Rising relatively early, we again had breakfast at the hotel, as almost always this is included. Sister Sue fell in love with Germany and their food years ago -- they serve cold meat (ham, bologna, salami) and cheese with exquisite breads rather than eggs! You can, if you ask, get eggs and such -- but most of the breakfasts include fruit and yogurt.
We headed out early to make sure we got to the Residenz State Rooms prior to our afternoon engagements. First, we were too early -- so we headed instead to Mozart Birthplace for tour inside, as we had seen the exterior yesterday. Rather large quarters, but certainly not befitting the status of his father (Leopold), sister Nanderl (Maria Anna) and Wolfgang and all their music - including instruments, lessons, composition, etc.
With much anticipation, we headed off to the Residenz, only to find that it was closed due to a special event -- and they don't tell you when it may be open again, but it appeared to be for some time. We'll have to leave that for another visit.
Off across the river we went to Mozart Residence from the time he was an early teen. Known as the Dancing Masters' Residence (even prior to their moving there), it was ideal from an acoustics and performance standpoint for the family. Both Mozart and his sister (five years his senior) were quite accomplished performs, even though he always overshadowed her. His first composition was at age eight!
This is a view of the courtyard of the Mozart Residence - across the river in New Salzburg.
Time for a bite of lunch before our cruise up the Salzach River -- Wurst & Brot mit Beer! This time it was another Salzburg beer - Stiegl!
Captain Bill was happy - on a boat again!
We cruised up the river about 30 minutes aboard a vessel especially designed to deal with the very strong currents of the river - twin jet drives.
We disembarked and took a short ride in a double-decker bus to Schloss Hellbrunn. Built by the Archbishop of Salzburg between 1613-1615 (amazing it was completed in two years), it was designed as a place to laugh & relax, with many tricks & jokes that could be played on the guests and entertainment abounded.
This is the entrance to the palace, which you may recognize from the film Sound of Music.
Below is looking fronm the front of the castle at the long entranceway.
This is the Archbishop's Grotto & table (below)
The small boy on the bench in the foreground is seated on the Archbishop's seat. In the center of the table was a well for drinks. At a signal from the Archbishop, water would shoot up from the middle of the seats and over all of the guests! The kids loved it!
One of many of the grottos on the grounds of the palace.
Another large grotto.
Look closely at the feet of the goddess. There is a clown that, when his mouth filled with water, it would open and a large tongue would stick out at the guests.
Unfortunately, the two videos that we took of moving elements of the grounds could not be uploaded to the blog. I'll try again with another wifi system, but it may take a personal viewing of these two most entertaining sites.
We returned to Salzburg via city bus and made our way back to the hotel for a respite after making dinner reservations. We returned to the Old Town for a final night with "traditional Austrian food" -- along with Austrian wine!
On our way back to the hotel following dinner, we said our "goodbyes" to this amazing city and the beautifully illuminated fortress over the city (below).
A major cold front is due to come in the next couple of days -- it is raining a little now and we'll see what tomorrow brings. We plan to leave Salzburg early, heading for Garmisch & southern Bavaria.
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