Strudels consumed: 1 each
Outrageously funny tourist experiences: 1
Belly laughs: 100+

WARNING: If you are not a Sound of Music fan exit this post NOW.

We woke up bright and early today – David could hardly contain himself, as today was the day of the Sound of Music Tour!!! With the rain teaming down (yes it was the Sound of Music tour and not the Singing in the Rain tour) we skipped down to the bus singing about our favourite things – it kept raining.

So…let’s start at the very beginning…a very good place to start… (Collective groan)

Our tour guide Peter was hilarious – but also really knowledgable about Salzburg – so it was actually a great way to get to know the city. Although cloud cover obscured the mountain views in the Lakes district.

The route down to Mondsee (the town with the church where Maria & the Baron got married) was the same as we will be taking on the first day of our ride (or the bike track along side it) – so it gave us a sneak peek of what we will be in for.

We finished up at the Mirabell Palace (palace built by the Archbishop for his mistress with whom he had 14 children….go figure) where all the Do Rei Me scenes were filmed.

As luck would have it, it was the Mayor’s birthday, so we were treated to a traditional ceremony, complete with strapping (although aged) men in lederhosen and an armed salute.

From here we went to the Hohensalzburg Fortress stopping only for a quick tour of the Mozart residence on the way. The fortress was spectacular with incredible views of the city…

Finished the day with a traditional hearty pub meal of boiled beef and potatoes (for me) and sausages and sauerkraut (for David) with the inevitable stein of course.

Last job before bed was to assemble the bike (thank goodness that’s over!). Will test ride today – only 2 more days before the big ride starts!