This morning we got up with plans to do some touring of the city and take the Sound of Music Tour. Before we could do that we needed to deal with plans for tomorrow when we will continue on to Vienna by finding and booking a hotel. This is never a quick task since we like to research the hotels options, get a sense of location and how to get to them when we arrive.
Then we wanted to book our tickets for the Lippizan Stallion performance on Sunday. We had to use Skype to phone and sort out some issues with booking online but finally managed to get this done. As you may not realize, all this took almost 1 ½ hours so we did not even get out for breakfast until 9:30 and then we found that it was really very chilly outside.
Since the Sound of Music tour is scheduled for the afternoon, we decided to do some walking touring of Salzburg and in the process stop by the railway station to pick up our tickets for tomorrow. This city is incredible to look at with the history, architecture and breathtaking mountains backdrop. First a bit of history.
Salzburg is on the banks of the Salzach River, at the northern boundary of the Alps. The mountains to the south contrast with the rolling plains to the north.
The Life of Saint Rupert credits the 8th-century saint with the city's rebirth. When Theodo of Bavaria asked Rupert to become bishop c. 700, Rupert reconnoitred the river for the site of his basilica. Rupert chose Juvavum (Salzburg’s former name), ordained priests, and annexed the manor Piding. Rupert named the city "Salzburg". He traveled to evangelise among pagans. The name Salzburg means "Salt Castle". It derives its name from the barges' carrying salt on the Salzach River, which were subject to a toll in the 8th century, as was customary for many communities and cities on European rivers.
Salzburg ("Salt Castle") is the fourth-largest city in Austria and the city of the federal state of Salzburg. Salzburg's "Old Town" has internationally renowned baroque architecture and one of the best-preserved city centres north of the Alps. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The city is noted for its Alpine setting.
Some highlights and sights would include:
· Convent of Nonnberg (founded about 700 AD);
· Hohensalsburg Fortress, founded in 1077 and considered to be one of the best preserved fortresses in Europe;
· Dome Cathedral which was first built in the 8th Century;
· St. Peter’s Monastery founded around 700 AD;
· Franciscan Church with a foundation of 700 AD;
· Mirabell Palace and Gardens
Salzburg was the birthplace of 18th-century composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In the mid-20th century, the city was the setting for parts of the American musical and film The Sound of Music, which features famous landmarks in Austria.
We returned to the hotel in time to be picked up for the Sound of Music Tour and spent a couple of hours being driven around to a variety of areas where scenes for the movie had been filmed.
We started with a wonderful ride with breathtaking views of the landscape where the opening scenes were filmed. An English-speaking guide showed the highlights of the film but also the historical and architectural landmarks in the city which included a part of the lake district. Here are some of the highlights.
Mirabell Gardens: The Mirabell Gardens were laid out in the 18th century. Maria and the children were seen dancing around the statue of Pegasus, the winged horse, and throughout the gardens singing 'Do-Re-Mi'.
Leopoldskron Castle: The front side of the castle was used as the Trapp family home, the children were boating on the Leopoldskron Lake and fell into the water. The Venetian room was copied from the castle and used as the ballroom.
Hellbrunn Castle: This hunting castle was built in the early 17th century by Prince-Archbishop Markus Sittikus. In the gardens the glass pavilion was reconstructed for the pleasure of those fans still returning after 30 years.
Nonnberg Abbey: Nonnberg Abbey is the oldest convent in the German speaking part of Europe. Maria was a novice there. The baron and Maria were married here in 1927. The scenes for the movie made here include the opening with the nuns going to Mass and Maria coming too late.
St.Gilgen and Lake Wolfgang: Scenery shown at the beginning of the movie was filmed at Lake Fuschl on the way to St. Gilgen. Like the Mozart family, visitors from all over the world appreciate the beautiful village in the Salzkammergut.
Wedding Church Mondsee: In Mondsee Cathedral the film wedding between Julie Andrews as Maria and Christopher Plummer as the Baron took place.
The tour took 4 hours and it was very entertaining and informative. Everyone on the tour were English speaking with a good portion from Canada. We returned to the center of the city at the end of the tour so Wes and I walked around Mairabell Gardens before returning to the hotel. What a wonderful day this was and we realized that there is so much more to explore here than we have time. However, we will want to return but at a different time of year. It was too cold and too early in the season to enjoy any hiking in the mountains around (and there are lots of possibilities).
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