Next on the itinerary was Salzburg, Austria or more specifically Hellbrunn Palace, home of the trick fountains. The one time Prince-Archbishop Markus Sittikus had the palace built merely for entertaining. Yes, just a party palace. Markus had a unique sense of humor and loved to play practical jokes on his guest to liven things up. In the garden, he had a series of fountains set up that would provide his unknowing guests with some “refreshment” on a hot day. So, imagine sitting down to a nice meal only to have a spray of water shoot up from your seat. This tour was fun and a great thing to do on a hot day.
After checking into our hotel, we decided to head downtown and visit the birthplace of Mozart. Mozart was born in the house and spent his childhood there when he wasn’t touring. The house has some interesting facts about how they lived at that time and what life was like for the child prodigy. He often traveled to Munich from Salzburg. It was a 29 hour trip, in those days, that made 6 stops. Today that same journey will take you about 1 1/2 hours on the autobahn. Mozart was not a poor man as most people think. He made a good living as a musician, but also had quite a lot of debt, supposedly from gambling.
While walking around downtown, you can’t help but notice the fortress (Festung Hohensalzburg) towering above. So, Alyssa and I decided to take the funicular up and check it out. We were treated to great views of the city and an interesting tour of the fortress and it’s history. There is also a nice restaurant up top as well as a couple of different museums, including a museum of marionettes.
Salzburg is on my list for a return trip, too much to explore and not enough time.
