More Travels With No Shoes: Salzburg

This morning, it's time for the Sound of Music tour! If anyone is unaware, all Alison asked for on this trip was The Sound of Music tour and Venice. She hasn't known anything about any part of the holiday until the night before when I give her tomorrow's itinerary sheet. It's a total mystery tour. Hilarious!

It's also hilarious that often when we meet people, they say, "Oh, where are you going next?" And I have to send Alison away to tell them - so there are random people we have met travelling who know more about this holiday than Alison does!

So today is the Sound of Music day and after breakfast, we head off to the meeting place - check the bus...

And that is David, our guide, who is British, very funny and an excellent guide. Zoran is our driver and he gets us through the narrow streets of the city with ease.

Excited much?

The Sound of Music was filmed in 1964 and released in 1967. It was based on the book written by Maria Von Trapp after the Captain died. She didn't love the movie, said 20% of it was all wrong, but, as David said, that means it is 80% right!

We all know the story but in a nutshell, she went to the Abbey, wasn't really suited to it so the Mother Abbess sent her off to look after one of the Captain's daughters, who was sick with the scarlet fever that killed her mother. Maria got on well with the children - eventually - the Captain fell in love with her and they married.

They had children of their own, they didn't do the concert and then run away and climb over the mountain, they got a train to Italy and went to America. If they had climbed the mountains they climbed in the movie, they would have ended up in Germany!

It's a magnificent day today, look at this, taken from the bus!

We set off through the city, David points out a few of the places that were used, including the Nonnberg Abbey, where we can't actually stop as it is still a functioning abbey. The fortress appears in some parts, the onion top of the Abbey can just be seen.

There is a scene on Mozart's Bridge that we walked over yesterday and again today and never got a photo of it!

Then to the first stop - and it's one we know...

We had seen the tour bus arrive the day before and Alison did recognise David. This was used as the exterior and they wanted to used the front but needed to cut some trees down. They weren't given permission to do that so they used the exterior of another building further up the road and had to film it around both houses.

This was the lake that they fall out of the boat into. The girl playing Gretel couldn't swim and Julie Andrews was meant to hold on to her but in the final take, Julie actually did fall and fell the other way. They had to cut the shot so they could all race in and save Gretel, who promptly refused to do it again. Apparently, everyone tried to make it up to her by giving her lollies and treats and she put on a bit of weight, so much so that when it came to the last scene, Christopher Plummer was meant to piggyback her up the mountain and he said, "I'm not carrying that fat kid." So they used a double and turned her face away!

Leopoldskrun faces the mountain they climbed in the movie that actually leads to Germany...

On the way to the next stop we pass the other house they used for the exterior, where Maria runs along and into the gate, singing I Have Confidence, and a couple of other scenes.

Can't go here either, it's private property. The bus can't stop either, so we all click frantically as we pass.

Next stop - Hellbrunn Palace again, where they keep the gazebo. It had been kept at Leopoldskrun but the crowds were too big. It was moved across the lake (which is where I saw it 30 years ago) but it wasn't looked after, getting vandalised and locals complained. So it was moved to the grounds of Hellbrunn and now it is kept locked after an elderly couple tried to recreate I Am 16 Going on 17 and the woman fell, broke a window, cut her leg and broke a hip!

There is a tribute to Charmian Carr, who played Liesel, and who died last year.

We have become quite the expert photographer tourists - move to the front of the pack as David is talking about the gazebo, run before anyone else and snap two shots before anyone has even made their way there - has to be two shots because we can't see without glasses and don't know if it's in focus!

I forgot to mention yesterday, when we were getting the tickets to Hellbrunn, the lady asked us if we were retired! We did say no, hoping the retirement age in Austria is 40 - how old do we look? She gave us the concession price anyway, which was kind, but seriously, how old do we look?

Anyway, back to today - there is also the path Maria skips down on her way to the house...

Next, we are heading into the lakes district, David is playing the music now and everyone is singing along. David is hilarious, conducting and commentating and just being very entertaining.

It's very funny, with all the nationalities on the bus, everyone knows the songs and sings along. We have an Asian lady behind us who sings it all, with an Asian lilt to it.

It's quite a moment, to be singing Do Re Mi while driving through the Austrian countryside.

We arrive in Mondsee, a little village that has the church where they filmed the wedding scene - the church isn't quite as large as it appears, more trickery...

And here is David, telling us to be back in time!

We have an hour here to look at the church, have a wander, get a coffee. I got a book on the making of the movie and a little calendar, so happy with those. Then back on the bus to go back to Salzburg. David plays a little video on the making of it as we take the more boring freeway route. Perfect! Here they are on the video, going the wrong way over the mountain...

David tells us that the real Maria actually appears in the movie. She had come to visit while they were filming and she saw a few rushes. She didn't like the way they were portraying the Captain and was complaining a lot, so the director asked if she'd like to be in it, to distract her. And it worked and she is in the movie in the background.

We arrive back at Mirabell Palace, a little bit late, so we skip past the gardens to head to our next activity. We can go back afterwards. It's only a short walk but the door is locked and there are no signs of life. We wander around a bit, in case we are at the wrong place, but no, it doesn't seem like it is open. We head back to the hotel so I can email and see what has happened.

We decide to have lunch at a restaurant with wifi and wait for a reply, but no joy, so we head back to Mirabell Palace and look at the location points for Do Re Mi...

Back to the hotel, having a fabulous walk on the way... What a city this is!

We get back to the hotel and there is an email from Johann - there was a bit of a mixup but can we go at 8pm tonight. Yes, we can! So we pop out for a quick bite - with an old mom-and-pop team - him serving and we think she was cooking. It was all anyone could do to get his attention, he was so busy at his computer. But it was too funny, we were laughing with the couple sitting next to us, even though we didn't speak the same language. Then pop made a salad, just scooped out bits of lettuce and threw them into a bowl - we all laughed, lots. He was sweet, though, a group of kids came in trick or treating and he gave them all a little lemonade.

Then, finally, to our afternoon activity that was now taking place at night - our apple strudel cooking class! This rather unusual building is to be the scene of the crime.

These doors were closed and bolted today, but tonight, they are open and Johann is waiting for us, cutting up apples as he waits. And let's just say that Johann is keeping up the standard of the Austrian men! This building, though, used to be a tax office - it's right next to a tunnel with a road leading into town and everyone had to pass by and pay the city tax. There are apparently lots of buildings like this, carved into the rock face.

Anyway, onto the class - Johann shows us first up how to put together the strudel mixture and then to roll the dough.

It's actually pretty straightforward, the most complicated part is pulling the dough, and it doesn't matter if you get holes in it - the main aim is to get it as thin as possible - Johann says his grandmother used to say you should be able to read the newspaper through it.

So Johann shows us how and then it's our turn...

Then they are into the oven for half an hour and Johann shows us the local dish, Salzburger Nockerl, which is all egg whites, one yolk, like a soufflé, with a spoon of cranberry jam at the bottom. They are in peaks and are meant to represent the three hills of Salzburg. Again, quite simple, once you know how!

Johann is a chef who runs this cooking school in the summer and goes to the mountains in the snow season to work as a chef. He's really lovely and was very good to open up tonight after the misunderstanding with the tickets, I had been really disappointed that we might miss it and was very happy when he said we could come tonight. He also took a heap of photos for us! Then he pottered about and tidied up while we were waiting for everything to cook and we both felt like we wanted to help but he said he had a routine and it was fine.

Everything cooked and look how good it looks!