Day #4 & #5 - Herrenchiemsee & Salzburg

I've combined these two days, as we were simply too exhausted at the end of Day #4 to think about the blog.  At the next morning, we were too excited to get going in Salzburg!   So....

Day #4 dawned early with our departure from Munich on a beautiful Sunday morning.  An easy drive through the city turned very ugly when construction on the autobahn made for over an hour of mostly stopped travel.  However, we arrived in Prien/Stock in good time to spend the day on two islands in the middle of Chiemsee (Lake Chiem).  Of course, getting to islands means taking a boat -- Bill was so sad!!

 

Herrenchiemsee is the third and final castle built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria.  Modeled after Versailles, it was built in admiration of King Louis XV.   In these final years of his life, he had no interest in his political and ruling obligations and spent his time building castles and planning of others.  Unfortunately, he eventually ran out of money so only the main building was completed -- and only 20 of the 70 rooms withn it.  The government was unwilling to provide him funds for his grandeur - claming him "mad" and irresponsible. 

 

Herrenchiemsee is built on Herreninstel (Herren Island) - and our day there was idealic weather.  Apparently this is not normally the case, as several times we heard that 75% of the time it is cold, overcast and raining.

 

From the boat ramp, it is a 15-20 minute walk through the forest to the castle.  And what a grand sight as you turn the final corner!

 

 

The fountains are magnificant!

 

And the grounds are well maintained.  The government probably now wishes they had loaned him money to build more castles -- as they are significant tourist attractions!  The Director of Park Services for Germany oversees some 900 parks & facilities!

 

Unfortunately, they do not allow photography inside the castle!!

 

 

 

From Herrenchiemsee, we re-boarded a boat to the second island Fraueninstel.  The abbey dates back to the 700 AD period. 

Originallly a monastry, it became both a convent & abbey for the Benedictine Sisters, some of whom still reside there as well as many laid to rest here.





 

Back on another boat for the return to Prien/Stock and our car.  From there, we headed off to Salzburg.  Locating the hotel in the Old City was challenging, but we made it without issue.  Checking, short walk to a lovely sidewalk restaurant and then fell into bed exhausted.

 

Our first stop was the Visitors' Center, where we arranged a walking tour to begin mid-day. We then took the Fuestungbahn (rail car) up the mountain to the Hohansalzburg Fortress.  Above photo is looking up from the centre of town to the fortress.  Below is looking from the fortress to the centre of town.

 

 

 

 

The Salzburg Cathedral was originally consecrated in 774 as one of the early outposts for Christianity.  It burned and the second cathedral was consecrated in 1579.  During WWII, Allied raids hit the structure and the main dome collapsed.  Repairs began after the completion of the war and the building was consecrated for services in 1959.

 

The city has many platz - and a fountain in each one!

 

After our walking tour, it was time for lunch -- and another great beer!  This was Oktoberbrau - brewed only for the months of September-October here in Salzburg.

 

The building in the center with the yellow & orange trim - and the third floor with the shades pulling -- is the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.  This picture was taken from my chair as we had lunch - what a great view!

 

You may recognize this!  It is the oldest of the three music halls that now comprise the Salzburg Festival Halls for the Salzburg Summer Festival held the last week of July and month  of August.  This is the Rocky Riding School - which was the scene of the Von Trapp Family singers - first in 1937 as they escaped Hitler's demands for Captain Von Trapp.  And then again in 1969 in the filming of Sound of Music, the story of the Von Trapp family.

 

Carved into a mountain, this fall seats 1400 as does the House of Mozart (small venue) and the third hall seats 2200.  During the Summer Festival (5 weeks), there will be 2-3 concerts/operas each day.  The Summer Festival Halls were begun in 1956 following the end of US occupation following the Second World War.  The residence of Salzburg understood that the American money was gone, so they had to build a financial structure & purpose for the city.  It was built with all local materials and by all local workers.

 

While we were too late for the Festival (by design), we did have an opportunity last night to attend a "Dinner with Mozart" - quite a memorable evening of fabulous music in a delightful venue.