Salzburg - post 6: Street Art

I seem to be posting a lot of images from Salzburg don't I? Hope you don't find them boring... Salzburg is such a beautiful city... and it has an excellent variety of street art.

No idea who these two statues represent, but I like them!

And what about this fountain?

Quite stunning isn't it? Especially with that backdrop.

Then there's this weather station...

It is a three-sided public information bureau.

Each side displays different information.

The passer by is able to read barometric pressure, temperature, humidity, wind speed, etc. Just about everything you could wish to know about the current weather. Pretty neat, eh?

There are some quirky pieces of art too, like this nodding duck water feature.

You really need to see this to appreciate it I think, but I hope these images give at least an idea of the sculpture's movement.

I think this piece is particularly dark, but I really like it. The statue reminds me of a very time in my life and my struggle to return to 'normality' if indeed there is any such thing.

This on the other hand is a very much lighter work of art, it's just a bit of fun.

The ball is made predominantly from plastic cows (go figure), but if you look closely you will see other objects too.

Some pieces are interactive, like this slowly rusting cone that you can stand inside.

This decorative door arch is simply static, similar in some ways to the street shop signs I documented recently.

And I'll leave you on this occasion with something musical... can you work it out?

No you haven't pulled, but Get Your Coat!

You probably know the old chestnut "Get your coat love, you've pulled." People have been saying it for years, though I doubt it actually works as a pick-up line.

I found myself muttering something similar while looking at some incoming weather recently...

Get your coat - here it comes!

The rain arrived with a vengeance shortly after the above was taken and boy did it rain hard! Nice cloud formations though.

European Stone Festival: Salzburg 3-5 June 2016

The European Stone Festival was taking place in Salzburg when we visited. In fact our visit on 5^th June coincided with the final day. Sadly the weather turned sour on us and all but washed out the judging, which was a shame because the workmanship of the masons was quite stunning. Here are just a few of the works in progress I photographed before the rain arrived.

Just goes to show Apple get everywhere!

Well I am Welsh after all!

Roman influence

This was one of the prize winning entries

Pretty cool, huh? Nice to see competitors from right across Europe. Good to see such friendly rivalry between them too.

Salzburg - post 5: Shopping in Salzburger Altstadt

Salzburger Altstadt (old city) is a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, which comprises a Medieval and Baroque ensemble of buildings that is unique in the world. Just walking around the streets is a feast for the eye, there are so many interesting buildings.

The shopping experience in the historic centre of Salzburg was a novelty for me to say the least since it isn't just the buildings that are 'Old World'. Take a look up and down this street:

I love the signage above the shops. The older signs are especially interesting since they are so descriptive, telling the shopper what goods can be found within.

Clock Maker

Boot Maker

Dressmaker & Tailor

I found it pleasing that even McDonald's adapted their Golden M to fit the location:

McDonald's

Here are a few more of these wonderful signs... can you guess what the associated shops stock?

So much more interesting than your average high-street don't you think? And when you've exhausted your need to window shop/buy goodies why not relax in the beautiful surroundings of Café Mozart for coffee and cake...

Café Mozart

Trust me, this café is well worth a visit!

Café Mozart

Salzburg - post 4: Salzburger Spielzeugmuseum

Did you know there is a Toy Museum (Spielzeugmuseum) in Salzburg? No? Well there is. It is housed in a former hospital (Bürgerspital) and a rather splendid building it is too.

Salzburger Spielzeugmuseum

Here's what the Salzburg museums information page says about it:

The Toy Museum is planned as a living experience where visitors can try things out for themselves. Visitors are transported into a very special world of play. Many objects are displayed at child’s eye level. And there are a whole lot of toys children can play with to their hearts’ content.

On the ground floor, people both big and small are invited to hanging around, trying to find their balance and simply being smitten with amazement: for here you’ll find marble alleys, bobby-cars, and space to romp and play. On the first floor, changing temporary exhibitions explore different themes dealing with toys. It’s all hands on in the permanent exhibition section, where you meet Teddy and his mates and discover the Treasure Chamber, the Doll’s House and the play shop! Should you give the go-by to the Carrera racing track, you can make your way through the labyrinth towards the exhibition of objects from the Toy Museum Collection.

If you need a break, go up to the second floor and watch a short film in the children’s cinema. Or both big and small among you can visit the railway exhibition and try out a few circuits on the model railway set – over 12 metres long – and test your talents yourself at being a railway engineer. A children’s library with many fascinating books has been part of the Museum since 2015.

 There's a nice crest above the entrance gateway too:

An excellent re-use of an old building if you were ask me.

Driving without due care or attention

I had an excellent bike ride today, 27 early morning miles in quite glorious sunshine. Days that start like this one make you glad to be alive don't they? My pleasure was dented by just one small incident though... an unthinking, uncaring, law-breaking car driver.

I wish I could name and shame, but sadly that's not possible. However someone out there must know the driver of the gun-metal grey BMW 3 Series who was speeding along the A48 at 7:30am today... obviously thought he was something special as most Boy Racer types do.

Ordinarily I wouldn't object too strongly since the road was quiet. On this occasion though I feel the need to vent since he passed me allowing less than 2 feet of clearance and tripped a 'watch your speed' sign indicating he was travelling at 78mph in a 40mph zone!

I didn't catch all of his registration plate, but it ended with the letters HSE... kind of ironic I thought since the Health & Safety Executive are known by that acronym. Not that I'm suggesting the car had anything to do with the HSE of course.

I wish I knew who the driver was though... I'd love to send him a little something to celebrate his next birthday:

The perfect hat for you!

Salzburg - post 3: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Being Salzburg's most famous son the name Mozart appears often in and around the city. Mozartplatz, Mozartsteg, Café Mozart, etc. If you fly direct to Salzburg you will arrive at Salzburg Airport W A Mozart. It is hardly surprising the city should celebrate such a great man, he was after all what we would term today a 'Superstar!'

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg on 27 January 1756 in his parents apartment on the third floor of this building.

Mozart's Geburtshaus - rear

The above image is the rear of the building, which as you can see currently houses a cafe.

Leopold and Anna Maria Mozart lived on the third floor of the ‘Hagenauer House’ at no. 9 Getreidegasse for a total of 26 years, from 1747 to 1773. The house was named after its owner, the merchant, purveyor of spices and friend of the Mozart family, Johann Lorenz Hagenauer. On the 27th January 1756 it became the birthplace of the now world famous Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Mozart Museum

In 1880 the International Mozarteum Foundation set up the first museum in Mozart’s ‘Geburtshaus’. Over the decades it has undergone a systematic process of remodelling and expansion and it is now a place of cultural interest that attracts thousands of visitors to Salzburg from all over the world. Mozart’s ‘Geburtshaus’ has earned its status as one of the most frequently visited sights and places of interest in Austria.

Mozart’s ‘Geburtshaus’ guides guests through the original rooms in which the Mozart family lived and presents a range of artefacts, including historical instruments, documents, keepsakes and mementos, and the majority of the portraits painted during his lifetime. One such example is the unfinished oil portrait painted by Mozart’s brother-in-law Joseph Lange in 1789 – ‘Wolfgang Amade Mozart at the piano’. Among the most famous exhibits are Mozart’s childhood violin, his clavichord, portraits and letters belonging to the Mozart family.

Mozart's Gebursthaust - frontage

The musical instruments exhibited in Mozart’s Geburtshaus were passed on from Mozart’s widow, Constanze Nissen, through her sons Carl Thomas and Franz Xaver Wolfgang, and are now owned by the International Mozarteum Foundation.

The museum is accessed via the staircase on the left, the rest of the ground floor at the front of the property is currently a small supermarket, which is fitting considering the building's original owner sold spices from his ground floor shop.

Mozart died at 1:00am on 5 December 1791 at the age of 35.

During his short life Mozart composed more than 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, operatic, and choral music. He is among the most enduringly popular of classical composers, and his influence is profound on subsequent Western art music.