The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music (Day 5)

We were told by more then one person that we should take the Sound of Music bike tour while in Salzburg, so we booked tickets for Sunday morning, April 22 which is the actual anniversary date of our wedding. Although it was our 29th anniversary, we were actually there in Austria celebrating our 25th…. just 4 years late. haha

So on this Sunday morning, we met on the street where the bicycle tour was to begin.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, most Austrians have never heard of The Sound of Music but this company has found a thriving business appealing to all those that are fans of the movie and who live in other countries.

Off we went after getting accustomed to our bikes. One of our first stops was at the Residence Fountain where in the movie Maria sings, “I Have Confidence” as she splashes the water out.

We made a little stop to get some wonderful from scratch pretzels. This family’s claim to fame is that they are the original creators of the pretzel and they’re still making and selling them generations later.

We had to ride up a very steep narrow road to the Nonnberg Abbey where the real Maria actually was a nun. This is also the place where the nuns sang “Maria” in the film, where the children came to the gates and begged Maria to come back to them. It is also the location in real life and in the film where the police came to get the family but they were able to escape.

It is still an operating nunnery today – the oldest continuously running convent in the German speaking world.

Beautiful views from the city.

We left the city and biked through the countryside, riding along the path while our guide played music from The Sound of Music on a portable speaker.

Schloss Leopoldskron built in 1741 by Archbishop Leopold Count Firmian. This house, which was originally built for the Archbishop’s family, was eventually bought by Max Reinhardt, the founder of the Salzburg Festival, in 1918.

In the film this is where the children drank lemonade with the Baroness, Maria and the Captain danced at the ball and where the children fell out of their little boats and into the water.

Our American tour guide, who married an Austrian and now lives full-time in Austria, took our picture when he found out we were celebrating 29 years.

The hills are alive with the sound of music!

The actual gazebo that was used in the film was donated to the people of Austria (who don’t care much about it since they don’t know anything about the movie) and sits in a city park. It is locked up because of injuries incurred when people tried to reenact scenes from the movie that involved the gazebo.

Sunday’s in Austria are very different. Most everything closes down and it was actually a little difficult to find a place to eat later that day. Austrians take the weekends seriously for time to spend with family. The park was packed with people that had brought picnics and settled on the grass to eat and relax. The Austrians love being outdoors when the weather is good.

We were ready to ride back to our starting point after riding several miles. Everyone was meandering to their bikes when Russell told me he was going to the bathroom. I thought he would be pretty quick but he didn’t come and he didn’t come… We’re on our bikes at this point and pulling up to the parks entrance which is near the bathrooms. He still didn’t come. Finally they start to head out. I tell one of the last ladies in the group that my husband is in the bathroom and to please let our guide know.

Russell still didn’t come. Our group was long gone and we had to make the decision of which way to go. We both decided, from what our guide had said, that we would be returning a different way so we made a right out of the park instead of going left. We rode for quite a ways and finally reached a main road. We kept going along but then came to the conclusion that there was no way they would take a group of bike riders across busy sections of highway like we were doing. We even tried to call the bicycle company but had no luck getting a call out.

We decided to return to the park and head back the same way we had come. We started along the tree lined avenue and before long we see our guide riding towards us. Whew! It was good to see him but a little humiliating as the 3 of us  rode all the way back down the lane to where the rest of the group was waiting. I cannot imagine how we would have gotten back if our guide hadn’t come to see us. And to think that he had said at the beginning of the tour they hadn’t lost anyone yet! haha Well, there’s always got to be a first, right? lol I’m sure we were lost for a good 25 minutes. Thankfully nobody seemed put out about being delayed.

What happened to the lady that was supposed to let our guide know that Russell was in the bathroom? Well since she was always at the back of the line, she never was able to catch up with him.  🙂

Back in Salzburg after our 8 mile bike ride!

For supper that evening we went to the oldest restaurant in Europe.  I loved it! That will be next post.

We Have Arrived in Austria – Day 1

We Have Arrived in Austria – Part Two of Day 1

An Italian Eatery in Vienna, Austria

The Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria – Part One of Day 2

Street Views of Vienna, Austria – Part Two of Day 2

The Summer Palace of the Habsburg’s – Day 3

Castle Ruins on the Danube River (Day 3)

Driving Adventures in Salzburg (Day 4)

Salzburg, Austria (Day 4, Part 2)