Trick Fountains...

After our divine climb up and down Untersberg, we were on a bus headed to Schloss Hellbrunn.

Bye bye, mountain! It was fun while it lasted.

Now a popular tourist spot, Hellbrunn Palace was once a popular and entertaining country retreat for the Salzburg elite during the summer months. It is home to acres upon acres of gardens and ponds, as well as the famous (and super bizarre) trick fountains. (More on those crazy things later.)

Naturally, after our Alpine ascent, we were quite exhausted. But this was our last evening in Austria, so we had to make the most of it. Someone needed a quick power nap for rejuvenation. And to dry out his snow-soaked shoes.

I'm telling you, we did not hear the end of how great this nap was. It lasted maybe 20 minutes, but from the way Matthew spoke of it, it may well have been the best 20 minutes of his life. Birds chirping, sun shining, breeze blowing, etc.

I took the down time to explore around the gardens. Recognize this beauty? "You are sixteen going on seventeen, fellows will fall in line..." Unfortunately, the gazebo is locked at all times. Too many twisted tourist ankles from uncoordinated folk (like myself) trying to recreate the famous bench-jumping choreography.

And look what else I found! See the pollen on his back? Ah, the glories of modern day zooming technologies.

Untersberg was still with us in the distance. I guess Matthew was right. This was a pretty peaceful place for a snooze.

Sadly, we could not waste the day dreaming, so Reuben and I woke Matthew up and dragged him down the drive to the royal(?) residence.

This was actually a view from the back of the building, but whatever. The interior was not particularly impressive; however, I loved the distressed turquoise shutters against the buttery yellow paint.

Fabulous.

Fake engagement pic, coming right up. I may have no future in modeling, but look at that stud beside me. Unfairly photogenic.

Now, on to the extremely odd trick fountain tour. To say we were on edge is not a strong enough conveyance of our emotions. We were very tightly wound during this tour. I mean, it involves the word "trick." How else are you supposed to feel besides vulnerable and anxious? There were multiple warnings about covering up your camera equipment. And our guide was wearing a rain coat and fisherman's hat.

Luckily we were seated out of the splash zone for the first fountain demo. This psycho schloss owner guy had all these hidden spouts installed in his backyard specifically for the purpose of terrorizing his guests. They would have their well-dressed selves seated around this table for a nice meal, and whoopsie! Water up their butt cracks! Not okay. What a mean man.

And this is totally normal, right? I kind of wanted to ask our guide if the trick fountain genius was on drugs, but I thought that could be misconstrued as an arrogant American question. Maybe it's just a slice of Austrian humor. Don't get it.

Oh and this treasure was even more weird. It played music, and all the figurines moved. There was a bear being chased by circus people, various livestock being executed, and creepy carnival-like, tinkling noises. If not drugs, I'm guessing alcohol was involved somewhere along the lines of creating such novel forms of entertainment.

Matt foolishly volunteered us for this part. He had to squat so the arches of water didn't hit him in the head. Thanks, Reuben, for holding my camera at a safe distance.

Then, it was inside a scary version of Ariel's grotto to watch a crown be rocketed to the ceiling on a geyser-type fountain. The tour guide kept making jokes about me being an American princess and putting the crown on my head. And then he drew lines from lots of famous American speeches as the water pushed the crown up higher. "I have a dream!" "Yes, we can!" "One giant leap for mankind!" It was funny, but simultaneously nerve-wracking. I didn't want to get trapped in there.

Directly behind me was my only means of escape - a window that appeared to have been transplanted from Snow White's cottage. There is just no way to describe the peculiarity of this place. Part fairy tale, part goat-filled-astrological trip, complete with slain satyrs.

Needless to say, by the end of the tour, we were ready to get the heck out of there!

Leaving the mountains, trick fountains, and The Sound of Music behind us, we hopped on a train to Munich. The urbanity of Munich was a stark contrast to the scenic ruggedness of Salzburg, but it was still enjoyable in its own way. Looking forward to sharing our pictures of city surfers, Olympic venues, and apple strudel tomorrow!