Salzburg: Mozart for Dummies

Today was a great day, despite the sudden rainstorms that seemed to sneak up on us. But we were prepared for wet weather, so it didn't dampen our spirits.

We decided to get up early, and after a delicious and hearty breakfast here at our Penzion, we headed into Salzburg on the bus and began our day at the home where Mozart was born. Despite the fact that Rick Steves had given this site a thumbs down in his review, Marty and I loved it. The place was filled with the history of the family, and the displays were made up so that one actually enjoyed reading about the family. We learned a lot about Mozart of which I had never been aware. Mozart's father, Leopold, had written a book, "Treatise on the Fundamental Principles of Playing the Violin", and they actually had copies of the books from the late 1700's, in several different languages.

Leopold was described as being a devoted husband and father, and I enjoyed reading many of his letters that he wrote to his wife when he traveled with his prodigy son. When Mozart married and had his own son, Leopold wrote, "The child is, indeed, very agreeable, exceptionally friendly and he laughs as soon as someone speaks to him." He then goes on to bemoan the fact that his grandson, Carl, was being plagued by teething problems. I couldn't help but think of Finn while reading these comments. Perhaps there will be a music prodigy among us!

We then toured some more of the sights in the city, and one in particular, the Old Residence, was once again given a poor review by Rick Steves. Marty and I thought this was the best tour of the day! So glad that we decided to ignore the advice and venture out to these places for our own interest. You will see for yourself by the photos.

Marty bought himself a new hat, and I'm sure that you will enjoy seeing the many photos of him sporting it today. You'll have to excuse his appearance...he apparently ran out of clean clothes. But, I remedied that situation when I found out that we could easily have a load of laundry done here at our Penzion for a reasonable sum.

You will get a peak of the Mirabell gardens, where the Sound of Music featured a few scenes. And, we also walked through the cemetery that inspired the scene in that movie as well. We saw, from a distance, the actual nunnery where Maria would have lived, and that is actually the place where she married her husband, unlike the cathedral in the movie.

We decided to spend the evening here at our Penzion, and we plan to eat dinner on the premises, as we are quite tuckered out from all of the excitement today.