My life partner insists, we must go to Mondsee, so 3 hours driving in the solid rain gets us to a beautiful pale yellow Baroque Cathedral. The first movie I ever saw as a boy in a picture theatre was Sound of Music. It turns out that my wife and her mum fell in love with the movie and dreamt about visiting the countryside portrayed in the Oscar winning movie. This cathedral is where Maria marries von Trapp. It is ornate and beautiful and brings tears to her eyes as memories with her now deceased mum resurface.
Salzburg is only a short drive away. Apart from being fairytale beautiful it has two touristic themes, the Sound of Music movie and its most famous son, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The latter was born here and spent his childhood here. By age 5 he was performing concerts for the public. At age 9 he was composing music. This musical genius had a flame that burned brightly until his premature death at age 35. My first port of call here is his birth house which is now a Mozart museum.
Beyond that this is an enchanting place with sparkling alleyways, an imposing hilltop castle and an array of stunning Baroque and gothic churches. Salzburg does not disappoint!
Mozart square