Last Day: The Town of Baden bei Wien

For the last day of our Austrian Adventure, Dr. Barr and I were off to explore the town of Baden bei Wien. This little town is known for their spas where people can relax in the warm waters. 

Of course the first thing we saw was a fountain in the center of the town. And yes, this is a fountain! It is NOT a bird bath, as some little yellow bird may have told you. 

Then we went to a cute little café where we shared this yummy drink. Dr. Barr spilled her water. But that's okay, accidents happen. I helped her clean it up.

At the end of the road we found these steps. But where do they go?

Surprise! A Mozart Memorial.We learned that Mozart's wife traveled to Baden when pregnant with their sixth child. She wanted to relax and enjoy the thermal spas. Mozart missed her terribly and wanted to visit her. While in Baden he composed one of his most famous songs called, "Ave Verum Corpus, " for one of his friends. Mozart performed the song on the organ at a local church. 

And just down the street was one of the homes where Beethoven lived. 

Of course, one fountain is never enough in these Austrian towns.

On the way back to the train, we saw this cute outdoor restaurant. We wish we had time to stop and enjoy something to eat. Thankfully, the birdcages were for decoration. Woodstock would not like those.

We hope you had fun learning with us on our trip to Austria. If you did, please leave us a note. We certainly enjoyed sharing our adventure with you.

Love,

Snoopy and Dr. Barr (and Woodstock)

Someone is back!

Today, it was hard to get out of bed. The weather was cold and rainy. But with a minute to spare, we made it to the train and were off to visit Brno, Czechia. 

Of course, the first thing I see is a BIRD BATH!

And this weird wall had a face sticking out of it. Our tour guide said it was to remind people of a man that once lived in the city. He was known for doing bad things and was buried in the wall of the building. We thought that was a really weird story.

The city from above.

A city street

And even though we are in a neighboring country, guess what we found? Another Mozart statue! When Mozart was a little boy, he played a concert in Brno. They have a statue of Mozart as a little boy outside the building where he performed.

When we got back to Vienna, Dr. Barr and I took a walk though a beautiful park where I got to play with some little friends. 

We then passed a chair for a Giant! 

After a few more turns we came to the entrance of St. Marx's cemetery. This is the site where Mozart was buried. Sadly, he became ill from kidney disease and died at the age of 35 

On the way back to the hotel, I landed on this statue to rest.

The good news is that Dr. Barr wanted to rest, too. We went back to the hotel and enjoyed some time in the hotel spa, and looked who joined us! Snoopy! Dr. Barr said that Snoopy apologized for wandering off and can now have his phone privileges again. He plans to post tomorrow! I bet you missed him. 

Dr. Barr said that we really don't have plans tomorrow. I think I'm going back to play with my new baby duck friends. Snoopy may have some special plans.

BIRD BATHS!

Today, we were off on an adventure around some of Vienna's surrounding cities. Dr. Barr told me amazing news. I get to visit LOTS OF BIRD BATHS!

I got a seat to myself on the bus. Dr. Barr's friends made sure that I had my seatbelt clicked.

Bird bath#1 in Durnstein, Austria

We then took a river cruise to the city of Melk. Here is the view outside the boat window.

Bird bath #2 outside of the Melk Abby

The entrance to Melk Abby

Bird bath #3 

Bird bath #4

A pretty pink pavilion in the Abby garden.

Bird bath #5

The outside view of the Abby.

I noticed that Dr. Barr was feeling sad today. I think she misses her family. Hopefully, her friends can cheer her up.

Salzburg: Day Two

Please, please, understand that this little bird needs rest. Dr. Barr likes to go, go, go! She never takes a break to splash in the pretty fountains, so I'm doing my best to keep you posted as well as Snoopy did. Here was my first stop! A beautiful birdbath. Can you see me?

Dr. Barr said it is actually a fountain that is in the center of Salzburg's Residenceplaz. It is located directly outside of Salzburg Cathedral, where Mozart was baptized and attended church with his family. 

Baptismal font, where Mozart was baptized as a baby.

Our next stop was at the Fortress Hohensalzburg. Look at this view!

I found a cannon and cannonballs.

I learned that the beds were shorter because people were shorter, but also because they believed that they wouldn't be able to breath if they slept in their back. 

This is the tunnel for the catapult. 

After riding the furnicular (a mountain train cart), we walked over to Mozart's birthplace and childhood home. 

The Mozart family kitchen.

This is one of young Mozart's first songs.

The view from the Mozart family's living room.

Youmg Mozart's first violin. It's so small!

Mozart's piano

Mozart's hair

This is how the Mozart family traveled while touring around Europe performing.

The little pot was used for children to go potty, and the glass bottle is a baby bottle.

Salzburg: Day One, Part Two

Woodstock, again. This day was filled with so many activities and pictures that I had to post twice in one day. 

After our "Sound of Music," bike tour, Dr. Barr and I were hungry. We sat down at a cute cafe and shared a dessert called Mozart torte. Dr. Barr had a drink called Mozart coffee. 

But guess where we were sitting?

DIRECTLY UNDER MOZART'S APARTMENT IN SALZBURG!

This is Mozart's sister, Maria Anna. She went by the nickname, Nannerl, and was also an amazing musician.

Here is Mozart's viola. Remember, a viola is a little bit bigger than a violin, so it sounds lower.

This is a piano similar to Mozart's. You can see the Mozart family portrait on the wall. 

I wanted my picture taken with this funny Mozart statue.

After Mozart's house, Dr. Barr said we were heading out of town to learn how to make strudel with an Austrian grandma. 

I thought the breadcrumbs were for eating, but "Granny" said to sprinkle them in the dough to absorb extra moisture. 

Dr. Barr's turn!

And here are the finished strudels.

Before we left, we had to get a picture with "granny strudel." 

Our last stop of the day was an important one. Dr. Barr said the most famous statue of Mozart was close by in a place called Mozartplatz. 

Tomorrow, Dr. Barr said we are visiting a fortress! But I'm excited about learning more about Mozart. I heard we may also visit his birthplace and childhood home. Don't tell Dr. Barr, but today I think I spotted the biggest birdbath ever! I'll try to show you tomorrow.