishes include chestnuts, potatoes, apples and pears filled with cranberries. Dessert could well be the local favourite, Salzburger Nockerl souffle.
SILENT NIGHT IN OBENDORF
Silent night, holy night, this is the time of year when caroller will sing the best-known and best-loved Christmas carol of them all — Silent Night.
The carol has special significance for a small town on the outskirts of Salzburg, as it was here that the carol was composed by Franz Xaver Gruber.
Gruber wrote the music to accompany a poem written by the local priest, Father Josef Mohr. It was first performed in German for the midnight mass in Oberndorf's St Nikolaus Church on Christmas Eve in 1818.
It took many years before Silent Night made the international "hit parade", but now it is one of the most translated tunes ever, with over 330 language versions. Apparently, the tune may have never made the airwaves had it not been for a strange twist of fate.
Two days before Austria's main religious festival, the church organ broke down, leaving Mohr with the dilemma of how to provide spiritual inspiration to his parishioners on Christmas Eve.
Mohr recruited Gruber, who was an accomplished organist from a neighbouring village, to help compose music for his poem and to accompany him on guitar.
The performance was a success, the evening was saved, and the villagers had a joyous Christmas without fully appreciating the significance of the duo's composition.
Some years later, a Tyrolean singing troupe adopted the tune. They performed it in Austria and other parts of Europe, and soon others were performing it in Prussia and then in the United States.
The original church was destroyed in 1913 by the fury of a flooding Salzach River. While there are other churches in Obendorf, a small memorial chapel has been erected near the site of the original St Nikolaus Church, and this has become a big attraction in the town.
Barely 20 parishioners can fit into the tiny space, and the chapel is used only for sightseeing and special occasions like small weddings. Snow-covered pine trees tower over the chapel's spire to offer postcard-perfect images.
For much of the month leading up to Christmas, stalls are erected in the square in front of the Silent Night Chapel. It takes on a festive atmosphere, especially in the evening when families drop by in the freezing cold to mingle and share a mug of warm mulled wine.
At other times, there isn't much else around the chapel apart from a souvenir shop, restaurant and a few places offering rooms for the evening. The chapel is a pleasant, signposted walk from the railway station (follow the Stille Nacht signs).
While December is the time for Christmas carols, Salzburg is rarely silent on most other nights. The sounds of classical masters, such as Mozart, Strauss and Schubert, resonate and entertain tourists with sounds that have been music to the ears of connoisseurs for centuries.
In 1965, an usurper to the musical throne in the form of The Sound of Music brought the snowy mountains, alpine lakes and historic buildings in and around Salzburg to Hollywood and into the hearts of millions around the world.
Interestingly, the movie was never a hit in Austria, but this hasn't stopped Salzburg tourism operators from capitalising on its global success. Numerous tours of the leading sights that appeared in the movie are offered.
Even those who aren't fans of the movie won't be too disappointed in joining a tour as the movie locations correspond to many of Salzburg's key tourist attractions. These include Mirabell Gardens, Hellbrunn Palace, Palace of Leopoldskron, Nonnberg Abbey, St Gilgen (Lake Wolfgang) and Mondsee.
FAST FACT
HOW TO GET THERE Oberndorf is less than 30 minutes away from Salzburg by train. Trains depart from Salzburg Station every 20 minutes during daylight hours. These trains depart from underneath the main station; look for directional arrows pointing to the lokalbahn or local line. At least half a day should be allocated to visiting Oberndorf.
WHERE TO STAY Being the tourist city that it is, Salzburg is well endowed with accommodation options, and I have stayed in a few properties here. For central accommodation in the city's historical heart (Altstadt), look no further than the Radisson Blu Hotel Altstadt Salzburg (www.radissonhotels.com).
On the other side of the Salzach River, the Hotel Sacher Salzburg (www.sacher.com) may not be as famous as its older sibling in Vienna, but its Sacher Torte and coffee are the perfect pick-me-up after a morning's sightseeing.
I also like Hotel Motel One Salzburg-Mirabell (www.motel-one.com) for its magical riverside setting and proximity to Salzburg Railway Station.
Visitors seeking a regal experience should check into Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron (www.schloss-leopoldskron.com). For those travelling on a budget, Meininger Hotel Salzburg City Centre (www.meininger-hotels.com) has very affordable dormitory beds and rooms.
While there are several small places to stay in Obendorf, I suggest travelling there for a day trip and staying back in Salzburg.