Day #6 - Salzburg

Another absolutely gorgeous day of weather -- and a full day in the city and its surrounds!

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.



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.

 

 

Day #3 - Munich & Kloster Andechs

The day started relatively early -- and we are very thankful we got to the Residenz early, as we spent well over two hours in relative quiet. By the time we left, the halls were full and the noise was deafening! The Residenz was both the seat of government as well as the residence for the Wittelsbach family during their rein as first Duke, then Emporer and finally King of Bavarian region from early 1500s until 1918.

Over those almost 400 years, each ruler had added building and courtyards - which all came tumbling down during Allied Forces bombing in WWII - reducing 28K sq meters to less than 50 sq meters when the bombing was over. Since 1945 until as recently as 2003, reconstruction has replicated the original structures and many of the furnishings and artwork were saved, as they had been moved to a safe location prior to the bombings.  They are currently working on the facade -- also true on an amazing number of buildings throughout the city.

 

The Antiquarium - used for banquets & entertaining - and, of course, to show off their antiques!

 

The Court Chapel - the rulers sat from this view which was easily accessible from their living quarters.  The court members sat below.

 

The Ancestor's Hall - quite an amazing presentation of the Wittelsbach family and their efforts to demonstrate ties to the Roman ancestory.

 

 

The bedroom was quite amazing - especially as its purpose was only for show!  The gray tapestry was made of "cheap" silver thread which has oxidized over the years - what a shame they didn't use gold or bronze which would have retained its sheen.

 

The Residenz Tour provided audio machines, so that we could set our own pace.  Our pace increased after the second hour and we departed before noon.

 

The streets of the city were teeming with people, music, street fairs and bicycles.  We decided the ramp up to Oktoberfest must be beginning with a day of simply gorgeous weather!

 

We hopped the tram and found a delightful outdoor bistro for lunch of grilled veal, pomme fritz and salad - yum!

 

Getting out of town sounded good to both of us, so we headed to a recommendation made by Barb & Bob Sammis - Kloster Andechs, which is about 45 minutes southwest of the city.  Once we rescued the car from the car park and set the GPS, it was a breeze!



 

Sitting high above the town, the Kloster is both a monastry as well as a brewery & bier garden!

 

 

We were fortunate to witness in mass by the monks - the music was exceptional!

 

 

And then, we HAD to try the liquid refreshment in the bier garden!  We've now sampled four brews for Munich region - HofBrau, Augustiner, Paulanger and Andechs -- and we agreed the Andechs was the finest.  Must be the heavenly component!

 

We returned to the hotel for a bit and then off on the tram again in search for a light dinner, whch we found at another outdoor bistro - the City Lounge!  Tomorrow (now today, as I had computer connection issues last night and was unable to post the blog) we're off to Salzburg!





Germany-Austria-Switzerland - (Days 1 and 2) September 2012

Day #1 - Charlotte to Frankfurt was totally uneventful and we arrived 7:00a local.  A breeze through immigration & customs, a cup of espresso/cappucino and a rental car all done with ease.  Unfortunately, not so lucky with iPhone SIM card - Verizon strikes again.  So, we'll do without phone service as wi-fi is so readily available everywhere.  Another challenge met and overcome - getting the on-board GPS to speak English and then to get it out of demo mode to really help us navigate!  Captain Bill to the rescue!

We arrived Rothenburg ob der Tauber just as the clock on the Town Hall struck noon - what a beautiful sound and great memories from when Sister Sue and I were here with Mom in 1975!  Our little guesthouse is perfect, just up the street from Plonlein Tower (above) with secure off-street parking right at our door.

We spent the afternoon walking the old town and having wurst & brot (bread) with sauerkraut for lunch with some fine German dry wine.

 

 

The weather is absolutely gorgeous - cool enough to be extremely comfortable walking and bright sunshine.  The flower boxes on every building are breathtaking!

 

The Town Hall in the MarketPlatz is a combination of Gothic architecture in the rear (1250-1400) and Renaissance at the front (1572-1578).

 

It truly is a walled city with narrow cobblestone streets.  We're very glad we got a small car!

 

This facade was amazing!

 

This is looking over the wall into the Tauber River valley at the Toppler Castle.  Originally part of the fortification, it is a moted castle once belonging to the powerful Lord Mayour Heinrich Toppler.

 

 

Tonight we are having dinner at the Glocke - we found the restaurant right away and, sure enough, they still have Liver & Onions and claim it is the same recipe as 37 years ago!  So, Bill says we're having dinner with Mom!

 

Don't think anyone will need to sing us a lullaby tonight!  Bill, unfortunately, didn't get any sleep on the flight over.  Guess I have just spent too much time on airplanes - I got several hours' sleep!

 

Off to Munich in the morning!

 

*********************************************************************************

 

Day #2 - Rothenburg to Munich

 

We had a world-class dinner last night at the Glocke - Bill said the Liver was everything Mom used to talk about!  I can attest to the quality of the weiner schnitzel and the atmosphere! 

 

 

A bottle of Glocke Wein & two dinners for $70 with exceptional service, atmosphere & memories has set the bar for the entire trip!

After dinner, we walked above the city on the wall that surrounds Rothenburg - and then returned after breakfast for pictures in the daylight! 

 





 Here is our hotel and car parked ready for the day's journey.

 

Here we are looking into the city from the wall -- flowers abound everywhere!

 

 

We took our leave of the friendly innkeeper and his lovely KoffeeHouse and headed "across the hills" to Munich.  We chose to go through the countryside rather than the AutoBahn and it was a delightful morning.  

 

Arriving in Munich at 1p, we checked into the Hotel Jedermann that we had booked the prior night via Internet.  Bill chose it from our guide book and it is a PERFECT location.  We are a quick train (~8-10 minutes) ride into the Center City and is a typical city hotel with clean, quiet rooms and friendly people.

 

It's time for lunch -- and what better place than the Hofbrauhaus!  The city is teeming with people -- in anticipation of Oktoberfest which will commence in about 10 days (last half of September).

 

 

 

The Captain and His Admiral are having a wonderful time!

 

The MarienPlatz and the Old City are beautiful, even if it seems every block has reconstruction under way.   We toured St. Michael's Church and the Treasury.  We'll return tomorrow for the Renaissanz, having 60+ rooms to explore.

 

Meet Maximillian Bavarie - from hence the region of Bavaria is named!

 

 

We returned to the hotel for a respite and then jumped the train again for a quick ride up the hill for dinner.  A typical BrauStuben (Bier House) where seating is based on number of chairs at the table rather than number of people in your party!  Had a delightful experience with laughter and good bier!

 

It was an easy and gentle walk back to the hotel, where we are ensconed for the evening.  Looking forward to a full day of exploring Munich tomorrow!

 

**********************************************************************************

 



A Germany (Austria and Switzerland) Experience

Leaving Ivory Lady safely tucked in at Marathon Boatyard for the hurricane season, and being well rested from a few weeks at Dry Dock, The Captain (Bill) and The Admiral (Jann) are off for an adventure!  It's Wednesday, September 5 (the day after the Admiral's birthday) and we're currently at the Charlotte NC airport awaiting our flight to Frankfurt!  We'll be touring for just a bit over two weeks, returning two days before The Captain's birthday!

We have a car reserved at Frankfurt and a reservation at Hotel Uhl in Rothenburg ob der Tauber  tomorrow (Thursday).  Rothenburg was one of Mom Ratts' favorite places and Bill is looking forward to the liver & onions that she said was athe best in the world!

So, we'll post from time to time -- and share the stories/photos of memories and recommendations from folks as we go along our experience!   Bon Voyage!

Christmas Adventures 2011

We departed Marathon at first light on Saturday, December 17 -- perfect weather conditions and Ivory Lady was a Perfect Lady!    Lots of crab pots for the couple of hours and then it was hours of glorious weather and calm seas.  We had intended to stop at Marco Island, but we decided to take advantage of the weather and continue -- went 141 miles that day and made St. Charles YC in Ft. Myers just before dark.

Sunday morning dawned clear and we set our sites for Sarasota and The Field Club.   Another perfect day cruising up the Intracoastal Waterway that we have done so many times over the past years.  Arrived in time to rinse the boat and then enjoy Santa's arrival for the Children's Christmas Party.

The following day, it was off to Bradenton Yacht Club, where we had an unplanned connect with cousins, John & Trudy Horigan.   The next morning, great friend Bill Wanless arrived (as planned) with son, Ben and daughter, Hannah Rose -- and lunch -- for the trip to St. Pete with some fishing along the way.   

We are blessed to have so many great friends that we were able visit during the next week.  We docked Ivory Lady behind good friends, Bob & Shar Fillingham's home, who unfortunately were away for the holidays.   They also opened their home and their car for our use -- which we used all over the place for several days.   We did our shopping "in civilization", had dinner with Art & Tricia at the home of Willy & Caryn, had lunch with Susan & Samn, dinner with and then a "send-off" for Bob & Barb Sammis, lunch & boat ride with Mari & Kris and culminating with a fabulous Christmas Eve at the home of Kelli & Don Hoy with their parents, Willy & Caryn Bain.

Bright and early Christmas morning had Ivory Lady heading back south.  First stop - Bird Key Yacht Club in Sarasota for Christmas afternoon & evening with John & Trudy.   Willy and Caryn aboard Touch N Go cruised with us -- actually, we leave before them, they pass us and arrive at our destination ahead of us!  From Sarasota, we headed to Boca Grande for three nights, up Charlotte Harbor to the Isles Yacht Club in Punta Gorda for one night and then to Ft.Myers in time for New Years.

A highlight of our travels was a tour of the Edison & Ford Winter Homes in Ft. Myers -- what a delightful and informative several hours.  We stayed at Royal Palm YC, which is right next door to the Winter Homes -- it was extremely convenient and beauatifully lit at night for the holidays.   New Years' Eve culminated our travels with our dear friends, as Sunday morning we continued south and Touch N Go headed back north.  Sunday night was Marco Island and an opportunity to reconnect with Lyn & Dwight Penn, who live in Naples.  Lyn & I began a lifelong friendship 32 years ago in Columbus OH.

Our final day on the water had us departing early Monday morning, knowing that a healthy storm with high winds and potentially wicked seas would be in Marathon by nightfall.  We had a glorious day with calm waters, arriving in Marathon early afternoon and secured Ivory Lady for the storm to come.

We had a fabulous trip, Ivory Lady was a Lady thtoughout the journey and we are thankful to be home and ready to begin an exciting 2012!