As a child, I was a big fan of the movie, The Sound of Music. I have fond memories of watching it on TV every year around Christmas time. There was even one time when it was shown so late in the night and it finished right around midnight, just in time for the last Misa de Gallo on the eve of Christmas. So, you can imagine how delightful it was for me to plan this trip for me and my family’s summer holiday.
We actually started off with a direct flight to Munich. From there, we drove to Salzburg, where we stayed for four days doing my personalized The Sound of Music Tour. I did not join the bus tour because I found it a bit too much, and did not like the idea of being squeezed into a bus with a big group of strangers. So, we just drove around with our own car and planned my own itinerary.
It was rainy on our first day in Salzburg. But from the second day on, we had lots of sunshine during the day and just a slight drizzle towards the evening. It was refreshing to be in the Alps, with the cool mountain air and lovely smell of the pine trees.
Our first stop was Nonnberg Abbey. I went inside and lit a candle. It was all quiet, and I appreciated the fact that we were the only ones there. It was a steep climb to the abbey, but the view of the city rooftops was magnificent. We also went farther up to climb to the palace that overlooks the whole city. It was also so much fun to ride the telepherique on the way down. Especially if you sit right on the very front. It felt like riding on a roller coaster. 😀
Next stop was the Gazebo at Schloss Hellbrunn, where Rolf and Liesl sang and danced to that sexist and condescending but cute, nonetheless, song. 😀 Well, it was a different time. It was considered cute back then. It was a little bit underwhelming when I saw the gazebo. But it was situated in a nice garden and a museum with a Roman water garden, they fondly call, Trick Fountains. Don’t go there, if you do not like being surprised and getting all wet for no good reason!
Last stop was the Mirabell Gardens. By this time, it was drizzling and there were so many people, I had to use AI to crop them out. You can see that my picture (feature image and instagram video) looked a bit weird because of this. 😀 Still worth it, though! These steps in the garden was part of the scene where they were singing, Do-re-mi.
By the way, Salzburg is not only famous for The Sound of Music (in fact, the locals did not even like that movie for quite some time, see YT rabbit hole for deets), it is also famous for being the birth place of Mozart. 😉 I did not go to any of the museums, btw. They were all too crowded and cramped. Also, a bit outside Salzburg is Hallstatt, a UNESCO-inscribed World Heritage tourist trap for instagram-crazy people. I’m not instagram-crazy enough to really appreciate all that crowd. We immediately exited and went to a more quiet lake-side restaurant for lunch.
From Salzburg, we drove to the Dolomites in Brunico, Italy passing through the Austrian-Italian border in the Alps. There was a 25-minute wait at the exit because vehicles can only go one way, so I had some time to do some photo-ops and have some coffee. Made me want to sing Climb Every Mountain while doing some photo-ops. 😀
In Brunico, we stayed in a charming Chalet/hotel (Hofergut) right beside a river. It was so peaceful and quiet in the area, with lots of greeneries, mountains and lovely sceneries. We had a lovely balcony with a view of the mountains. I even had the opportunity to see a meteor one night because it was the Perseids meteor shower season during this time. It was magical!
We went hiking to see beautiful lakes (Lago di Braies) and spectacular rocky mountains with a tiny restaurants at the Peak (Rifugio Nuvolau). I did not expect the food to be delicious, but it was! Of course, we were in Italy! Speaking of which, we took the opportunity to dine in a Three–Michelin restaurant built in an old and historic wool factory called, Moessmer. This factory supplies fabric to luxury brands like Chanel and Prada. We did not only try the two restaurants of the chef, both located in Brunico. We also bought a few items at the factory outlet. 🙂 The other restaurant, which is in fact a brasserie, is called, Alpinn. I enjoyed this restaurant less. Not just because of the weird snow (in the middle of summer) at the peak, but also, the food was so-so for me.
From Brunico, we drove all the way back to Germany, passing by Schloss Neuchwanstein, on the way. This is the castle that inspired Walt Disney for their logo, and was also the inspiration for Cinderella’s castle. It was a bit meh (compared to the ancient castles in France), and very touristy. But quite a nice stop over, anyway.
I had the most wonderful time during this summer holiday doing paintings, hiking, shopping, experiencing great food, and taking in some wonderful mountain sites. 🙂
And that concludes this summer holiday’s fabulous trip! Till next time. Thanks for dropping by! 😀
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