What do we look for in planning a vacation? Sightseeing, experiencing cultures, making new friends… and MEMORIES! My recent Sound of Music excursion hit all these notes.
First a little back story. I have always been a huge fan of The Sound of Music. The movie came out when I was just 7 and I loved the story and the music. I have watched it many times through the years, silently or not so silently mouthing the words, crying at all the right times, cringing in horror while watching Carrie Underwood try to do it justice on live TV (I cried, but for different reasons).
With that in mind, I was excited about the Sound of Music (SOM) day excursion off of my Danube River Cruise, to Salzburg and Mondsee. Our tour guide for the day was Sebastian – cute, early 30’s, sharp wit, and he rocked his leather lederhosen. I am still not sure where I’m at on the “man bun” thing, but he made it work.
We started the SOM tour in the Mirabell Palace and Gardens, where much of the Do-Re-Mi scene was filmed. The impromptu performance by Sebastian and fellow cruiser Luigi on the actual stairs was spot on and hilarious. We then continued on to the Horse Bath (My Favorite Things), The Festival Hall Complex (So Long, Farwell), the Toscaninihof Square (Edelweiss), St Peter’s Church Cemetery and Nonnberg Abbey.
We couldn’t sit in the Café and enjoy a coffee just yet, since Salzburg has a history beyond the Von Trapps, including cathedrals and the Hohensalzburg Castle. Mozart was born here, which continues to inspire street performances.
After a full day in Salzburg, we were off to Mondsee and the ornate Collegiate Church of St. Michael, where the Von Trapp wedding was filmed.
Sebastian has been a hoot all day long, but on the final leg of our bus tour back to our ship, he pulled out all the stops and led the bus in a Sound of Music sing-along, forming an impromptu gay men’s chorus. Cruising the Austrian Alps. Singing along to the Sound of Music.
Yea, these are the moments that make memories.
