RECAP 2011 - Salzburg - Sound of Music Tour

We had a special trip to Salzburg (travelling from Munich by train) and doing a 'Sound of Music' tour....this was special for DT and family (mum and Aunty) as this must be one of their favorite shows of all time (talk about feeling old)..

The thing we love about Austria (and other places like Switzerland) is the clean fresh air and the wonderful mountains.....our tour guide was excellent and the sun was shining as we embarked on learning the truths about one of the classic oldies of all times (though I never really craved watching the show like DT did)..can you recognize some of the places from the movie?

 

Lastly we cannot do a post this post without ending with some 'Sound of Music' entertainment so here goes....ENJOY!

For those that want to see the original..

RECAP 2011 - Salzburg - A Cute City

Another beautiful city that we wished we had more time to spend in. It is home to Mozart (where he was born and lived during his younger days)....and contains one of the pretties and cosy shopping strip around......Getreidegasse. Famous for its high, narrow houses tightly nestled together, Getreidegasse is famous for its wonderful array of wrought iron guild signs, romantic passageways and courtyards.....who can ask for more.

The city also has many churches, fountains, and squares. The beautiful Salzach river separates the city and is overlooked by the massive Hohensalzburg Castle that sits on top Festungsberg hill (which we did not have time to see).

 

Hotel Am Konzerthaus, The Vienna International Airport….

Sleeping at Vienna international airport!!!
Ok this is not a hotel but I must blog about the night we stayed overnight at the airport to save cost (and a had to catch like a 6am flight)!!! We didn't come really prepared – no sleeping bag / thick jackets as some of the other seasoned airport sleepers that we see around us. To be honest, I am quite surprised at the number of people that actually sleep in airports!! And there are no comfortable chairs / couches in this airport too…we had to sleep on the chairs in a cafe. Well, an interesting experience all the same.

Hotel Am Konzerthaus
I believe we were upgraded to a prime room in this hotel because of the exhorbetant rate we paid for it as it was a last minute, public holiday booking…but Hao Ran didn't think we paid THAT much… hehehe. The room was just awesome…its not a room…it's almost like a L-shaped, little luxury apartment…with tall pillars in the middle of the room.  There were 2 sets of tables and chairs in the room – a dining table, and a coffee table. And when we first arrived, there's a note welcoming us to the hotel and a chocolate bunny left for us.What a treat!!

Highlights in Vienna

A visit to Schonbrunn Palace

To be honest, the place itself did not leave too much of an impression on me (I guess after visiting so many other european palaces…they are all rather similar to each other.  However, what caught my attention is the story of Princess Sisi who lived here in the palace, and who is also known as Empress Elisabeth of Austria

Here is a brief account of Princess SiSi's story!

 

Watching horses dance ballet at the Spanische Hofreitschule (Horses)

Stumbled upon this place on one of our strolls around the city and we saw a LONG LINE of people queue-ing for something. The Singaporean mentality in us causes us to enquire what are they queue-ing up for, and to purchase tickets for the show. We got standing tickets (for a tiny fraction of the price of a seating ticket)…which means we had to stand for the entire 3 hour show… but its all worth it cause in fact, we got better views too! Attached some photos of the horses dancing ballet and parade-ing …amazing how smart animals can be! 

A classical music orchestra and ballet (Schonbrunn Konzerte)

We did this as it is one of the 'must dos' in Vienna - ~according to the locals who are trying to sell us the tickets'. Hehehe…Well, I guess its good that we get the experience of it…..although knowing me, I would prefer a musical with lyrics over music without singing anytime. J

We were kinda sceptical that this is one of those shows put up 'to cheat tourist' in some dodgy dingy school hall or something, but am quite surprised at the turn out of the crowd. Many from the local crowd are local people, and came nicely dressed, and the hall is apparently a hall  that the famous Mozart once played in!!