Trapped in a Parade: A Weekend Excursion

I really do love Salzburg, it’s a quaint, compact town that has fine street art and delicious authentic Austrian food, but I didn’t expect to get trapped in the regional parade when I was strolling around the city on Sunday morning.

And yet, I don’t regret watching the beautiful horses stroll by tugging the wares of the local people that live in the surrounding villages. I don’t regret standing to watch all the villagers sing the songs that they’ve known since they were young and don the garments that have been worn since the 14^th century, and I certainly don’t regret feeling the culture and heart of the city of Salzburg. The comradery and tradition shown during that parade was so different from what I’m used to in Texas, and I felt like a tangible piece of history was walking past me. I really wish I understood more about the customs and traditions of the villagers of Salzburg because there seemed to be so much detail. To the banners being flown, to the types and colors the horses were, and even the hats the men and women wore. Everything seemed to have an individual but important meaning that contributed to the tradition and surreal effect of the event.

I can’t put into words how happy I was to see some of the villagers ride in market place. I feel like the art of horseback riding and the correlation between Texas and horses is really diminishing fast, especially in the metropolises like Dallas, where ranches are being pushed farther and farther out due to housing development. Having a connection with an animal, like a horse, can be a really empowering and relaxing feeling, and not being able to have an experience like, to me, is regrettable. Maybe that train of thought stems from me riding horses for nearly a decade, but animals have been shown to reduce stress, and nothing beats the feeling of riding through an open pasture at great speed.

I’m so grateful that I got to witness this event, and, hopefully, I’m lucky enough to continually experience these types of events. But, right now, I need to focus on not getting lost in Vienna.

Until next time!
-Ash