Austria and Lederhosen

We left the rail system of the SBB for the OBB, equally as good in my mind.  Such an efficient way to travel, if only we could have it in Australia.

Our first stop was Salzburg and the main reason for our visit was for The Sound of Music of course. We managed to negotiate our way out of the train station in Salzburg through all the construction.  Well there were no elevators or escalator due to the construction, so we had to schlep the 4 heavy bags up the stairs, well Tony did, I just stood at the bottom while the kids did duty at the top.  Tony's bag is a little worse for wear and we are thinking that the wheels are not going to make it to the end of the journey in Europe.  Just a little bit further, that's all we ask.  The sidewalks are scattered with small rocks to keep people from slipping on the snow and ice....hmmmm this didn't bode well for wheels on luggage.  A 15 minute walk and a few words between Tony and myself  (love is bliss) we arrived at our lovely little boutique hotel, what a pleasant surprise we were in for.  When booking all these places you really are never sure what to expect. So between the organic and  locally sourced full breakfast spread, cozy bar with mulled wine, giant interior design and travel books to flip through and not to mention the wellness centre with herbal steam, sauna and relaxation area, we were made to feel quite comfortable.

We got ourselves sorted and the next day Emma and I were off on the big red bus while the boys opted to be laundry rats and wash 4 bags of gear that had been piling up. We boarded the bus along with the 40 others and we can't forget to mention Peter our tour guide who tried to be everso funny..and he wasn't! but somehow you you were laughing at the the bad jokes, so off we set singing "The hills are alive with the sound of music"... our first stop was at the grand house of the Van Trapp family as seen in the movie, not their actual home.  Now we only get to see it from a distance and it is where all the outdoor scenes are shot, the children and Maria on the row boat when they all fall in...did you know Gretal almost drowned filming that scene?  Also 'Sixteen going on seventeen' was filmed here.  Hollywood, that is what the Austrians refer to the production company as, wanted desperately to be able to use this home for all the filming inside and out, but after much discussion and bureaucracy they were frog marched out of the home when they finally thought they had approval.  Well, do what Hollywood does, copy it and make it better! So they got permission to sketch the rooms and than duplicated this into a set in California and voila the Sound of Music was on its way. We continued on to various points of interest singing songs, had a bit of a film clip narrated by Liesel in her adult years and told us some behind the scenic stories. what a great day we had, a fabulous tour for all Sound of Music lovers.
We enjoyed the Christmas markets, meandering through the pedestrian only district and just enjoyed the area during this festive time.  We braved the cold in the playgrounds, but even so the weather did limit our time outside...brrr.

After 3 nights in Salzburg we boarded another train on our way to one of the most fantastic cities I have visited....Vienna!  Stunning, beautiful and just a pleasure to walk about. Schronnbrunn Palace was a real gem and the kids really seemed to enjoy this tour, we received a wealth of information with the audio tour which puts all the history jigsaw pieces together for you. I ask how many reception rooms does a household need...gosh!  We visited the oldest zoo in the world and really did give you that old world feeling, many of the animals were in other quarters keeping warm, but the seals put on a good show for us.  Again, it was cold! In between the Vienna Boys Choir, the Prater, St. Stephens and the magnificent Christmas markets at City Hall we enjoyed some amazing food here.  Thanks Vienna, we will most definitely be back!

We come to the end of our European tour with a feeling of sadness, though we know we will be back for more.  We catch a flight from Vienna to Rome, last minute shopping in Italy for all those amazing leather goods, the major sites for the kids and 4 days later we are off to Asian shores....Vietnam!