The Sound Of Music at Salzburg

Day 12
April 19, 2009
Salzburg

I grew up watching "The Sound of Music". We had a betamax tape of the movie, so I got to watch it multiple times during my childhood. I even used the film for my movie report back in grade school, twice! I was also able to watch a local production of the musical a few years ago. So, when the chance to go to Salzburg came, en route to Munich from Vienna, I grabbed it and forced my friends to come with me on the "Sound of Music" tour. And of course, I watched the film one more time a few days before I left Manila.

On April 18, we arrived at Salzburg at 10 PM on a Saturday night, after a 2.5 hour train ride from Vienna. We stayed at Hotel-Pension Adlerhof, which was just 2 blocks away from the train station. Our room was spacious and simply-furnished. The tour van picked us up early the next morning and brought us to the starting point of the tour, where Mary, the tour guide, and the unmistakable tour bus were waiting for us.



Mary had got to be the best tour guide ever. She was very funny and informative that I think Marlon fell head over heels in love with her (In our succeeding tours, he kept wishing Mary was the tour guide).

Our first stop was at the Leopoldskron lake, where Maria and the seven children went boating and then fell off the boat. Across the lake was the Leopoldskron Castle, which was used as the back exterior of the Trapp mansion. Apparently, another mansion was used for the front exterior, which we quickly passed through during the tour.





We then went to Hellbrunn Castle where the glass pavilion, used in "Sixteen Going On Seventeen" sequence, was reconstructed for the tour. It was transferred there from Leopoldskron Castle since tourists are not allowed near the castle.





Outside Hellbrunn Castle was the street where Maria danced her way through and sang "I Have Confidence in Me" on the way to the mansion.



We had a quick stopover to see Nonnberg Abbey, where the nuns sang "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria" at the start of the film. It was actually here where the baron and Maria married in 1927.



We had another stopover for a breathtaking view of St.Gilgen and Lake Wolfgang, the scenaries shown at the beginning of the movie.



Here are more views from the bus:





We then went to Mondsee Cathedral where Maria and the baron wed in the movie. I am not sure if the church interior was used in the film because it looked really small compared to what was shown in the film.




We had a quick lunch at cafe Braun, famous for its Apple Struddel, which was really really good and should not be missed when visiting Salzburg.



The last stop was at the Mirabell Gardens where Maria and the children were seen dancing around the statue of Pegasus, the winged horse, and throughout the gardens singing 'Do-Re-Mi'.






We spent the rest of the afternoon on Austrian Lakes and Mountains Salzburg Sightseeing Tour, where we went to Lake district and St. Wolfgang.

Schonbrunn Palace tour in Vienna

Day 11
April 18, 2009
Vienna

The next morning, Rissa's childhood friend, Aring, and her brother, who have migrated to Vienna several years ago, brought us to Schronbruun Palace, the imperial summer residence. We skipped the state apartments and just strolled around the vast area surrounding the palace, which was inpired by the Versialles.







We went to Gloriette, a viewing terrace with a spectacular view of the palace.







We then literally lost ourselves in Maze & Labyrinth. It took me a while to get to the end of the maze while the others went at the end of the maze thru the exit.







We had few more hours before our departure to Salzburg so we decided to make a quick visit of Prater, where the popular Giant Ferris Wheel called Riesenrad is. I think we stayed for an hour, 30 minutes of which I spent at the restroom for a mild case of diarrhea. It was a nice way to end my Vienna trip.

Around Ring Boulevard in Vienna

Day 10
April 17, 2009
Vienna

We arrived at Vienna at 12 noon, after a 4 hour comfortable bus ride from Prague. The bus station was around what seems to be the financial district and we took the underground train to get to our hotel, which surprisingly was located right in the middle of a popular shopping district at the Ring Boulevard, at the top of LaCoste store, no less:



The hotel we booked, Pension Nossek, was elegant and old-fashioned. After checking-in, we walked around the area to find a place to sample Vienna's cuisine but ended up at Mcdonald's!





Near our hotel, we went to see one of the major tourist destinations in Vienna, the Stephansdom (St. Stephen's Cathedral), which has survived through many wars and has become a symbol of Vienna's freedom.



We later on went to Hofburg, which used to be the political centre of the monarchy. Now, it is the seat of government of the democratic Republic of Austria.




Inside, we saw the Imperial Silver Collection, set of elaborate dining centerpieces and valuable golden and silverwares.






We also saw the Imperial Apartments, where we gained an insight into the lives of Austria's most illustrious imperial couple, Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife Elisabeth, also known as Sisi. We also visited the Sisi museum, where we got to know more about the legend of Sisi.

After Hofburg, we walked around Ring Boulevard. We chanced upon the Museum of Fine Arts and its counterpart the Museum of Natural History.





We spent the rest of the evening at the shopping area around the hotel. I bought myself a pair of handsome brown leather shoes, made in Italy, worth 120 euros!

Another day at Prague

Day 9
April 16, 2009
Prague

Come Thursday morning, I found that our ticket to the Prague castle complex was not fully used yet. We missed some attractions, including the Golden Lane, which was included in the book '100 Great Wonders of the World.' I thought we have already passed through it on our way to the exit the other day, but apparently not. There was also the Powder tower which I thought might provide a wonderful view of the castle complex.

As it turned out, the tower only housed an exhibition of the Prague Castle guard. It was not even high enough to provide any view at all. The Golden Lane, on the other hand, was a charming narrow lane lined with little houses.



There is an exhibit of armors and weaponry...



as well as souvenirs like toys, marionettes, and glasswares, for sale




We spent the afternoon at a shopping area downtown, where I saw a Crumpler store. It really did not make sense to buy an Australian-brand bag in Prague, but I bought one for my SLR.

Late in the afternoon, we went back to Old town square and chanced upon the 65m-tall Powder Tower



We then went to Charles bridge, Prague's most familiar monument.




The bridge provided us a wonderful view of the Vltava river valley.