Echoes of the Sound of Music: Schloss Leopoldskron, Salzburg

On my recent visit to Salzburg, Austria, I stayed at the Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron.

This was no accident. I had been commissioned to write an article marking the 50th anniversary of The Sound of Music, the popular musical movie which starred Julie Andrews as a singing wannabe nun and opened in 1965.

The "schloss" in the title is actually the stately home next door to the hotel complex. Luckily my first day in Salzburg was sunny, so here it is in all its glory:

That's the rear of the house, facing the lake, where you find this:

If the seahorse gate looks familiar, it's because it featured in the film; particularly in the sequence wherein Maria brings the children back to the house by boat, and they all end up in the drink.

The house's facade doesn't appear on screen at all, by the way. For technical reasons it was substituted with another stately home, so only the gardens reached the silver screen. And here they are:

That terrace is, I believe, where Uncle Max, the Captain and the Baroness drank their strange pink lemonade. "Not too sweet, not too sour." "Just too... pink."

And though I don't believed it appeared on screen, this is the extraordinary room in the Schloss where guests have breakfast:

The guest rooms are next door, and in contrast have a distinctly contemporary feel...

... and this is the path which takes you from the hotel to the Old Town of Salzburg. I almost expected to see Maria bursting forth into song here. The hills are alive, indeed. So are the flat bits.

Disclosure: On this trip I was hosted by the Austrian National Tourist Office. You can read my article for The Age about the Sound of Music bus tour by clicking here. 

Dinner at the Art History Museum, Vienna

The exterior of Vienna's Art History (or Kunsthistorisches) Museum looks like this:

Impressive, isn't it? Vienna is full of such relics of its imperial past. A century ago the city was the hub of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and into imperial capitals flow riches which can be spent on grand edifices evoking both culture and power. 

Think of London, Paris, Berlin or Rome, each with imposing remnants of empire.

Vienna has more than most, partly because of the Ringstrasse (Ring Road) which replaced the old city walls from 1865 - in fact it's celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. Once the walls were cleared, a series of opulent buildings could be constructed along its length.

So there's plenty of magnificent places to visit. The reason I was drawn to the Art History Museum on a Thursday night was its regular gourmet evening. Each Thursday the museum serves dinner on its first floor, in an area beneath its dome which usually serves as a daytime cafe.

This is what the space looked like as I arrived:

This was my table:

And this was what I saw as I looked up:

It was an atmospheric space in which to sit, and I could happily have spent hours there. But that wasn't the idea.

Our first course was a selection of dishes, laid out buffet-style on tables around the edge of the seating. I ate a few items, including an inevitable asparagus soup (it's asparagus season in Central Europe, something the locals go dotty about). 

I could order my main course any time I liked, and this was the beauty of the concept. You could eat a little, then wander off to explore the art in the adjacent galleries, before returning to eat some more.

So I meandered through some galleries featuring the work of Rubens and Brueghel:

I particularly liked a Brueghel depiction of the Tower of Babel, a mighty layered structure like a crazed wedding cake, towering above a small sea port at its base.

Another asset I appreciated were the sofas placed regularly through the museum, allowing one to sit and contemplate a large work in comfort.

The architecture was, of course, an artwork in itself. No neutral white boxes for art museum designers back in the 19th century, it seems:

It was a great way to experience great art. Having dinner available, but in a casual format that allowed me to wander off, felt both stimulating and liberating. I'd love to do it again, next time I'm in Vienna.

The Kunsthistorisches Museum's gourmet evenings cost €44 per person; read more and make bookings here.

Disclosure: On this trip I was hosted by the Austrian National Tourist Office. 

The Readers Strike Back

This week I'm featuring responses from Aerohaveno's followers to two recent competitions - one about travel disasters, the other about travel to movie locations.

First up, let's hear from the readers re their experiences when travelling to silver screen locations:

Justine: "I'm embarrassed to admit it now but I went on the Sound of Music tour in Salzburg when I was a wee lass. And I loved it! Made me want to make a dress out of old curtains and hang out of a tree. The locations were stunning. Austria is gorgeous."

Alison: "Bells Beach was a location in Bruce Brown's epic surf film Endless Summer and is one of the great surf spots anywhere, anytime. Although it comes to life at the Rip Curl Pro held each Easter, the best time to enjoy its waves are when the surf circus has moved on, the autumn winds and lowering water temperature have sent the sissies north and it looks like rain.

Then as the corduroy sets roll in, it's just the other desperados and yourself carving your names on the waves. You come in when you can't recall how many waves you've caught, your arms are like spaghetti from paddling, your feet are blue and you can't feel them any more. Bliss."

Carole: "My movie location was Universal Studios in Los Angeles; lots of action, actors and scenes from great movies. It was fun to wander around and see Marilyn Monroe and other greats, ride the train around the set, and see duels, action and the flashing lights of movies. Next stop Universal Studios in Osaka, as I'm in Japan."

And finally, here's the winning entry in the competition to win a copy of Do Travel Writers Go to Hell?. The task was to write about a memorable hassle while travelling. The winner is Serehfa, with this fine remembrance:

"Quite a few years ago now I took a holiday in Egypt, partly on the invitation of my North African boyfriend who was going home to visit family in the next country and would meet me there.

Booking a trip went smoothly, my departure flight and arrival posed no issues. The trip however held some challenges. I actually managed to stay healthy for a few days before succumbing to the usual, 'Egypt Belly' in this case. That was manageable.

Snorkelling on the Red Sea coast was amazing; desolate desert above the waterline and coral paradise beneath. However when you forget to put sunscreen on the back of your legs, it can be awkward. By evening I couldn't walk. I was very surprised not to have blisters but somehow I escaped.

It was agony though, and I couldn't sleep and could barely eat my dinner. Of course, there was no help to be had - the tour guide only stopped places where the tour company got a kickback and was not the least bit interested in helping any of the party who got into trouble. She was an Aussie too!

Two days later we had a scheduled camel ride through some mountains; I lasted about 30 seconds before experiencing agony from the 'saddle' - actually a bundle of small logs with a rag draped over them, presumably designed to be as uncomfortable as possible for mount and rider!

Once again no assistance was forthcoming; I slid off the standing camel to the ground and was left to walk back to the highway, and sit for hours in the middle of nowhere until the tour returned and the bus showed up.

Even that, though, was manageable.

The final joy was the boyfriend. We had some new people join the tour for the last week, one of whom was a wealthy Rhodesian woman who was obviously there for a good time. Boyfriend started flirting with her to the extent that at one point they disappeared together in the evening... and at the same time he started to become physical towards me in an unpleasant way.

I had been warned about cultural differences, and here were my first row seats to the show. He had earlier insisted we say we were married to save his pride - so I was caught between the twin humiliation of revealing a lie or putting up with the antics.

There were parts of the trip that were excellent, however, and some lovely people on the tour with whom I did not get to spend enough time.

All up it was an unforgettable experience; no matter how hard I try!"

Thanks to all who entered the competitions!