Austria: From Salt-Mine to Crystal-Maze, Mozart and The Sound of Music

The Seduction/Abduction of Europa, painting on Royal Crockery.
[ From the Royal collection of Queen Maria Theresa at Hofburg Palace, Vienna. ]
[From Wikipedia:]In Greek mythology, Europa (Greek Ευρώπη) was a Phoenician woman of an aristrocratic family, from whom the name of the continent Europe has ultimately been taken. (Apparently there is a statue "Abduction of Europa" in front of the European Parliament building in Strasbourg, France.) ( In fact, I first came to know this story from Greek mythology during the earlier Greece trip, while browsing a souvenir shop in Corinth, when I asked the shop-owner the significance of the Lady with the Bull, which I noticed on 2 Euro coins there, and then seeing it as a sort of leitmotif in some artworks around.)
According to legend, Zeus fell for the beauty of Europa and to seduce or ravish her, He transformed himself into a tame white bull and mixed in with her father's herds. While Europa and her female attendants were gathering flowers, she saw the bull, caressed his flanks, and eventually got onto his back. Zeus took that opportunity and ran to the sea and swam, with her on his back, to the island of Crete. He then revealed his true identity, and Europa became the first queen of Crete and Zeus fathered her children.
As the legend goes, the people of Crete and much of Greeks were considered to be their descendants. Later Europa stood for mainland Greece, and by 500 BC its meaning had been extended to lands to the north.
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For The Body and The Soul!..

East Meets West in these Roadside adverts targeting the Mind and the Body, in Salzburg.

Amazingly camouflaged into the Alpine landscape, the entrance to the stunning
Swarovski Crystal World, Innsbruck.The Crystal World is subterranean, hidden in that landscape. The face of the hill has been carved into the water-spouting head of an Alpine giant. His eyes are made of two enormous crystals that reflect the colour of the sun.
This is next to the huge main processing factory of Swarovski.

World's largest crystal, weighing 62kg, having 100 facets (It's larger than a football.)
@ Swarovski Crystal World, Innsbruck.

Art in Crystal. Melting Time, by Salvador Dalí, the Spanish surrealist artist. @ Swarovski Crystal World, Innsbruck.

Crystal Art. Giant Jellyfish model @ Swarovski Crystal World, Innsbruck.

For Mozart-aficionados. A Mozart-special Chocolatier in Salzburg, his hometown.
RockSalt looking red, because of its iron content.Inside the Salt Mine, at Hallein,Bad Dürrnberg near Salzburg; one of the world's oldest mines.. The Celts were digging salt from here around 2000years ago!
Salt may seem very insignificant to us today, but it was considered as 'While Gold' some centuries ago and holds the key to the immense wealth of Salzburg's past, and of course we realise it's deeply "ingrained" in the identity and existance of Salzburg, when we look at how it got its name!.. Salz means Salt in German.
Austria-Germany international border under the Alps, inside the Salt Mine.