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Telegraph
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
The curious crusade to explain The Sound of Music to baffled Austrian locals
To celebrate the 60 th anniversary of The Sound of Music movie earlier this year, Peter Husty, Chief Curator of the Salzburg Museum, decided to mark it – appropriately enough – with a tune. The carillon of bells on the top of the museum can play most anything, as Maria sings in the film. Husty decided to play 'Edelweiss', and outside passing Americans gazed up in wonder. The locals, though, were bemused. What on earth, they asked, is that? It seems a matter of equal bewilderment to the rest of us that the top-grossing musical film of all time is unknown in the city where it is so memorably set. There's the abbey where Maria is a postulant; the Mirabell Gardens with the Pegasus fountain (now commonly known as the Do-Re-Mi fountain); the beautiful Leopoldskron Schloss where Maria and the children fall in the lake; the Felsenreitschule theatre where the family gives a concert before their escape; the catacombs of St Peter's cemetery where they hide from the Nazis. Sound of Music fans want to see them all, so there are always packed bus and walking tours, and even one with von Trapp-style bikes with baskets on the handlebars. When you're in Salzburg, the film's fans are everywhere. It's just that they're not Austrian. For much of the rest of the world, though, the only thing they know about Salzburg is the film. When President Reagan greeted the Austrian head of state, he was disappointed to discover that 'Edelweiss' is not, in fact, the Austrian national anthem (but a song, of course, by Rodgers and Hammerstein). When a business delegation visited China, one Chinese fellow-delegate rose to his feet and sang the song. Five hundred of his countrymen joined in. The Austrians didn't know the words (or so I'm told by my tour guide on the Sound of Music bus). An Austrian competitor on Who Wants to be a Millionaire? was asked to name a song with a flower in its name from the film. She didn't know. She phoned a friend. She didn't know either. She lost, they say, quite a lot of money. Austrian indifference to the movie, especially in Salzburg, is legendary. Peter Husty and the Salzburg Museum are hoping to change all that in this anniversary year, and to persuade their fellow countrymen to embrace the film. To this end, Husty has opened a pop-up exhibition in Schloss Leopoldskron for the entire year and, next year, will open a permanent and much larger version at Schloss Hellbrunn. This Schloss is already a mainstay of the Sound of Music tour as it's one of the two palaces used to represent the von Trapp home (the front) and is also where the gazebo was relocated. Originally, that was at Leopoldskron (the back of the von Trapp home in the film) but people were forever climbing over the wall to sing, dance and wake up the owners. Sadly, it is no longer possible to go inside the gazebo for reasons of health and safety. One 82-year-old American lady was so overcome at being in the Sixteen, Going on Seventeen location she decided to recreate the scene, including the leaps from bench to bench. Sadly, she broke an ankle… I started my own straw poll in the taxi from Salzburg Airport. Had she ever seen the film, I asked my driver? No, she said, she didn't know anyone in Salzburg who had. I did eventually find two locals who admitted to having watched it. One, Elisabeth, who took me on a walking tour, had watched it, 'but only since I became a guide'. The other, Cornelia, had seen it some years ago because her music teacher at school had been Julie Andrews' voice coach. So how do the locals explain their reluctance? The main reason appears to be that, as far as Austrians are concerned, this was just a remake. The von Trapp story had been told ten years before the Sound of Music in a German film – they even made a follow-up, tracing the continuing von Trapp saga in America. These films had proper Austrian folk songs (as sung by the von Trapps) and real dirndls. Why would anyone want to see the American version that got all of this – and much of the real von Trapp story – wrong? Not forgetting that the Austrians might have had quite enough of the Americans who had occupied Salzburg for 10 years after the Second World War, adapting a story that wasn't theirs to take, and showing some rather distasteful scenes featuring swastikas in the process. There can be little doubt, though, that the film has served the city well, bringing millions of tourists to visit. The locals are bemused but tolerant – all the sing-a-longs and frolics round the Mirabell Gardens are regarded as harmless eccentricity. Peter Husty and others have, though, launched something of a crusade to persuade the Salzburgers to take a look for themselves. As well as the exhibition, there are numerous showings of the film, a Sound of Music gala in October, and performances of the musical at both the Landestheater and Marionette Theatres, not to mention guided hikes and picnics in the mountains (you don't have to go all the way to Switzerland). At the delightful Hyperion Hotel next door to the Mirabell Gardens, even a Salzburg Sound Menu that features a deconstructed apfelstrudel and a delicious veal dish (though not, as Christian Rothbauer, the hotel manager, pointed out, quite like the one in the song. 'Austrians would never have schnitzel with noodles.'). This is, after all, a rather conservative town and they do things properly here. Even if the locals get to see the film, they aren't really the sing-a-long type. And you certainly won't find anyone to hire you out a dirndl for your Julie Andrews impersonation. Nevertheless, Salzburg cannot escape the von Trapp story and, in an age of film tourism, this beautiful Austrian city is still surely the grandaddy of all movie destinations. And although Salzburg's greatest and proudest draw remains the Salzburg classical music festival, and Wolfgang Mozart its most famous son – you might nevertheless posit Julie Andrews as its most famous daughter. I just wouldn't do it out loud, if I were you. Essentials The HYPERION Hotel Salzburg has rooms from £219 per night, including breakfast. Ryanair flies from London to Salzburg from £43 return. For more information, visit and
The Independent
12-05-2025
- The Independent
What is our best route when Interrailing around Europe?
Q This summer we plan to Interrail for the first time. The basic plan: take Eurostar to Amsterdam, then cross Germany (visiting Heidelberg), onwards to Salzburg in Austria and across to northern Italy. Coming back, we thought we would travel from Milan back to Paris and home from there. What do you think? David M A To make the most of much of Europe, Interrail is ideal. Much of your plan looks shrewd: Amsterdam is always rewarding, and onward travel to Germany is easy. Pause in Essen to explore the dramatically reinvented industrial site of Zollverein – an unmatched post-apocalyptic theme park. Continue to Wuppertal, home of the marvellous dangling tram. You might also seek out Germany's football heartland, and museum, in Dortmund. With an Interrail pass, you can step aboard any intercity express for a faster journey and to avoid the crowds (enticed by the €58/£50 unlimited travel monthly pass on slower trains). Heidelberg is an excellent plan, offering heritage in a superb setting. Speed along to Munich and across the border to Salzburg. After sampling some Sound of Music sights, aim for Innsbruck to begin your trans-Alpine journey to northern Italy. To avoid surcharges and the need to book, stick to 'classic' trains in Italy rather than the high-speed options. You can still cover the ground easily. Meander across to Milan – but from there, I recommend cutting through Switzerland rather than going via France. You can use any Swiss train with an Interrail pass, unlike in France where you need to pay a supplement and book ahead for high-speed trains. Get at least a glimpse of Como – a fine town at the head of the Italian lake – then ensure you choose one of the trains heading through the mountains rather than through a 'base tunnel'. Make Basel your last Swiss stop for abundant culture and cuisine. From here, you could enter France, but I suggest following the German side of the Rhine and exploring some of the Black Forest before crossing to France. The high-speed line from Strasbourg to Paris is France's best, and worth the supplement, for a final day or two in the capital before taking Eurostar home. Q My partner Linda and I are thinking of going to Croatia in September or October by rail. But I am unsure about including Dubrovnik in our itinerary because we are not keen on mass tourism. What is your view? David F A Before I tackle Dubrovnik itself, I must raise a concern about your plan to travel to Croatia by rail. There are many excellent places to visit on the Adriatic coast by train, but all of them are in Italy. I am afraid that the Dalmatian coast of Croatia – as well as neighbouring Slovenia and nearby Albania – does not lend itself to access by rail. Even international rail guru Mark Smith, 'The man in Seat 61', recommends travelling to Split via the Croatian capital, Zagreb (a massive detour) and then continuing to Dubrovnik by bus. Travelling terrestrially, the way I would approach the Croatian coast is by rail to Trieste, the last station in Italy – then continuing by bus through Slovenia to the Croatian city of Rijeka. From this port, I would take a Jadrolinija ferry south to Split. From this fine city, you can continue onwards by bus or ferry to Dubrovnik. The question is: should you? I have just returned from my first visit to Dubrovnik in a decade. The difference was shocking: the city appears to have been handed over to tourists, with Game of Thrones fans jostling with cruise passengers. While the setting, monuments and city walls are as impressive as ever, the sheer weight of numbers would, I think, spoil a visit for you. Were you to delay your visit to the very end of October or into November, the city will feel very different. You will be able to enjoy its echoing lanes and handsome facades in something like splendid isolation, and make excursions – such as across the bay to the fishing port of Cavtat – without the crowds. If that does not appeal, I suggest you consider an alternative Adriatic destination. The obvious one for me is Durres, Albania's second city (after the capital, Tirana). You can reach it by ferry overnight from the Italian port of Ancona – or fly there in three hours flat. Direct buses run every hour from Tirana airport to Durres. Q My 21-year-old son and his girlfriend have booked flights to Asia for a six-week backpacking trip starting in July. They plan to visit Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. They have backpacked in Europe before but not in Asia. Is there anything in particular they need to know about staying safe? Susanna R A Top of my risk register anywhere on the planet, and particularly in Asia, is road travel. The UK is one of the safest nations in the world for road users. The fatality rate in Taiwan, where roads, vehicles and enforcement are reasonably good, is roughly twice as high. Tragically, in Thailand (with roughly the same population), the death toll is 15 times higher. The figures for Vietnam are similarly awful. Most of the fatalities (about two out of three) involve riders and passengers of motorscooters and three-wheeled tuk-tuks. As a backpacker, I have taken plenty of rides on these – until I looked at the World Health Organisation figures. So I urge young travellers in cities to stick to the Metro system where available (Bangkok's is extensive, and in Vietnam, both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have opened lines in the past four years). Elsewhere, aim for proper taxis. And while renting a scooter has lots of appeal, it is a high-risk activity and unlikely to be covered by backpacker insurance. For longer journeys, the risks for professionally driven buses are lower. But I always take trains instead when available, or sometimes fly. Next in line: accidents in water, particularly when swimming. The Foreign Office warns for Thailand: 'People have drowned in strong riptides. Follow all warning signs [at beaches], especially red flags. Take care when swimming, diving, kayaking or whitewater rafting in rivers or close to waterfalls, particularly in the rainy season. Currents can be extremely strong.' Adventure tourism is common across the region, and they should ask other travellers for recommendations of safety-conscious operators. Protection against tropical diseases is also critical. My go-to source is the Public Health Scotland travel medicine website – – which provides advice on all the recommended jabs. I do all I can to avoid mosquito bites, mainly by covering up: these unpleasant insects spread malaria and other diseases. With the dangers of road accidents, drownings and disease minimised, the residual risks are small. I hope they have a great adventure. Q We are flying to Halifax, Nova Scotia, on 19 May to visit family. Should we use the 'ArriveCAN' app to maybe get through border control more quickly? My wife used it three years ago – but that was for Covid reasons. Robert C A I read your question with a shudder of recollection. I have a fair few apps on my phone that were mandatory in order to access nations during the Covid pandemic. Typically, you had to upload evidence of vaccinations and/or Covid test results before you were even allowed on a plane to your destination. In the case of Canada, I made numerous border crossings in late 2021 and the summer of 2022 – all of which required the use of ArriveCAN. What is unusual about this Covid-era invention is that it has mutated into an 'Advance Declaration' app. The government in Ottawa says: 'You can make your customs and immigration declaration using Advance Declaration in the ArriveCAN app before you fly into one of Canada's participating airports.' (These are all the obvious gateways, including Halifax and Quebec City as well as Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.) I am not sure that I agree with the assertion that it is an aesthetic pleasure to 'enjoy a more modern travel experience with a digital self-serve tool'. But I do like the idea of whizzing through passport control and customs after a long flight, and not having to fill in tiresome paper forms. After I received your question, I made a dummy application using my existing ArriveCAN account and a fictional itinerary to Canada. You can apply 72 hours or less before arrival. It took three minutes, and I was emailed confirmation of completing the form instantly. Happily, unlike in 2022, I was not instructed to bring proof of a Covid pre-entry test and vaccinations. The idea that you pre-register your arrival in return for a smoother frontier experience is spreading: at Singapore, it is virtually mandatory. While not every traveller will be comfortable or able to comply, this is the digital direction of travel for the world. If, like me, you are open to anything that cuts travel hassle, I suggest you sign up.
