On the move again..

but not before a tram ride here….

The Mirabelle Gardens - can you hear me singing? (just as well!!)
Here is the famous fountain that Julie Andrews and the children danced around in the Sound of Music.

It was a lovely sunny morning and we still had our 24 hour pass which we had delayed using so that we could catch a tram!
It was Saturday and Wedding day for lots of couples, we saw four while we were there.

This couple were happy to pose for me! 

This was near the gate as we walked across from the steps to the other side to have a nosy!!! Lots of berries and stones! The music  was clearly in someone else's head too!!!

Somewhere else to visit if we get a chance to return to Salzburg!!

I didn't jump up the steps!

The gardens were beautiful, I can only imagine what they must have been like in the Summer!!

Then it was back to the hotel, check out and off to the station…..Next stop…Vienna!

Some more shaky sketches! Didn't notice hubby taking one of me or I wouldn't have emphasised my nose!!

It wasn't all pretty houses and villages, wood is pretty important around here!!

A longish walk from the station as an information clerk sent us out of the opposite end exit to the one we needed! But the Savoy hotel was so typically Austrian we didn't mind!

By now it was time a bite to eat so we unpacked quickly and got out to explore!
I must say my first impressions of Vienna were not so good - 'A big building, Oh! another big building, and another…..!'

We really needed a map and an information  centre - I had plans for Sunday!! We didn't really take many photos as we went through a shopping area, even fell down badly on the coffee front too - don't know what possessed us but we went into a Starbucks and had the worst coffee we've ever had!
It was getting dark by the time we left the information centre and we came across this lovely building.

As we walked around the outside everyone was dressed up and going into the Staatsoper. I had seen a sign indicating the entrance for standing room but me being me decided that this was my chance to go in the main entrance on the pretence of an enquiry so that I could take in the atmosphere!

A bit blurry as I tried to conceal the fact that I was taking photograph with my phone - Oh! the depths I'll sink to!

When we found the price of the standing only tickets we decided on the spot that we had to do it!!!

A lot of steps to climb in a short time - the performance was about to start! Not a good view but the atmosphere was amazing!

3 Euros each! There are padded leaning places and we watched up to the interval and it was in fact a prologue to the main Opera and was a complete story! Difficult to explain - if you want to find out it was 'Ariadne auf Naxos' - a Richard Strauss opera!
So glad we went, but by then we were ready to sit down for a proper meal.It was a warm night and we sat outside to have a Pork Wiener Schnitzel - delicious, and we were joined by an American lady on her own and wanted some dining company - she had seen the Prologue too and was going back in to watch the end of the opera - we decided it was time for a walk back to the hotel! Plans to be made for Sunday - our last full day before travelling again! The bed turned to be like sleeping on boards - good job we were tired!!!

Hope you'll come back for a grand experience!
Thanks for looking, Chris 

WOYWW 283

Wednesday again - already? It will be Christmas before we know it!! Julia's round up of the work (or play)desks of the World can be linked here.
My desk today is a bit of a teaser and you will have to wait till next week to find out what I'm doing…..

….but it will involve using some of these!

I must apologise if I didn't get around to returning visits(I think there were one or two) - we were away with our grandchildren and the internet connection on my phone (which used to be fine, seems to be almost non existent) I've been saying for ages that I'm going to get a new phone with different company - I think it's time I got my head around it don't you?

I have done some more holiday posts if you'd like to see photos by the way!

Thanks for looking, Chris

Dreaming magically!!

I knew straight away what my D would be - a favourite saying of my Mum's! The theme at Dragon's Dream is Red and the letter D and my D is for delight! Delight is on of my favourite words!!
I started with some ripped book paper randomly placed onto my tag, then used the TH lattice stencil by rubbing Brushed Corduroy distress ink through it. Fired brick distress all over the tag followed - I do love the way Tim layers his inks. A little bit of random stamping with a text stamp and a diamond stamp using Wendy Vechi Potting Soil Archival and then couldn't resist using some gold Mica powder.

Next came the quote, computer generated, as only one of the words seemed to be in my chit chat stickers, mounted on a small piece of packaging.I had intended using the reverse side but the words looked better on the red. Mounted this onto a piece of fabric I found in my small pencil case - don't even know why it was there! Used brushed Corduroy around the edge and then added more mica powder!

 Rubbed some paint over the word band - I love the way it highlights the words - I remember seeing Tim demonstrate this and have used this technique several times since!
The next thing was the photo, I had seen that Our Creative Corner's challenge was 'It's Magic' - to me (as you must know by now) it's a sunset!!
I had some gauze sticking out of my bag so I coloured it with the Fired Brick ink along with some Ripe Persimmon

Using it in strips across the tag enabled me to let me 'lift' the photo slightly! The photo of course is one of many that I have taken from the decking at our caravan.
Some ribbon and threads to finish and this tag is my remedies of sunny days!

I am entering in - 
The Dragons Dream TIO Challenge 178  Letter D and Red
Our Creative Corner - It's Magic
Try it on Tuesday - 'Colours of Autumn'
Anything But a Card has an 'Anything Goes' theme

Thanks for looking, Chris

A (very)Full Day in Salzburg

I really should warn you I may go on a bit………! 
Breakfast on the 15th floor with fantastic views all round - lots of folk grabbing their chances for photos including hubby!!

including the railway station below

Breakfast was pretty good too! It was good to see the sun rising!
We had bought a 24 hour ticket the day before that began on our first use so we walked a bit so that we could use it on the Saturday!
Our first stop was the Museum and Stiftkirche

Then it was coffee time - thanks to Sioux I knew where to head - Cafe Tomaselli - once Mozart's local caff!

As promised there was the cake lady

I had chosen my cake

Now this is where I was really good - we had agreed that on occasions I would be happy to have a taste of hubby's cake(I'm diabetic T2 and had promised my nurse that I would try to be sensible - more of the nurse in another post!)so I had the pointy end - it was yummy!
Then off for a walk - to the funicular railway! The pass included this so why not?

I loved this display

and this ornate door

Back down the mountain and a bite to eat then off to have a wander through a cemetery 

So peaceful and beautiful - then off to find lovely little alleyways!

Lots of decorated eggs - not my thing - I did buy some fabric ornaments though

The Austrians celebrate Autumn in style - lots of colourful displays everywhere!

Following hubby I realised that the men at the side of him were in traditional dress, some of the women too, but couldn't get a clear shot!

We noticed that although we thought it warm - 21 degrees - most of the locals wore jackets! They also put up umbrellas at a few spots of rain. 

Time for coffee and cake in a lovely partially enclosed alleyway

Not upset, just laughing because I wanted yet another photo

Thank You!!

We had something interesting to look at while we had our rest

We also visited Mozarts Birthplace, yes it was a bit commercialised but I enjoyed it - just can't remember whether it was before or after coffee!!!
It was getting darker by this time so we continued wandering the alleyways till we came to this

We were standing by the pedestrian entrance - couldn't resist seeing the other side of the  tunnel

Hmmm!

By the time we had walked back were getting hungry so headed to an Austrian restaurant - there were queues and we were asked if we minded sharing a table and ended up having our meal with a couple from Minnesota! They were slightly ahead of us so I ordered a Cheese Dumpling platter on the lady's recommendation, which should have had a mixed leaf salad but seeing that she had vegetables and me really HATING mixed leaves I asked for the same!
It was delicious!

  

Delicious - but so filling, our dining companion gave up on hers too but we did eat all the veggies - no room for me to have dessert but hubby had chicken and a dessert, he did give me a little taste too!!

So, time to catch a tram back to the hotel, packing to do and an early night - we had something we had to do the next day before we left Salzburg…..

Thanks for looking, Chris

Linking to Elizabeth and T is for Tuesday - two coffees and cakes in one day must be good!!!

I am am still on catch up with looking at and commenting on blogs, having been away with our grandchildren last week, please forgive me!

Innsbruck to…….

……..Salzburg. We had time for a little walk to the shops before we went to catch our train - I'll show you what I bought another time!
At the station I walked along the platform to take a photo of this crumbling building

On our journey lots to see

When we arrived in Salzburg our room wasn't ready but we were able to leave our cases and the receptionist gave us directions to a typical Austrian cafe where we had a delicious lunch!
A short walk, right past….C&A…...with a special 1 day sale - 20% off..so of course we had to go back there later!!!
 After lunch we walked back to the hotel and once we were ready went out again and walked down past where we had lunch, to the old town.

 Salzburg looked promising…see Sioux's blog here too!

Especially the strudel - ha ha!!

A lovely building in front of us.
We walked back to the hotel with a call in to C&A - I had intended a shop there at some time but with a discount it made sense to do it then!

A meal in the hotel was fine but would have been better if I could have had my first choice! 
With view from the window of twinkling lights we went off to bed looking forward to our full day in Salzburg!
My page for the day

Thanks for looking, Chris