Salzurg- Another gem in Austria.
Salzburg is an Austrian city in the border of Germany, with views of the Eastern Alps. It is the birthplace of Mozart and the movie, Sound of Music, was shot here. It is a beautiful city surrounded by mountains. During the city drive, we saw some workers placing a plastic sheet on the road. Apparently, they do it right after the road is tarred, so that it does not get damaged, even if people walk over the road. This was something that we miss back in our country, where most roads get spoilt and have ditches because people drive or walk over it, while the tar is still fresh. We met a cousin, who had flown in from the UK. Autumn is Salzburg was captured in the photograph below.
Our itinerary included the Hallein Salt mines, the Trick fountains in the Hellbrunn palace and the Salzburg zoo.
Hallein Salt mines (Salz Welten)
Our friends who were our travel mates, told us that this is the most interesting spot in Salzburg and should not be missed. And oh boy, was that true!
We were 5 adults with two 3 year olds and unfortunately, we were told that kids below 4 years were not allowed to tour the Salt Mines. Vivek and Tilda were sweet enough to convince the rest of us to go ahead, while they babysitted the little ones. Off we went with half-minds and bought tickets priced at 32 Euros each. We were asked to leave our bags at the counter and change into a white shirt and pant (over our clothes), that made us look like bulky mine workers :)
At the beginning of the tour, we sat in an open mini chu-chu train, with a leg on each side. Our guide was an officer, dressed in a captain's uniform and his presentation was very engaging. Off we went into the dungeon and we were requested to look to the left when we reach a particular spot, so that our picture could be clicked (while in motion). The entire tour was a walk inside the rock caves (lit with zero watt bulbs), with a couple of short-movies, information about the history of the mines and some interesting slides. The slides were the most fun part of all. We were asked to sit on a wooden log with a leg on each side, in groups of 3 or 4 (one behind the other) and was warned to keep our hands from holding the slide. Our guide gave us a slight push and woooo......we slided down the wooden slide quickly. There were two such slides and we were free to do it as many times as we wanted.
The salt mines were spread across Austria and Germany and in one spot, we were thrilled to walk past the border into Germany. The last attraction was a beautiful lake ride in a boat. It was a different feeling finding a lake inside the cave mines and also experiencing a light and music show with sculptures on the sides of the lake. Truly wow!
The tour ended with a small souvenir from the guide. It was a tiny table-salt tin, containing salt mined from these caves.
Trick fountains @ Hellbrunn palace
The trick fountains at the Hellbrunn Palace was unique and a lot of fun. The place was filled with many fountain spots and the tour guide would trick the visitors by splashing water on them, at unexpected times. In one such incident, we were near a stone dining table with seats around. It was designed in such a way that a water conduit sprayed water from the seats, when the guests sat down.
The trick fountains were designed by Markus Sittikus, a man with a keen sense of humour, as a series of practical jokes to be performed on guests. It would be an achievement if someone could complete
the tour without getting soaked!
Take a sneak peak into the palace by clicking on the video link below.
https://youtu.be/--b3fA_U7do
Salzburg zoo
A huge zoo with about 1200 animals and 140 different species. It is the oldest zoo in the world and the animals are not caged. They are mostly left out in the open with suitable surroundings.
If you are going with kids and intend to cover the entire zoo, remember there is a lot to walk. You can buy carts at the gate to push kids around. The zoo also has a small cafe to dine and drink.
Our itinerary included the Hallein Salt mines, the Trick fountains in the Hellbrunn palace and the Salzburg zoo.
Hallein Salt mines (Salz Welten)
Our friends who were our travel mates, told us that this is the most interesting spot in Salzburg and should not be missed. And oh boy, was that true!
We were 5 adults with two 3 year olds and unfortunately, we were told that kids below 4 years were not allowed to tour the Salt Mines. Vivek and Tilda were sweet enough to convince the rest of us to go ahead, while they babysitted the little ones. Off we went with half-minds and bought tickets priced at 32 Euros each. We were asked to leave our bags at the counter and change into a white shirt and pant (over our clothes), that made us look like bulky mine workers :)
At the beginning of the tour, we sat in an open mini chu-chu train, with a leg on each side. Our guide was an officer, dressed in a captain's uniform and his presentation was very engaging. Off we went into the dungeon and we were requested to look to the left when we reach a particular spot, so that our picture could be clicked (while in motion). The entire tour was a walk inside the rock caves (lit with zero watt bulbs), with a couple of short-movies, information about the history of the mines and some interesting slides. The slides were the most fun part of all. We were asked to sit on a wooden log with a leg on each side, in groups of 3 or 4 (one behind the other) and was warned to keep our hands from holding the slide. Our guide gave us a slight push and woooo......we slided down the wooden slide quickly. There were two such slides and we were free to do it as many times as we wanted.
The salt mines were spread across Austria and Germany and in one spot, we were thrilled to walk past the border into Germany. The last attraction was a beautiful lake ride in a boat. It was a different feeling finding a lake inside the cave mines and also experiencing a light and music show with sculptures on the sides of the lake. Truly wow!
The tour ended with a small souvenir from the guide. It was a tiny table-salt tin, containing salt mined from these caves.
Trick fountains @ Hellbrunn palace
The trick fountains at the Hellbrunn Palace was unique and a lot of fun. The place was filled with many fountain spots and the tour guide would trick the visitors by splashing water on them, at unexpected times. In one such incident, we were near a stone dining table with seats around. It was designed in such a way that a water conduit sprayed water from the seats, when the guests sat down.
The trick fountains were designed by Markus Sittikus, a man with a keen sense of humour, as a series of practical jokes to be performed on guests. It would be an achievement if someone could complete
the tour without getting soaked!
Take a sneak peak into the palace by clicking on the video link below.
https://youtu.be/--b3fA_U7do
Salzburg zoo
A huge zoo with about 1200 animals and 140 different species. It is the oldest zoo in the world and the animals are not caged. They are mostly left out in the open with suitable surroundings.
If you are going with kids and intend to cover the entire zoo, remember there is a lot to walk. You can buy carts at the gate to push kids around. The zoo also has a small cafe to dine and drink.
I would be secretly glad if I was able to trigger an interest in you to visit Salzburg on your next holiday :-)
“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta
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