From our ship's mooring at the city of Linz on the Danube, we traveled more than two hours by motor coach to a much anticipated day in the city of Salzburg.  At a rest stop on the way to Salzburg, we enjoyed this breathtaking view of a serene Apline lake with the Alps in the background. 

Salzburg is located at the northern boundary of the Alps on the banks of the Salzach River.  The city of Salzburg is among the oldest and most significant spiritual and cultural centers of Austria. The central, historical area of the city is dominated by Baroque towers and monumental churches.

Evidence of human life in the Salzburg area dates back to the Neolithic Age.  The community was captured by the Romans in 15 BC, named Juvavum and eventually elevated to a municipium, the second-highest class of a Roman city.

The town was ravaged by fire in 1167 and a major rebuilding of the Salzburg cathedral was necessary. Subsequent medieval fires led the burghers to replace their wooden houses with substantial stone buildings. With the advent of the Gothic period around 1300, ecclesiastical and lay proprietors vied in embellishing their town. The Gothic art of Salzburg was well known and many famous artists lived and worked there in the 15th and 16th centuries.

Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau, appointed Archbishop in 1587, remodeled the entire City, directing his attentions in particular to the residence and the cathedral. Salzburg escaped the ravages of the Thirty Years’ war in the first half of the 16th century, partly because of the new defenses added by Archbishop Paris Lodron and partly because of the Archbishop’s clever policy of neutrality. He was responsible for the foundation of the university in 1622.

Salzburg's architecture was enhanced in the late 17th century with the advent of the Baroque style which was used for a number of notable buildings and a series of monumental fountains that grace the squares of the city. This period also saw a flowering of the town as a cultural centre of the Enlightenment. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg in 1756 and lived there until driven away by the Archbishop of the time, Hieronvmus Count Colloredo.

The Habsburg dynasty annexed Salzburg  in 1805 but during 1810-1815, it once again belonged to Bavaria. After this brief interlude, it became part of Austria once and for all and in 1848, it even became the capital of the crown lands and the province of the same name. Along with a series of economic developments, the opening of the 'Westbahnstrecke' (1860), which is the main railroad through Austria ensured that Salzburg saw its fortune improve and it was given its own statue in 1869.  In the 19th century, tourism also became a focus of attention, and the famous

Salzburg Festival was founded. The Mozart Academy of Music and the University gave the city with a cultural tradition for which it is still known.

Salzburg suffered nearly 50% destruction from aerial bombardment in World War II. The Sound of Music which tells the story of the von Trapp family's narrow and inspiring escape from the Nazis was filmed in and around Salzburg.   From 1945-1955 Salzburg became the headquarters for US-troops stationed in Austria after the downfall of the Third Reich. Since then, Salzburg has often been termed the 'secret capital' of Austria. American Troops did not leave until 1955, when the Treaty of Austria was signed. By 1959, the Cathedral had been rebuilt and blessed and the University of Salzburg re-opened three years later.

We enjoyed a delicious lunch atop the castle or garrison overlooking Salzburg.  Among the entrees offered was an delicious weiner sneitzel to complement the great view of beautifully restored midevil Sa lzburg.

We came to Austria with a request to bring home Mozart candy which we found out originated in Salzburg.   Our guide directed us to the Furst chocolate shop in the old city for original, authentic Mozart candy.  Our search was successful as seen in the photo on the left.  Mozart candy is a chocolate candy shell filled with candy and liquor.  Available with many variations of fillings, each piece is individually foil wrapped and sells for about $3.  The shop keeper considerately packed our purchases in an insulated bag to prevent the candy from melting during our travels.  Most of our purchase arrived safely in the US and where it was enjoyed.  I think the missing pieces were enjoyed enroute!

Prague, one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, is set on both banks of the Vltava River.  Its townscape of burger houses and palaces are punctuated by towers.  The famous Prague Castle (left) was built in the 870s by Prince Borivoj as the main seat of the Premysl dynasty.

Christianity became the state religion in the 12th century under the rule of the pious Wenceslas, duke of Bohemia.  Wenceslas was the 'Good King Wenceslas' of the well-known Christmas carol written in 1853 by English clergyman John Mason Neale. Neale read about St. Wenceslas' legendary piety, and based his carol on the story of the duke's page finding strength and warmth by following in the footsteps of his master as they carried food, wine and firewood to a poor peasant on a freezing cold Boxing Day. The unfortunate Wenceslas was murdered by his own brother, Boleslav; the Chapel of St. Wenceslas in St. Vitus Cathedral is decorated with scenes from the saint's life.

The murder of Wenceslas III in 1306 left no male heir to the throne. Two Habsburg monarchs briefly ruled Bohemia until the Holy Roman emperor John of Luxemburg became king by marrying Wenceslas III's daughter Elyska in 1310. Under the rule of John's son Charles IV (r 1346-78) as king and Holy Roman emperor, Prague grew into one of the continent's largest and most prosperous cities, acquiring its fine Gothic face, and landmarks including the Charles University, Charles Bridge and St. Vitus Cathedral.

Prague belongs to the group of historic cities which have preserved the structure of their development until the present times. Within the core of Prague, successive stages of growth and changes have respected the original grand-scale urban structure of the Early Middle Ages. This structure was essentially and greatly enlarged with urban activities in the High Gothic period with more additions during the High Baroque period and in the 19th century. It has been saved from any large-scale urban renewal or massive demolitions and thus preserves its overall configuration, pattern and spatial composition.

In the course of the 1,100 years of its existence, Prague’s development is documented in the architectural expression of many historical periods and their styles. Of particular importance are Prague Castle, the Cathedral of St. Vitus, Hradcany Square in front of the Castle, the Valdgtejn Palace on the left bank of the river, the Gothic Charles Bridge, the Romanesque Rotunda of the Holy Rood, the Gothic arcaded houses round the Old Town Square, the High Gothic Minorite Church of St James in the Stark Mesto, the late 19th century buildings and town plan of the Nave Mesto.

As early as the Middle Ages, Prague in became one of the leading cultural ce nters of Christian Europe. The Prague University, founded in 1348, is one of the earliest Europe. The milieu of the University in the last quarter of the 14th century and the first years of the 15th century contributed among other things to the formation of ideas of the Hussite Movement which represented in fact the first steps of the European Reformation. As a metropolis of culture, Prague is connected with prominent names in art, science and politics, such as Charles IV, Petr Parler, Jan Hus, Johannes Kepler, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Kafka, Antonín Dvorak, Albert Einstein, Edward Benes (co-founder of the Leaue of Nations) and Vaclav Havel.

Prague, as a city of 1.2 million inhabitants, seems swamped by tourists.  The crowds are evident at Prague Castle, on the Charles Bridge and in the Old Town Square from morning to well into the evening hours.  We enjoyed the evening view from the rooftop restaurant of our hotel, the Intercontinental.  The view was beautiful and it was truly the photographer 's Golden Hour.

Cesky (meaning Bohemian) Krumlov is a small city in the southern Bohemian region of the Czech Republic, best known for the fine architecture and art of the historic old town and Cesky Krumlov Castle.   Old Cesky Krumlov is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Construction of the town and castle began in the late 13th century at a ford in the Vltava River, which was an important trade route in Bohemia.  The town and castle were owned by the House of Rosenberg. During the rule of the Rosenberg family, the town as well as the castle flourished.  Crafts and trade developed, elaborate homes were built, and the town was endowed with various privileges such as the right to mill, brew beer and hold markets.  Meat shops and breweries were built, and twice a year there was a fair. In 1376 there were 96 houses in the town.

In the 16th century the town was ruled by the last Rosenbergs who considerably influenced the present appearance of the town and its surroundings. The Renaissance magnate Wilhelm von Rosenberg, the most aristocratic personality of politics and culture of that time, initiated reconstruction of townhouses as well as the castle into Renaissance style.  The market square is shown to the right.

On August 14, 1555 Wilhelm joined the two parts of town Latran (the Castle environs) and the Old town, to prevent litigations concerning particular privileges. Before the town´s unification, Latran had been an individual administrative unit and its dwellers often disputed with those living in the other parts, especially for the privilege to brew white wheat beer, a very popular and profitable product.  Further problems had been caused by support payments for parish, the church, bridges, the local shepherd and the messenger.  Latran is to the left of the Vltava River; Old Town to the right.

Emperor Rudolf II Hapsburg bought Krumlov in 1602 and gave it to his illegimate son Julius d'Austria.  Emperor Ferdinand II gave Krumlov to the House of Eggenberg.  From 1719 until 1945 the castle belonged to the House of Schwarzenberg.  Most of the architecture of the old town and castle dates from the 14th through 17th centuries; the town's structures are mostly in Gothis, Renaissance and Baroque styles. The core of the old town is within a horseshoe bend of the river, with the castle on the other side of the Vltava.

If the castle tower (left) symbolizes the secular ruling power and the region of its influence; the church tower of St. Vitus (right) then personifies the might of the holy Christendom which from medieval times functioned both as a counterpart and complement of the worldly powers.  The church shares with the castle the promontory created by the river Vltava, thus creating an impressive architectural feature that characterizes the town.

Cesky Krumlov Castle is protected by its hilltop location.  But it also is protedted by a moat which is inhabited by bears.  No wonder the castle was never conqured!