Salz Welten

The next day we went to a Salt Mine in the town of Halsatt. We got dressed up in funny clothes so that we wouldn't ruin our clothes while sliding down the slides. Then we walked up the mountian to the entrance of the mine. We were expecting fake people diging up salt, but there wasn't any. 

Us in our strange clothes

Circle Tunnel

We followed a very long tunnel, VERY long! Sometimes, when the wall weren't covered by wood Ashlynn and I would rub out fingers on the wall and lick them to see if we could taste any salt!

After that was the strange shaped tunnel.

Do-Re-Mi!

In the song 'Do-Re-Mi' Maria and the children run through the gardens below. 

Victorian McDonalds

On the main shopping street were all these cool old fashion looking signs. Some of the chain stores didn't have any, like HEMA- a clothes store. We were surprised when we saw an old fashioned sign for McDonalds. Below is the picture of the sign. 

More Sound of Music

After the tour we wandered around, looking for the other Sound of Music sights. Here are some photos of the ones we saw that day.

The Fountain that Maria runs by in 'I have confidence'

The gate at the convent. The one that the children come up to. 

The inside of the convent was done in a studio. This bit and the bit in the next photo were the only real parts that were filmed in Salzburg. 

The Last Songs

Like most tourists we wanted to go and see the Sound of Music attractions. We rushed down the mountain so we wouldn't be late for our tour at the  Festival Hall. In one of the last scenes the Von Trapp Family sing in a big 'outdoor' concert hall. We got to go there - except it wasn't outside. In the summer they open up the roof. We got to stand on the stage and pretend we were singing. It was fun. 

Tea with jam and bread, with jam and breeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaddddddddddd! 

1st place - the Von Trapp Family Singers. Oh, wait I misread, Ashlynn and Veronica!

Marionette Museum

In the castle on the hill was the Marionette Museum. In the Sound of Music they do a Marionette performance. "The Lonely Goatherd" It was very 'short but sweet.' It's a shame that we couldn't go see one of the performances. 

Castle on the hill

Some more photos from the castle on the hill.

The toilet. Ashynn and I looked down the hole and we couldn't see the end!

The hills are alive with the sound of Music

As most of you know, the outside parts of 'The sound of Music' were filmed in parts of Austria, mostly in Salzburg. We rented a car and drove from Vienna to there in a couple of hours. We went to our hotel then went up a big elevator to the top of a hill. We could see all of Salzburg from up there. Then we walked through a beautiful forest and went to a castle. It was nice.

View of the castle

Mosaic of Salzburg

View

More view

Even more views! :)

La Spanish Riding School

We went to the Spanish Riding school and did a guided tour. It was nice except we couldn't take photos or pet the horses. One of the horses kept trying to lick Ashlynn's nose!! It was really cute!

These two photos were taken from outside.

After the School we got this photo with Pinocchio 

Inspired by Gaudi?

We walked over to the Hundertwasser museum. We didn't go in the museum, but peeked in the garden. The architecture is really strange, modern, like Gaudi. We then went to his village. It was really cool, a little place inside with natural light and nice little stores and a art gallery/shop. After that we walked back to the museum to eat lunch. Nice, but how are you meant to eat when your chair can't sit on the floor properly!? (The floor was kind of curvy!)

Even thought these bathrooms might be advertised in all of the tourist books it wasn't worth the money. If you want to see cool bathrooms, just go eat lunch at the museum. The bathrooms are cooler there (just if you were wondering-they still are in the style of Hundertwasser)

Inside the little village

Outside the village

The garden in the museum, also  cafe

Immensely scary clown

At the Prater on of the entrances of the rides was a gigantic clown! Really creepy!

Ghost town Prater

The next day, the Monday we went to the amusement park in the center of Vienna (Prater). Well, it was more like a fun fair. You paid for each ride individually. Because the weather was a bit yucky and it was a Monday, there was nobody there! It was a ghost town! Less than half the rides were open and on both the rides that Ashlynn and I went on, we were the only people. We wanted to go on the high swings, (when I say high, I mean REALLY high!) but it wasn't open. 

Ashlynn and I did go on two other rides, both of them roller coasters.......

Raindrops on Roses

We came across a really big public garden with lots of roses. Great place for photos! 

Vrai Vienna

We wandered around the center of Vienna after that. We mostly stayed on the shopping streets. We ate lunch at an Italian restaurant then continued to walk. There was an orchestra playing in one of the squares and we stopped to listen for awhile. The conductor looked really happy. We listened for awhile then kept on walking. We passed another concert going on, but this one was rock. 

p.s. Vrai is true in French!! :)

Awesome Marionette

 After the church a group of people drew our attention. We went over and saw a man with a Marionette. It was so cool. He made the puppet play the piano and when ever someone put money in the case he made the piano-playing puppet stick it's eyes out!!

Then he asked a little boy to come and sit next to the puppet. It was really funny! The kid was the same size as the puppet!

The top of Vienna

We got up around 5 to catch a bus to the airport to get a plane to Vienna, Austria. When we got there we went to our hotel and took a nap. When we woke up it was thundering and pouring! We waited then went to the center. We went in the cathedral and took an elevator up to the top of the steeple. 

Here are some views from the top.....