This weekend I decided to spend an afternoon in a beautiful town in Lincolnshire. I have been there many times before but usually for work reasons or nights out. Having recently noticed that the TV show ‘The Crown’ is based there for the next series, I was intrigued to check out The Crown filminglocation that they are currently using.
Stamford
There is something very quaint about Stamford because it has a lot of history and a large stately home nearby. The streets are slightly inclined and many of the buildings are very old. With many churches and some beautiful parks, as well as a river (the Welland), this little town is lively, intriguing and attractive. The places to eat are varied too, with lovely tea rooms and even a restaurant offering a tapas selection.
The Crown
In the Autumn the new series of The Crown chose one of the local butcher’s shops to be dressed for a critical scene. It was easy to find this particular location and I am now wondering what is was used for. Clearly it was kept as a butchers but which characters were involved in this scene?
A location recently used for The Crown.
Burghley House was used in many previous projects such as the Kiera Knightley movie, ‘Pride and Prejudice.’ On Sunday I decided to have a walk around the site to refresh my memory. I also thought I might set eyes on a film crew but apparently they don’t work weekends.
This beautiful building was once visited by Queen Elisabeth the first although she was turned around and had to leave due to a smallpox outbreak there at the time. In the new season on The Crown it plays Windsor Castle in the nineties during the challenging years that surrounded Princess Diana’s divorce.
It is such a beautiful building surrounded by what looks like a moat. It is easy to see why it is used to double for royal palaces.
The Welland River
So if you are ever passing this area, definitely check out Stamford, with its historic streets, interesting shops and wonderful stately home. Also, the parking on Sundays is free and there is a main train line running through it from Peterborough and London.
Thanks for checking out my blog. I enjoyed writing about my afternoon in Stamford and look forward to seeing Imelda Staunton playing the Queen in the upcoming season on Netflix. For another couple of Netflix TV show reviews, click here. Please follow my blog for similar future posts.
I always enjoy Rachel’s blog posts and this one is very cool as there are so many incredible facts about Halloween that I have learned from reading it. Have a read and find out more about a tradition that has become popular commercially, but one which few seem to know the true origins for.
Pumpkins, scary disguises, amazing decorations and lots of fun… It’s that time of year again, it’s a week till Halloween! Halloween is a holiday …
Last week I mentioned my incredible trip to Zurich in Switzerland which I took by train in Autumn. Now I want to share my experience of travelling to the equally beautiful Austrian city of Salzburg during the summer. Hopefully I may persuade you to visit Salzburg and see the sights yourself.
My blog often discusses environmental issues and this article is all about trying to avoid using aeroplanes when visiting Europe. I went to Salzburg via Brussels (2 hours on the Eurostar) and then Munich (about 7 hours with a stop off) with a final stretch of just over an hour before arriving at the main station. This sounds like a long time but the views were breathtaking and the food on the train was of a very good quality and affordable.
Have you ever wanted to go to Salzburg, Austria? Here are five reasons why you should.
1) The views
The mountains around the city are stunning and the whole place is situated in a scenic valley which has a very wide river, known as the Salzach, running through it. The city is divided into two sides, with the old town on one side and the newer part on the other. Many bridges cross the Salzach, including the MozartSteg which is built for pedestrian traffic.
The footbridge used in ‘The Sound of Music’.
2) Mozart and History
The city was especially musical when I visited in August because it just so happened to be the month that the well known Salzburg Festival took place. With theatrical productions and live music events held in the town square and prestigious buildings, the town was full of orchestras and a genuine buzz which was infectious.
The birthplace of Mozart is open to view as part of a museum called the Mozarteum. His music lives on all around Salzburg and the town seems very proud of its musical prodigy. The Mozart Wohnhaus is a second museum, where he lived for much of his youth, after the house he was born in became too small for his family. Along with two museums, there is a Mozart monument watching over Mozart Square. If there is one famous person you come to know more about after visiting Salzburg, I can bet it will most probably be Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
A concert hall where we heard a lovely classical music performance.
Historical buildings such as the abbey and Nunnery (Nonnberg Abbey) are all within easy reach as the city is actually quite small and most places of interest are within walking distance of each other.
Another quirky place that we sampled was the intriguing Salzburg Marionette Theatre, where we saw a production of the Sound of Music usually exquisite puppets, much like those used in the film.
Some startling puppets from the marionette show.
3) Salzburg Castle (Hohensalzburg Fortress)
Up on the hill sits a large, intriguing castle which overlooks the city and is full of things to do. In order to get up there, we took the steep funicular railway which gave some stunning views and picture opportunities as we were whisked up to the castle itself. Inside there was plenty to see of the old fortress and there were shops and refreshments that included places selling local artwork, which was of a high quality.
Hohensalzburg Fortress overlooks the old town and river.
4) The Sound of Music
One of the main reasons that I was originally intrigued by this beautiful city was because it appeared in ‘The Sound of Music’ movie. I have always loved this movie and wondered what the places featured on it were actually like. So naturally I booked us onto the Sound of Music Tour organised by Panorama Tours. I was not disappointed as we went to all of the key locations.
I especially enjoyed seeing the Mirabelle Palace gardens which were used during the famous ‘Do-Re-Mi’ song in which Julie Andrews and 7 children danced around the fountain and raced through the hedge tunnel which was covered in overhanging plants.
The painted wall mural as seen in the film.The Mirabelle GardensThe tunnel that Julie Andrews ran through while singing Do-Re-Mi.
5) Mondsee and the countryside
Taking time out of the city, we got to see some of the incredibly beautiful sites of the surrounding hills. The Sound of Music tour took us to the huge church at Mondsee where Maria and Captain Von Trapp got married in the sixties musical. The town of Mondsee had a lovely market square with some wonderful shops and eateries which made the visit even better.
Mondsee Abbey
On the way we saw some of the popular lakes that locals flock to when the sun comes out, nestled beneath the mountains. As a geographer, I found myself marvelling at the landscape and enjoying taking photos of the green valleys and tranquil waters. The fresh air did me wonders as well.
A few things I have taken away from my visit are:
– a taste for sauerkraut (which it turns out is very good for your gut)
– a fascination with Austria with its traditions and Christmas shops, its love of music and intriguing history
– the satisfaction of visiting the locations of my favourite musical movie, ‘The Sound of Music’
– lots of knowledge about Mozart and classical musical history
– a desire to go back to Salzburg very soon
I hope that you enjoyed thispost and it has shown how intriguing Austria can be. I especially loved that I could travel there by train from the UK. The scenery was impressive and the reception was welcoming. Salzburg is such a culturally interesting and friendly town where I felt totally at ease.
