I am Sixteen Going on Seventeen

Hold on, Pil.  No one is buying that!  You haven't been sixteen going on seventeen for--say--a gazillion years.

It's another Sound of Music reference, not a personal claim.  Sheesh.  I was at the site where the scene was filmed.

And where was that?

Schloss Heilbrunn!

I hate busses.  I'm afraid I won't have the right ticket, or I'll get on the wrong bus, or I'll get on the right bus going in the wrong direction, or I'll miss my stop.  Whew.  None of those things happened today.  This time the info on the Internet was accurate.  I crossed the river to find the bus stop.  Now it turns out I could have gotten on much closer to home, but it was a nice stroll, and I got to walk through a market.  And it wasn't one of those tourist markets either.  This was the real deal with locals and their shopping bags.  I need to go back next Thursday.

I figured out the ticket machine and waited for the bus.  It was a pleasant, but crowded jaunt out to the palace.  It was hot and muggy in town, but in the countryside it was cooler and very pleasant.

There's actually a lot to see at Heilbrunn although I did not do it all.  I am guessing the name has to do with a spring, and it may mean holy spring.  Maybe someone who knows some German can help me out.  There's a zoo, a folk art museum, and the trick fountains--all of which I opted out of in favor of the palace itself and the extensive grounds.

First I headed to the Pavilion much beloved of the Sound of Music tours where the song and scene were filmed.  It looked just as I remembered from the movie, but I am resolved to watch the movie again and play spot the spot.

The palace bills itself as the Lustig Schloss or Palace of Pleasure built by Mark Sitikuss one of the Prince Bishops of Salzburg.  I got the impression he was more politician than prelate.  No mistresses were mentioned, but I don't know if there were none or the guide was being discreet. The building is a fine example of Baroque, but some of the surviving decoration looks Renaissance to me. The audio guide is helpful, but it does not take long to see the rooms.  In one is a unicorn.

You need to stop claiming to see unicorns.  You said you saw one in Denmark, too.

Yeah well.  There was a stuffed rearing horse with a narwhal horn stuck in its forehead.  What would you call it?

Then I turned to what I Really Came For--the park.  It was lovely, green, and peaceful, and I was able to get away from the tourist crowds.  There are lots of paths and good walking, as well as places to sit and picnic.  I think this would be a great place for a picnic.  I walked a lot and ended up footsore and returned to the palace via the formal gardens and ponds.  In one of the ponds there are sturgeons.

I also heard the shrieks and laughter from the folks braving the tour through the the Trick Fountain Garden.  One is guaranteed to get wet.

Dinner this evening is going to be Italian.  I am sipping some rather nice Prosecco right now as an aperitif.  I am going to polish off the tortellini.  My excuse is that the Hapsburgs the ruling family of the Austrian Empire controlled most of the Italian peninsula until they were kicked out in the mid nineteenth century.  I dress my pasta with some lovely Tuscan oil I got at the grocery.  It cost a lot more than the wine I bought, but it's very nice.