Linz, Salzburg and Grein - Day 6 Tuesday February 13

Breakfast on AMAMagna offers both menu items and a buffet. This will give you some idea of your options.

As we were enjoying breakfast, we docked at Linz. Here are views from our balcony.

We left at 9 AM for a full day excursion to Salzburg. Our first stop was the lakeside town of Mondsee (Moon Lake), whose claim to fame is their Collegiate Church of St. Michael, the (indoor) site of the wedding scene from "The Sound of Music." This cathedral has become a pilgrimage site for those who love the film.

Fun fact: the wedding was the first scene of the movie to be shot (in April 1964) and set the bar high for many wedding fantasies (unless that was just me). Thanks to the popularity of the film, this site attracts more than 250,000 visitors a year (so maybe it wasn't just me).

Needless to say, I walked the aisle (humming the song in my head), although no one would mistake me for Dame Julie Andrews. I give her full credit for ascending these stairs in a gown.

Due to the magic of cinema, the church appeared grander than it is, but it certainly was impressive.

Flushed with excitement (OK, probably just me), we had some free time to walk about the town. And, although not one bit hungry, we shared the most delicious apple strudel ever.

Do you remember the scene where the children horrified the Captain by hanging out of the trees? Here are the trees.

It was a half hour drive to Salzburg. Besides the movie, Salzburg is famous for its religious history, Baroque architecture, and for being the birthplace of Mozart.

We started at the impressive Mirabell Palace, which was built in 1606 by prince archbishop Wolf Dietrich for his mistress (nice gift); it now houses government offices.

I am sure that the beautifully landscaped Mirabell Gardens are stunning in better weather.

We “Sound of Music" fans may recognize the circular fountain in front of the palace where Maria and the von Trapp children danced as they sang "Do-Re-Mi”…

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… as well as these statutes that mark the entrance.

The palace grounds afforded us a great view of Hohensalzburg Fortress; built in the 11th Century, it has never been conquered.

Once across the river, the Getreidegasse, the busy shopping street that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was a charming place to walk. We noted the many decorative wrought iron guild signs and similar signs to mark businesses.

i have no words for this one.

Let’s talk Mozart. He was born and lived at #9 until he was 17.

You cannot swing a cat without encountering Mozartkugel...these are small, round candies made of pistachio, marzipan, and nougat, covered with dark chocolate. Created in 1890 by Salzburg confectioner Paul Fürst, they are named after Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Sadly, Fürst did not patent his invention and imitations sprang up in Austria and Germany. After much litigation, only Fürst's recipe can be marketed as "Original Salzburg Mozartkugeln." They are in the blue wrapper, and the shops bear Furst’s name…

So do NOT be bamboozled by these charming imitations.

Residenzplatz Square in Salzburg’s old town is one of the five squares built under Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau in the 16th century. The square is prominently featured in "The Sound of Music" several times. During “I Have Confidence,” Maria splashes in this fountain (all the fountains are covered during the winter months) and when Germany annexes Austria, Nazi soldiers march through the square, raising a swastika flag above the entrance of the Old Residenz Palace.

Here is City Hall (Rathaus).

Our two hours at leisure allowed time to visit Salzburg Cathedral, where Mozart was baptized and later was an organist. I love the light in the Baroque churches, and the ceilings here were magnificent.

And here is the baptismal font.

A statue of Mozart is close to the church.

Nearby the church is the cemetery, but most of the iconic "Sound of Music" scene was filmed elsewhere. The arches and metal grating are typical for the area.

Salzburg is a charming place!

We had a great view of the snow covered mountains that the von Trapp family climbed to escape Austria at the end of the movie. The reality, however, is that those mountains lead to Germany.

While we were in Salzburg, the ship relocated to Grein, so we had a longer (2.5 hour) bus ride back to the ship...lots of time to work on the blog.

We ate dinner in the Al Fresco restaurant...best meal onboard thus far.

After this very full day, Charlie opted out of the evening excursion to Castle Greinburg, Austria’s oldest residential castle. We walked from the ship through the town of Grein, arriving at the castle, which overlooks the Danube River, in about 15 minutes. There were 100 steps to climb...in the dark...thank goodness for cellphone flashlights!

We were able to wander through the highly decorated “Rooms of the Ducal Family,” which house works of art collected over the centuries by the many rulers who called this castle their home (the present owners are descendants of Queen Victoria).

The “Sala Terrena" has very distinctive floor to ceiling pebble mosaics, which date back to 1625.

At the end of our tour, we were treated to a musical performance.

Photos are tagged Magna, Linz, Salzburg and Grein