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Establishing
a special Bond
- in the Austrian alps
by Scott Alexander Young

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But of course,
any discussion of
moviemaking in
Salzburg brings
us inevitably to
the 1965 movie
of the Rogers and
Hammerstein
musical, The
Sound of Music.

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isiting Salzburg, Austria,

this Corporate Traveller
correspondent thought
hed spotted Daniel
Craig - or Monica
Belluci or Naomi Harris. They had
been filming Spectre the new Bond
film in the Alps around Salzburg,
and it seemed thered have to be
cast and crew descending on either
Salzburg or Innsbruck.
Any minute we expected to see
the cavalcade of trucks and trailers
that are part of any big budget film
shoot, come rolling into town and pull
up at the Zipfer Bierhaus, for a post
shoot stein. This particular Bierhaus
is a cosy place just around the corner
from the Salzburg markets - and
cathedral. As well as frothy steins
of beer, they serve up scrumptious
Central European pub grub. Its a
convivial atmosphere, with off duty
market traders talking football and
the days ups and downs. Most of the
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film crews that weve met would fit

right in here - and weve met a few.
Perhaps the stars of the show
may prefer to drink and dine
somewhere with a more elite
pedigree. How about The Stiftskeller
St. Peter, a cellar restaurant with
vaulted gothic ceilings, which is said
by some, including its proprietors, to
be Europes oldest restaurant?
Well, it was established in the
year 803, in the time of the Holy
Roman Emperor Charlemagne.
In fact, he was said to be one of
its first customers. These days,
Austrian wines, particularly reds, are
slowly garnering an international
reputation, and it would be difficult
to find a better place to sample
them than Stiftskeller St. Peter, as
accompaniment to dishes such as
venison, suckling pig or rib-eyed
stake. There are vegetarian options
but this is comfort food at its best in surroundings of distinction.
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Meanwhile if the reports are

to be believed, Spectre is certainly
an expensive production - said by
snarky show business reporters
to be running wildly over budget,
with a projected price tag of some
$300 million. That, as Mel Brooks
once said: is more than I make in a
fortnight.
Even among tent pole movies, 300
mill is a lot of clams. You see, I know
something about the film business,
and what I know is this. I am not a spy,
but Ive played one on TV. Specifically,
in the last 8-9 years, as a late starting/
blooming character actor and bit part
player, I was a KGB double agent in
a mini series called The Company,
and gave Ian Fleming a telling off as
the Paris Intelligence chief in Fleming.
You dont believe me? Look it up on
the IMDB. Anyway, it seems safe to
assume Salzburg will make the most
of any and all Bond connections. We
already know from the tabloids and
the blogosphere is that Daniel Craig
was flown out of Salzburg after an
accident in the nearby mountains of
Seevilla.

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But of course, any discussion

of moviemaking in Salzburg brings
us inevitably to the 1965 movie
of the Rogers and Hammerstein
musical, The Sound of Music.
Impossibly dated and cornball,
yet still touchingly innocent reminders that The Sound of Music
is still big business in Salzburg are
everywhere, in the souvenir stalls
at the market, the specialist tours
and most strikingly, in the citys
skyline; because the town we see in
the opening credits of the movie is
virtually identical to the one you see
today. And speaking of big business,
Salzburg is definitely one of those
places where the business of the
town, is being itself - in other words,
tourism. It was not always thus.
The reason that city skyline is so
breathtaking is because centuries of
religious architecture. In days of old,
Salzburg was known as Rome of the
North. That in its own way was big
business too. The historical Prince
Archbishops of Salzburg were very
much like a Northern Papacy, almost
rivals to the Popes in Rome. A typical
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Prince Archbishop of Salzburg during

the Renaissance or Baroque eras
might well keep high maintenance
mistresses, control much of the salt
trade, enrich himself and his family
and decorate his suites in a style
as lavish as anything youd find in
Rome. Mozarts Archbishop patron
incidentally, was one Hieronymus
Joseph Franz de Paula Colloredo. Try
saying that fast after a glass or two
of Austrian red.
One way Salzburg stays in
business as a tourist destination is
that the hills really do come alive
with the sound of music. That is to
say, there is almost always some
kind of music festival in progress in
Salzburg, whatever time of the year.
It gets one to thinking, who will do
the musical score for the next Bond
flick? I have a modest suggestion,
but he died 224 years ago. During
daylight hours in Salzburg, make
a point of visiting The Mozart
Birthplace Museum anyway. (This is
where Wolfie lived until a teenager
and is not to be confused with the
Mozart Residence museum!) Even

if visitors are not regular museumgoers, this one is worth it. Among
other things, it brings home how
cramped and claustrophobic life
was, for all the powdered wigs and
lace of the 18th century; just how
close to the bone of disease, infant
mortality and so on.
Mozarts music is already a
miracle, all the more so once we
consider that. Its also instructive
to learn that Mozart, who died at
35, spent a third of his short life
travelling by horse drawn carriage.
The next time you think you have
it tough because you must travel
coach,
remember
Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart.
After a visit to the Mozart
Museum on Getreidegasse its
easy enough to find ones way to
Caf Tomaselli. Founded in 1705,
the Salzburg Tourism Board claim
Tomaselli is Austrias oldest Viennese
coffee house. Herr Mozart himself
used to sip his java here, but these
days, tourists aside; we get a good
look at the ruddy faced, healthy and
prosperous citizens of the town.
Respectable without being stuffy
was this amateur anthropologists
impression and no fools either.
The town of Salzburg subtly adapts
to remain the tourist favourite it
undoubtedly is, and of course Bond
movies must shift with the times as
well. After all, my last memories of
Bond anywhere near the Austrian
Alps were of Roger Moore wearing
a bright yellow ski suit and (as he
himself put it) a sickly grin.
Anyway, its great to see this
publication suited and rebooted
under the captainship of Bruce
Laybourn, and to be on the masthead
as European correspondent. Ill be
back in coming issues with a peek
behind the velvet rope at private
members clubs, and later with
a trip to Kings Landing (known
to non Game of Thrones fans as
Dubrovnik). Europe, the high life,
and show business well you know
what they say. Its a dirty job but
someone has to do it
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