On our last day in Salzburg we had just a few things we wanted to get done. First we walked over to W.A. Mozart's birthplace, which was about a block from our hotel. It was very interesting to hear about the birth and family life of this musical prodigy. It is amazing to me back in that time that a 5 year old could master piano and violin at such a young age that he was in high demand all over Europe with the elite and royalty and ended up spending about 1/3 of his life traveling. He was quite eccentric and profited from his hard work in the music business, but also incurred a lot of debt too. Mortality was very high among the newborn and young, but he had a good family life in general. He ended up leaving Salzburg over disputes with local leaders and spent most of his life in Vienna with the many other well-known composers and performers of the day.
With the beautiful weather in Salzburg the streets were beginning to fill up with tourists. It was about 77 degrees and sunny in Salzburg on Thursday. Carol and I participated in the local custom of attaching a small lock with our initials on it on the footbridge across the Salzach river and then tossing the keys into the river to signify our devotion to one another. A music festival was starting up that was to run all weekend. It was "oompah" music as the locals described it and they played a lot of traditional waltzes, polkas, gallops and classical music. An amazing number of locals in the area we were in still wear traditional leiderhosen with the women wearing the traditional long dresses that tie in front to designate their marital status. We toured the Salzburg museum and further understood the history of Salzburg, which was largely controlled by the prince archbishops, who had jurisdiction over both religious and political life for many many years.
Yesterday afternoon we spent a little while touring the Residence State Rooms which were right near our hotel where throughout the years the Prince Archbishops entertained, accepted royalty and the elite and where performances of all types were given. These halls were much like the grand halls say in Versailles outside of Paris.
Finally, still in Salzburg, we went on a waterjet boat river cruise, about 40 minutes in length, and because the river current was so strong it took 30 minutes to go upstream and only 10 minutes to get back. The grass and fauna along the river was all very green and lush due to recent rains and snowmelt and many locals were out in the afternoon lying along the banks of the river enjoying the sunshine.
We then took a bus to the train station and caught the 5:02 train to Vienna. The high speed train ride across the countryside was very enjoyable and we snacked and played cards on the table between us. The train reached a max speed of 200 KM/H which is 124 miles per hour. We got to our hotel in Vienna after a few connecting subway rides and got settled in. The hotel Le Meridien is very modern and you can see a picture of our room below. Included daily in our mini-fridge is free beer, soft drinks and water and also they have a nice indoor pool and fitness center. Now we're off to see all there is to see in Vienna.
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