Salzburg, the Sound of Music & Mozart

A view of Salzburg's Old Town from across the Salzach River

        Roses are blooming in my garden and I was reminded of the song “My Favourite things” from the movie “The Sound of Music”. It’s been raining and so I saw some “raindrops on roses…”.  I watched this movie over and over again around 20 or so years ago and several times more in recent years. The story is set in Austria, specifically Salzburg. There was mention of Vienna and Germany throughout the movie, too, but Salzburg was the star! 

        “ Edelweiss” is one of my favorite songs from that movie.

Not the real deal but you can take some home & not worry about customs & quarantine.

        The movie introduced me to Salzburg, in particular, and Austria, in general. Imagine my surprise when I went to Salzburg and most locals didn’t know about the movie, let alone the songs of my childhood! I thought they were kidding me! They weren’t!

It was a cold winter day when my group set off on our tour of Salzburg with the utter bewilderment on my part, that the locals wouldn’t be able to relate to my references to scenes/locations which I found familiar because I had seen them in the movie. If you’re still reading this, then you,  hopefully, will have a better chance of recognizing these scenes ;).

The Alps behind me. The movie began and ended with scenes of the breathtaking Alps.

At some point during the tour, our bilingual( English-Spanish) guide told me that some of the scenes in the movie weren’t even filmed in Salzburg. They were probably filmed in another location or at some movie studio using recreated sets. Still and all, that didn’t stop me from humming “ The hills are alive!” as soon as Salzburg’s hills started rolling before my eyes =)

THE hills are most certainly alive! =)

A photo of the Mirabell Gardens in full bloom
from a Salzburg Sightseeing Tours Ad.

Maria and the Von Trapp children walked around these gardens as they sang, “Doe a deer a female deer…”

My photo of the Mirabell Gardens... not in full bloom ;)
but still as serene.

My guess is that the Von Trapp family were hiding at this convent cemetery when the soldiers came looking for them after the music festival where they won the First Prize...

Maria walked through one of these arches as she left the Abbey to go to the Von Trapp family home...

Captivating Residenz Platz

As if all that wasn’t enough to keep me tourist-happy, Salzburg just happens to be the birthplace of one of the most famous musical genius of all time--- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart!

Mozart's Birthplace & Home

It would be great to revisit this place with my Mom, sister and daughter one day. Mom is a pianist and has enjoyed listening and playing some of Mozart’s most enchanting symphonies. 

As for my sister and daughter, we’ve sung Sound of Music songs in many family gatherings =).

If you’ve had your fill of culture and history, there are the quaint little shops around Salzburg waiting to be explored and enjoyed. Familiar labels abound, with outdoor advertising to match the culturally rich town.

Posh Zara signage

Many establishments are named after Salzburg's musical genius.

Everything may look a bit expensive compared to the prices we are used to in the Philippines, that’s probably because they are! But it’s not to say that you can’t find good deals around. Try the souvenir shops with the mini Mozart violins, magnets, etc.

Okay, this is a bit random but it's nice to see something familiar. My house dress which I got from Shenzhen, China has the same material as the one used in this pink robe. Nice to see a bit of Asia in Europe =)

Getting a bit hungry from all the exploring? Pretzels are a good option. This lot which I took a photo of claim to be made by the original pretzel maker in town!

You can't go wrong with 2 Euro pretzels ;)

Let you in on a REAL money-saving tip- this is what we had for breakfast at our apartment in Vienna before our tour of Salzburg:

Produce all bought from the Billa store a few steps away from our Hotel Pension Lumes apartment near Stephansplatz. Love Billa!=) European treats at a fraction of restaurant prices.

This next bit of info is a tad bit unromantic... and I shouldn't really be posting it right after food... but it's most essential! 

Please have 0.50 Euro coins ready in your pocket for when you need to use the toilet. For even if you can enter the cubicle without putting in a coin, you won’t be able to lock it!

Before I headed back to our tour group’s meeting place for departure back to Vienna, I thought I would just soak in the whole experience. I found a place to sit down, relax and simply enjoy the idyllic scenery.

A plaza such as this one is just too lovely for words!

Ahhh... such is the sound of music for me!