Travel: Magical mountain city of Salzburg still echoes to Sound of Music

“Don’t worry about the noise,” says Steve, our guide a few minutes before a Second World War air alarm is due to activate. “It’s just warning the locals that there’s tourists about.”

Moments later, the tranquil lakeside town of Mondsee is interrupted by the loud high-pitched whirl. I’m reminded that 85 years ago the central European town, like much of the continent, was preparing for war.

In September 1938 the same eerie foreboding wouldn’t have felt out of place for the von Trapp family. With Nazism on the rise, the family fled Salzburg rather than live under the new regime.

The story of their escape was dramatised into The Sound of Music – which was released 60 years ago this month. Although the film plays fast and loose with the real story, the heady mix of plotlines which include romance, coming of age, gentle parenting and the looming threat of war formed a backdrop for a family visit to Salzburg to follow in the footsteps of not only the film but the true story of Maria and Georg von Trapp. This inevitably included a bus tour.

© Supplied by Tim Clark

The Basilika St Michael in Mondsee, a 30-minute drive from Salzburg, was picked as the set location for the wedding of Maria and Georg in the film due to its natural light. You can see why as you walk around within its Gothic interior rays of golden sun drop through the stained-glass windows on to the floor.

“Unlike real life, in The Sound of Music they solve their problems through the power of song,” Simon adds with his acerbic wit as we get back on the bus, before launching into a rendition of Do-Re-Mi, complete with actions.

Three hours in and it is less a bus tour and more an amateur musical on wheels.

Stopping at Schloss Leopoldskron, which was used for the film’s famous boating scene, we learn that the film’s character, Max Detweiler, was based on the real owner of Schloss Leopoldskron, Max Reinhardt, director and co-founder of the Salzburg Festival. Reinhardt acquired the palace in 1918, using it as a meeting place for musicians and artists, then fleeing Austria a year before the von Trapps due to his Jewish ancestry.

© Supplied by Tim Clark

Salzburg is marginally smaller than Dundee but it makes up for its size with a burgeoning cultural offering. Not only is it home to The Sound of Music, it’s also the birthplace of Mozart.

Taking advantage of the Salzburg Card, which gave access to many museums and public transport for free, we took in the Festung Hohensalzburg fortress, Mozart’s birthplace, to see a child-sized violin played by the composer himself. The kids were also treated to a puppet version of The Magic Flute at the Marionette Theatre.

In the film, Julie Andrews’s unbridled enthusiasm is infectious. As a destination, spending a day idling around the narrow streets, little bridges, and atop its medieval fortress is similarly captivating. It’s easy to traverse from the Mirabella Palace gardens to the Nonnberg convent, cross the river Salzbach on what is nicknamed the Do-Re-Mi bridge and navigate the streets to stop for a Stiegl beer at cafe Stadtalm Essen & Trinken, which overlooks the city.

Taking a page out of the locals’ book, we sat by the river, picnic in hand, and listened to the bells of the city chime as Dylan and Hazel did what children do best: build a pier using rocks, naturally.

© Supplied by Tim Clark

The mountains play an indelible part in the opening and closing scenes of The Sound of Music, as Andrews and Christopher Plummer climb the Untersberg to escape to Switzerland.

“Did you know the von Trapp family left only a day before they closed the borders?” says my son, Dylan, looking up from a memoir, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, a 1949 memoir written by Maria von Trapp.

Retracing some of the family’s steps, we took a train south to the mountain town of Schladming, which lies on one of the rail routes the von Trapp’s may have taken on their way to Italy.

With adult train tickets priced at as little as £12 per adult return, and kids travelling for free, the 90-minute journey was a simple way of mixing a city break with a delve into the Austrian Alps. Our base for three days, the Falkensteiner hotel Schladming’s motto was “welcome home”. I try to remember this as I lie in the sauna, hot air being whipped into my face with a towel. The experience is known as Aufguss. It’s less a sauna experience and more a form of hot meditation.

The Falkensteiner plays host to skiers, families and hikers, and, earlier this season, Robbie Williams, who was a guest while performing in the town. It has a playful, relaxed feel.

© Supplied by Tim Clark

In the winter, Schladming forms part of the huge Ski Amadé area. In the summer it is a haven for mountain bikers and hikers, with mountain huts offering staples such as Kaiserschmarrn, a sweet pancake that takes its name from the Austrian emperor, Franz Joseph, or a crisp apfel strudel.

Although it was too early in the year for mountain hiking, we took advantage of the snow for a day of skiing, and on another a cycle down the length of the valley. From Schladming we followed the cycle path east towards the eastern Alps, Vienna and beyond.

“When you are a child of the mountains yourself, you really belong to them,” the real Maria von Trapp is quoted to have said. Staring up at the glacier-scraped valley of the Dachstein Mountains it’s hard to tear yourself away.

“So long, farewell,” the kids say reluctantly. Auf Wiedersehen, goodbye; until next time.

Factfile

EasyJet flies from Edinburgh to Munich (60 miles from Salzburg) from £68 each way. A 24-hour Salzburg Card can cost from £26 per adult, and £13 per child from May 1-Oct 31 which includes free transport and entry to a number of attractions. A superior room at the Falkensteiner Schladming costs from £267 per night half board with two guests sharing. Includes welcome drink and spa access. The Original Sound of Music Bus Tour with Panorama Tours costs £50, and £25 per child under 12. To book: www.falkensteiner.com/hotel-schladming