So I just returned from the most breathtaking holiday ever – and I really don’t know where to start! But as Maria Von Trapp so beautifully sang: “Let’s start from the very beginning. A very good place to start. When you read you begin with ABC, when you sing you begin with do-re-mi”

In the footsteps of Maria Von Trapp…

“Do-re-mi”… I remember the lyrics so well. Well, actually I remember all the songs from “The Sound of Music”, as my mother is a BIG fan of the movie, and basically it has been a family tradition to watch the film every Christmas all the way back to my early childhood! 

Frenchie and I really needed to go on a holiday this July! We have had a bit of a turbulent spring – and I was looking for a stress-free environment! So I did, what most people do – I went online and googled and googled and googled. But somehow the travel offers online didn’t appeal very much to me! I was looking for something spectacular – something special and well-hidden! Basically I was looking for a get-away, where Frenchie and I really could enjoy each others company without too many people around us! I’m sure I’m not the only one, who finds this idea appealing – and it can be quite a challenge to find a great hideaway in July! 

Just arrived at Schloss Leopoldskron! 

But I succeeded! After recommendations from other travel bloggers – and advice from my mother, I succeeded in finding just what I was looking for! Another great thing was, that it was only a few hours away by flight from Heathrow Airport! The decision was made – we were going to Salzburg and Berchtesgarden! I managed to find some amazing hotels, and this blog post will be all about the first one – Schloss Leopoldskron! 

Picture by Salzburg Stage of the world

Salzburg is amazing! It looks exactly as Mozart’s hometown should, with baroque squares, majestic spires and a fairytale fortress bearing down on cobbled streets. But pilgrims also flock here for another musical triumph – The Sound of Music was filmed in the city!

The view from the balcony, where we had our breakfast!

No doubt, that the story of the Von Trapp family has fascinated the entire world since the Hollywood movie ” The Sound of Music” aired in 1965. Do you remember when Maria and the children fell out of the boat? Well, that scene was right here on the lake! In fact Leopoldskron was one of the most important locations for the film. The rear view was used for the Von Trapp home. The family drank lemonade with the baroness on the terrace and The Venetian room on the first floor was copied and used as a model for the ballroom scene.

In search for The Venetian room…

It was a bit smaller than I expected – and today it is being used for guests to enjoy breakfast buffets

It is not every day, that you get to enjoy breakfast with a view like this! Breakfast can be eaten outside on the balcony – or here…

Quite impressive, right? I couldn’t help mentioning wedding ideas to Frenchie (but somehow he pretended he didn’t hear it… Men!) 

– and would you look at the ceiling! Bonus-info: The stucco-works on the ceilings by Johann Kleber are described as “the best example of rococo stucco the land can offer”)

More exploring in beautiful surroundings! (please notice, you are not allowed entrance, if you are not a guest staying at the hotel!)

Apparently blue sheep are the new black! 

I was more happy than I have been in a while! The more I let go – the higher I rose! (cycles are for rent at the hotel)

 

So much beauty – and “soooo much green” (quote Frenchie) 

If I was a goose, I would certainly prefer living here in these magnificent surroundings too

Schloss Leopoldskron has not always been in the best hands and in 1918 the Schloss had fallen into a severe disrepair! Luckily it was sold to Max Reinhardt, Europe’s most famous theatre director, and he committed his creative talents to the restoration of the place and renovated it with the assistance of Salzburg artisans. Together with Hugo von Hoffmannstahl and Richard Strauss, Reinhardt founded the Salzburg Festival at Leopoldskron. During the Reinhardt years the place became an important gathering place for theatre producers, writers, composers and actors around the world

The world-famous Max Reinhardt Library is located on the first floor of the Schloss. Modeled after the St. Gallen’s monastery library in Switzerland, it is as opulent and magical as libraries come

Between the pages of a book is a lovely place to be…

Even a tall person sometimes needs a bit of help…

Rococo overload in the Chinese Room (but I am loving it)

We only spend one night, as I really wanted to go up in the Bavarian mountains! You can easily walk into Salzburg city from here (20 mins). Schloss Leopoldskron is definitely worth a visit and the perfect place for lovers and honeymooners. In my next blog post, I will invite you to join me for a lot of Salzburg sightseeing (I have so many beautiful pictures to share! I can hardly wait to show them to you)

X Louise