Salzburg, Vienna and Prague June 10-17, 2017
This was the first BIG tour we had ever done. Sean was in the FWYO (Forth Worth Youth Orchestra) playing cello. The orchestra was going to perform internationally and we would travel by following in Mozart's steps in Salzburg and Vienna, Austria and Prague, Czech. Sean and I were going and we were excited!
Hallein - Salzburg, Austria
June 11
We arrived at Munich, Germany and were transported by 2 big buses of 80 people and musical instruments to Salzburg, Austria. The scenery on the way was beautiful. We stopped for a quick lunch (Burger King's chicken nuggets) at a gas station in Munich.
One interesting thing here in Germany was we had to pay to use the restrooms. I was glad we prepared coins as we were warned before.
The traffic was pretty bad on Sunday. We finally arrived at Hallein Salt Mine, underground salt mine located in the Dürrnberg. Once we walked in the building, we had to wear white outfits/overalls that were prepared for us. We took a short train ride into the mine and the tour guide walked us through the tunnels. The part I liked the most was when we were sliding down to the lower level. It was scary at first but it was fun. I did it twice. A boat ride across underground salt-lake was also nice. After the tour was done, we received a small salt container as a souvenir.
We then visited the famous field featured in the opening sequence of the "Sound of Music". We also had group pictures taken here. After a short visit, we moved on to our hotel in Salzburg (the city of Mozart's birthplace). The hotel was surrounded by mountains and the view from the hotel was breath-taking. The young musicians had a rehearsal scheduled tonight.
June 12
After breakfast, local guides joined us for a city tour in Salzburg, the birthplace of one of the world's greatest composers - Mozart. We visited the St. Sebastian Cemetery (with the graves of Mozart's wife and father), Mirabell Gardens, and Mozart's Birthplace/Museum and Salzburg Cathedral.
We walked across the colorful love locks bridge and took many pictures. Sean and I had a good lunch at Restaurant Zipfer Bierhaus, and tasted a huge original pretzel selling on a street near by the restaurant. We just relaxed and had a great time visiting the city.
In the evening, the kids performed an amazing concert in The Great Hall of the Mozarteum. We had awesome audiences. It was a perfect first concert.
Vienna - Eisenstatdt, Austria
June 13
We continued our journey to Vienna (Mozart's childhood place) known as a city of dreams! We visited Vienna State Opera House and explored many other historical sites and magnificent buildings including the Cathedral during our walking tour. In the afternoon, we visited the grave yards of all famous musicians including the Mozart memorial, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms and a lot more. The kids got to lay a rose on one of their favorite musicians graveyard. It was such a good experience for them.
July 14
Another day in Vienna, Sean and I decided to go to the market and got some souvenirs first thing in the morning. Then we walked back to explore the city again and tried famous and delicious cake at Café Sacher. We bought a quick lunch (hotdogs) before it was time to meet with everyone at the buses.
Tonight the kids performed at Esterhazy Palace in the town of Eisenstadt. Before the concert we toured the Palace and had a great dinner at a local restaurant. Eisenstadt was a small but cute town located about one hour drive from Vienna.
Prague, Czech
July 15
Our journey continued as we traveled from Vienna to Prague. After we arrived the hotel in Prague, we explored by walking around the city and checked out a mall. The dinner was at a nice local restaurant, Velka Klasterni Restaurace. We were told the city view of Prague near by the restaurant was amazing and it was true. WOW!
We ended our day with Krizik's Musical Fountain.
July 16
Continued to enjoy Prague by touring Prague Castle and St. Cathedral and learned about its history.
Our walking tours continued with a visit to the Museum of Music, then the highlight was to walk across Charles Bridge into Old Town. Every hour, people were waiting to see the famous Astronomical Clock in action. The performance was a must-see attraction.
The concert finale was performed in the Church of Sts. Simon and Jude in Prague. We had a full house of audiences and wonderful performance. After dinner, we enjoyed the awesome night in Prague on a cruise sponsored by the conductor.
The youth orchestra had done a wonderful job performing in 3 beautiful cities. I know this would be a great experience for each of them. Prague, Salzburg and Vienna are gorgeous. Each city has unique characters and its own charms. I really want to come back with my whole family and spend more relax time in these countries/cities especially Prague and Salzburg. Till we meet again!
Other trips:
- Canada (Calgary, Banff, Jasper and Yoho)
- Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Monica and Venice Beach
- Transit Tour in Hong Kong
- Salzburg, Vienna and Prague
- Southern Laos
- Japan (Tokyo-Hakone-Kawagoe)
- Washington State
- Universal Studios, FL
- NOLA and Bahamas
- Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon and Antalop Canyon
- Paris, France
- Montserrat and Barcelona, Spain
- Dubai
- Laos (Vang Vieng and Vientien)
- Disney World, FL
- Skiing Red River, NM
- Niagara Falls, Toronto, San Francisco and Los Angeles
- Western Caribbean Cruise (Jamaica, Cayman Island and mexico)
- Camping Guadalupe River, TX
Hallein - Salzburg, Austria
June 11
We arrived at Munich, Germany and were transported by 2 big buses of 80 people and musical instruments to Salzburg, Austria. The scenery on the way was beautiful. We stopped for a quick lunch (Burger King's chicken nuggets) at a gas station in Munich.
One interesting thing here in Germany was we had to pay to use the restrooms. I was glad we prepared coins as we were warned before.
The traffic was pretty bad on Sunday. We finally arrived at Hallein Salt Mine, underground salt mine located in the Dürrnberg. Once we walked in the building, we had to wear white outfits/overalls that were prepared for us. We took a short train ride into the mine and the tour guide walked us through the tunnels. The part I liked the most was when we were sliding down to the lower level. It was scary at first but it was fun. I did it twice. A boat ride across underground salt-lake was also nice. After the tour was done, we received a small salt container as a souvenir.
After breakfast, local guides joined us for a city tour in Salzburg, the birthplace of one of the world's greatest composers - Mozart. We visited the St. Sebastian Cemetery (with the graves of Mozart's wife and father), Mirabell Gardens, and Mozart's Birthplace/Museum and Salzburg Cathedral.
In the evening, the kids performed an amazing concert in The Great Hall of the Mozarteum. We had awesome audiences. It was a perfect first concert.
June 13
We continued our journey to Vienna (Mozart's childhood place) known as a city of dreams! We visited Vienna State Opera House and explored many other historical sites and magnificent buildings including the Cathedral during our walking tour. In the afternoon, we visited the grave yards of all famous musicians including the Mozart memorial, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms and a lot more. The kids got to lay a rose on one of their favorite musicians graveyard. It was such a good experience for them.
Our dinner tonight was at a local nice restaurant. We enjoyed foods, fresh grape juice and live music out door.
July 14
Another day in Vienna, Sean and I decided to go to the market and got some souvenirs first thing in the morning. Then we walked back to explore the city again and tried famous and delicious cake at Café Sacher. We bought a quick lunch (hotdogs) before it was time to meet with everyone at the buses.
Prague, Czech
July 15
Our journey continued as we traveled from Vienna to Prague. After we arrived the hotel in Prague, we explored by walking around the city and checked out a mall. The dinner was at a nice local restaurant, Velka Klasterni Restaurace. We were told the city view of Prague near by the restaurant was amazing and it was true. WOW!
We ended our day with Krizik's Musical Fountain.
Continued to enjoy Prague by touring Prague Castle and St. Cathedral and learned about its history.
Our walking tours continued with a visit to the Museum of Music, then the highlight was to walk across Charles Bridge into Old Town. Every hour, people were waiting to see the famous Astronomical Clock in action. The performance was a must-see attraction.
The concert finale was performed in the Church of Sts. Simon and Jude in Prague. We had a full house of audiences and wonderful performance. After dinner, we enjoyed the awesome night in Prague on a cruise sponsored by the conductor.
The youth orchestra had done a wonderful job performing in 3 beautiful cities. I know this would be a great experience for each of them. Prague, Salzburg and Vienna are gorgeous. Each city has unique characters and its own charms. I really want to come back with my whole family and spend more relax time in these countries/cities especially Prague and Salzburg. Till we meet again!
Other trips:
- Canada (Calgary, Banff, Jasper and Yoho)
- Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Monica and Venice Beach
- Transit Tour in Hong Kong
- Salzburg, Vienna and Prague
- Southern Laos
- Japan (Tokyo-Hakone-Kawagoe)
- Washington State
- Universal Studios, FL
- NOLA and Bahamas
- Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon and Antalop Canyon
- Paris, France
- Montserrat and Barcelona, Spain
- Dubai
- Laos (Vang Vieng and Vientien)
- Disney World, FL
- Skiing Red River, NM
- Niagara Falls, Toronto, San Francisco and Los Angeles
- Western Caribbean Cruise (Jamaica, Cayman Island and mexico)
- Camping Guadalupe River, TX
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