We woke that morning in Linz and had an early start to the day. We had to be on the bus by 8:00 a.m. because we were headed out on an all-day excursion. The three of us had signed up for the Sound of Music tour, which included visits to Mondsee and Salzburg, where many scenes from the movie were filmed.
I must have stepped into another dimension when I left my room. I saw Kathleen walking down the hallway, but when I reached the lobby, she was nowhere to be found. In fact, very few people were there. I looked outside the ship's door—no one. I checked the piano lounge—still no one.
Someone told me the bus was parked about half a block away under a bridge, so I signed out and headed toward it. I was surprised to find the bus empty. As I climbed aboard, I looked down the road and saw the rest of our tour group walking toward the bus. I texted Linda and Kathleen to let them know I was already there. To this day, I have no idea how I managed to miss that entire crowd.
Soon, the bus pulled away from Linz and headed toward the autobahn.
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Our guide, Anastasia, was extremely knowledgeable. During the drive, she shared the true story of the Von Trapp family and explained how Hollywood had changed parts of it for the movie.
Our first stop was the picturesque town of Mondsee. Anastasia pointed out several filming locations, including the magnificent church where Maria and Captain Von Trapp were married in the movie. It was one of the most spectacular churches I have ever seen. We also visited the lakeside area where the children climbed the trees and fell into the lake during one of the film's memorable scenes. After spending a few minutes inside the church, we returned to the bus.
One thing that stood out about Mondsee was how bicycle-friendly the town is. Near the public parking lot was a unique bike repair station equipped with an air pump and a variety of tools for cyclists to use whenever they needed repairs.
From there, we continued to Salzburg, Austria's fourth-largest city and home to at least 47 churches.
The bus dropped us off in the newer section of the city. Our first stop was Mirabell Gardens, where many of the famous garden scenes from The Sound of Music were filmed. From there, we crossed the Makartsteg Bridge, which was covered with thousands of love locks. One display especially caught my attention. It was dedicated to Martin Friedlander, a Jewish man who escaped Salzburg in 1939. As we began crossing the bridge, one of the signs explained the meaning of the word chutzpah, which I found especially interesting.
The old section of Salzburg is filled with narrow pedestrian passageways winding between centuries-old buildings. Anastasia led us through several of them before we emerged into the beautiful Residenzplatz. In the center of the square stands a large fountain where she explained that part of the song "Do-Re-Mi" had been filmed.
As we continued our walk, we passed several other notable landmarks. Since Salzburg is famous as Mozart's birthplace, Anastasia pointed out the third-floor apartment where he was born and spent his childhood. We also passed Salzburg Cathedral, where a large statue carved from local marble stands in front of the church. Nearby, we noticed what appeared to be a tunnel leading into the mountain. Anastasia explained that it was actually the entrance to an underground parking garage, built because parking in the old city is extremely limited.
​Our walking tour ended at the Museum of Modern Art Salzburg. Rather than visiting the museum itself, we rode the elevator to the top of the mountain for the spectacular panoramic views. From there we could see nearly the entire city of Salzburg, with the Alps rising in the distance. The scenery alone made the stop worthwhile.
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The three of us headed back into the old city in search of lunch. We found a restaurant that everyone agreed looked good and took a seat. After waiting nearly twenty minutes without anyone acknowledging us, we decided to leave. I found a sandwich shop while Linda and Kathleen bought food from some street vendors before visiting a Mozart chocolate shop.
Apparently, the souvenir to buy in Salzburg is Mozartkugeln, or "Mozart balls"—delicious chocolates filled with marzipan. Linda even purchased an insulated bag so we could get the chocolates back to the ship without them melting. After buying my sandwich, I stopped by the same shop and picked up a few Mozart balls for myself. We added mine to the insulated bag as well.
Before returning to our meeting place, we wandered through a few more streets, enjoyed some ice cream, and then met the rest of our group at the bridge.
The ride back to the ship was quiet. Most of the passengers slept during the hour-long drive after such a full day of sightseeing. As we walked from the bus toward the ship, Kathleen suddenly realized she no longer had the insulated bag filled with our chocolates. Even though she was exhausted, she immediately turned and ran back toward the bus. Before she reached it, Brandy, the cruise director, intercepted her with the missing bag in hand. Thankfully, our Mozart balls had been rescued.
​Once back on board, we relaxed for a short while before heading to dinner. That evening's entertainment was a singer performing in the piano lounge.
While sitting in the lounge, I noticed flashing lights outside the ship's windows. Curious, I went up to the sun deck to investigate. Across the river, a building was putting on an impressive light show. I stood there watching until the performance ended before finally heading to bed after a wonderful day in Austria.