The temperature has dropped a bit overnight and I think we are over the worst of the heat wave (for now) and the maximum today is only meant to be 30 degrees. Our tour guide met us in the hotel at 9 and we started on a walking tour of the city. Salzburg is famous for a few different things – birthplace of Mozart, it’s where Sound of Music was shot, the father of toxicology Paracelsus lived here, and it’s the HQ of Red Bull. We tried to cover as much as we could as part of the day.

We started in Mirabella Gardens which is where some of the outdoor scenes for the movie were recorded. It was teeming with tourists, who were all trying to do the same thing as us – re-enact the scenes. It is also the location for the Dwarf Garden which features 17 whimsical marble statues of dwarves based on real people from the 18th century. They were meant to be employed by the Archbishop to keep an eye (and ear) on the locals. There is also a huge rose garden that was recently replanted with different colours representing Austria and the region. The palace in the gardens was commissioned by the Archbishop to house his “wife” and children.

We then proceeded to the building where Mozart was born which has been turned into a museum of his life. It included some fascinating artifacts including his travel piano that he took from location to location. It also displayed some of his original compositions that had been written by hand as he travelled. The highlight was seeing his personal violin and legend has it that he picked up a violin at the age of 4, never having played the instrument and recreated music he had heard. He was undoubtedly a genius and it is hard to imagine how much more he would have created had he lived longer than a mere 36 years.

We then walked through a cemetery and headed to Nonnberg Abbey which is also the location for a few famous scenes from The Sound of Music. Surprisingly the movie is not popular in Austria or Germany and most locals haven’t watched it. Partly this is because movies about the Nazis wasn’t well received even in the 60’s and also because Julie Andrews’ voice was dubbed by someone who didn’t have the same vocal range or talent as her. The tour ended at the town square and we found a shady corner to sit and have our lunch.

Salzburg is also the HQ of Red Bull and they have a Hangar where they display all their cars and aeroplanes to the public. We took a bus to the Hangar but didn’t tell Thomas where we were going. He is obsessed with Red Bull racing and was beyond excited when we arrived. He ran around and looked at all the cars, planes and helicopters. We stopped at the cafe and had some afternoon tea – which included flavoured Red Bull Organic – which doesn’t have any caffeine. Tom desperately wanted to get closer to Max Verstappens car and so went up to the security guard and asked him if he could sit in the car. The guard declined, but said he could touch it if we wanted and let him behind the security railing. Tom was ecstatic and was literally bouncing after the experience. I think its fair to say it will be the highlight of the holiday for him.