Fun days at the Konni House

Most days we do a little exploring, a little grocery shopping (I found a grocery store that is the same distance as the first one but no stairs!), some cleaning or laundry and a little playing. Then when Chris gets home, we eat fast and head out to see something nearby. We got Naomi some coloring books and some games at the store. They are in German and took some time to be able to translate the rules on the games but they are so fun!

                                      

                   

                                    

                 

                  

                                       

              

Schlossplatz!

We found another fellow shorts-wearer so Chris didn't feel alone in the trend :)

We're so glad when Daddy gets home because he brings us yummy treats! This was a delicious pie!

                      

                

Salburg, Austria: Day 5

The last day we decided to tour the Hellbrunn Palace. We got there just in time for a tour of the fountains. It was built in 1613 by Markus Sittikus and was meant for a place to get away from the noise and heat of the city in the summer. There isn't a bedroom in the Palace as Markus returned to Salzburg in the evenings. It was a beautiful palace with outstanding gardens! One main attraction is the Trick Fountains that Markus would use to play tricks on his guests. There are hidden spouts that come from any direction; from an ornamental deer head, a music box, all walk-ways, and even a stone dining table. The dining table shoots water up from the seats and all around the guests. The only dry spot is where Markus Sittikus would sittikus :) The tour guide was hilarious and the people on the tour were great sports to get soaked. We didn't get too wet but had fun trying to figure out where the water would come from.

This is a view of the Hohenzollern Castle from the walk to Hellbrunn

Naomi took this picture of us!

This is the gazebo from The Sound of Music when they sang Sixteen Going on Seventeen. It was locked or else I would have liked to run around the benches singing.

Salzburg, Austria: Day 3 and Day 4

We continued our self-guided walking tour from the St. Peter's Cemetery (Petersfriedhof and Nonnberg Abbey). As we got there the bells started to ring from the church nearby and didn't stop for quite some time. Chris and Naomi explored the catacombs and when they came back the bells stopped and then the next church down the road took up the chiming! It was really pretty and really loud! The graves here are all well taken care of because if you don't take of by relatives. Also, relatives have to pay rent every 10 years and if they don't pay the graves are taken out. The oldest tombstone dates from 1288! That's a long time for relatives to be taking care of a grave.

             

                       

                        

 After the cemetery we went to Mozart Hall and toured the concert halls. They were very pretty! It was also the area where the scene from Sound of Music was filmed where the family sings their final songs before escaping. The backdrop is carved right into the mountain! We went to another concert hall and a group were practicing ballet. Naomi loved it and has been pretending to be a ballerina ever since! There was a parade of some sort through the town also. Well, it was more like a march of cities. There were a lot of teenagers dressed in their own uniforms from their region (we think) and they had flags and certain head pieces. They marched through out the streets. Also, there were a lot of people going to church in their traditional dress of drindles and leiderhosen. It was so fun to see! It was Pentacost so that could have been why. Also, people were singing in a small family parade through the streets and there were booths set up with a lot of people congregating around them. It was raining but not as bad as the day before.

                   

                        

                       

We saw a couple other churches, Franciscan Church with amazing ceiling and then walked to the Monchstein Castle and to see a panoramic view of the city. It was beautiful! We also saw remnants of the old city wall. The M. Castle is now a hotel and has won numerous awards. It was gorgeous and we'd never be able to stay there :) There was a man walking in that said hello to us and he was so dapper and fresh. He was wearing a 3-breasted suit, classy shoes and had a jacket neatly draped over his arm...at 1:30 in the afternoon! I don't know too many people who wear that kind of attire as every day wear. So fun! We walked through the old city wall and down to the river. There were booths set up selling all sorts of items and food. We ate a delicious Yufta falafel wrap and headed home. We saw these amazing wool jackets that people wore and were on display in shops. They looked really cozy!

                    

           

"20 + C + M + B + 15. The letters C, M, B have two meanings. They are the initials of the traditional names of the three magi: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar. They also abbreviate the Latin words Christus mansionem benedicat, “May Christ bless the house.” The “+” signs represent the cross and 2015 is the year." - from Google.