Tis the season...in Mondsee & St Gilgen

After seeing the highlights of the Christmas season in Salzburg we are off to explore a little more of the area around this lovely city. While in Salzburg I took a "Sound of Music" tour which took me out to the "Hills are Alive" portion of the movie...well they weren't alive - they were covered with damn snow!  Ah well...we went to the town of Mondsee where the church where Maria married the Captain is.  Funny as if I recall you don't even see the outside of the church in the movie; just the inside.  None the less we had some time to snoop around the town so here it is...

On the way we stopped for a quick shot of this house - this is the "home" the Von Trapp was supposed to have lived in.  The lake it was situated on was another location...

The church where Maria and Captain Von Trapp were married.

Interior of the church...

Yes that's sleet...oh it was a lovely day...(NOT)

Not too many out at the Advent market!!

Obviously someone had a cow parade or cows in the city, etc.  at some point

The next day I took myself off to St Gilgen as I heard it was a fabulous little town.  Originally I had planned to take the boat between several villages on the Wolfgangsee but the weather was once again horrible.  The markets are sometimes called Advent markets as they generally run through that period of time.

To me this was too adorable for words!

Cute, cute, cute!!

It was rather chilly and the thought of taking a boat around the lake...noooo thank you.  I will do that when I go back some time in warmer weather.

Makes me shiver looking at this picture but on a warm summer day it would be pure bliss.

The buildings in this village were stunning.

Mozart never lived or visited here - he had relatives here but never made it...  But it didn't stop them having a tourist trap to visit.....and of course I had to visit it...and buy a CD....

Typical Christmas market grub....the sausages were good but the sauerkraut hit the garbage...I just can't eat the stuff....I keep trying it to see if any of it will appeal..I think I will just give up.

One of the stalls with what I call "junk" ....not all of the "stuff" for sale appeals to everyone...I appreciated the markets for the variety of trinkets available and the food!  When you buy gluhwein (mulled wine) or hot chocolate you are given a ceramic mug which you pay a deposit for....if you return it you get your deposit back, otherwise it is yours.  I have four mugs from Advent markets which I pull out at Christmas for my coffee and tea.

So that's the end of our visit to Mondsee and St Gilgen...I think I hear Germany calling next....stay tuned!!!