Werfen - Tuesday

As the weather didn't seem to be improving, we decided to find something to do indoors.  Our host at the camping site had recommended the Haus der Natur in Salzburg, which was a town high on our list to visit.  So, to Salzburg we went.  The Nature House was great for the kids, with a dinosaur exhibition, a large aquarium and rooms of stuffed European animals - although this always traumatises my youngest because she thinks all animals are cute and cuddly.

Afterwards, we decided to find a snack for lunch.  There was a great food market that sold delicious pretzels of all varieties.  We bought a cheese-topped one to share and then found an awesome traditional konditori where we had strudel and Sachertorte.  Yum!  (Although my Mum's Sachertorte is better!)

Luckily the weather had improved greatly by this point.  We staggered out fit to burst and decided to walk it off by exploring more of the beautiful town.  Almost every building in Salzburg was an architectural delight.  We found our way to the cathedral, the Dom, which had a clear view up to Salzburg fortress.  Much to the girls' disgust, Carlo and I wanted to investigate - but I insisted on using the funicular...

The fortress itself was absolutely spectacular and the views from it even more so.  There were a number of exhibitions housed in the various buildings and the crowning glory for me was the state rooms on the upper floor.  The girls were completely bored by this time so I climbed the wooden staircase alone and was immediately awed by the vaulted ceiling of the upper hallway.  However, this was nothing compared to the rooms off of it.  First, the Golden Hall (inner geek grinning at the Lord of the Rings parallel!)  The walls were ornately carved and the ceiling was coffered in a deep green, studded with gold buttons.  Leading off from that, the Golden Chamber was possibly even grander, with benches and doorways carved with animals and fruit.

After such a busy day we didn't much feel like cooking on a gas stove so we decided to sample the pizzas offered by Marie at the campsite.  A few (or more) slices of pepperoni went down very well indeed.  It was a lovely end to the day and hopefully a sign that our fortunes had changed.  Which makes it much more boring for you, Dear Reader, but I shan't apologise for that!