The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel

Finding my inner Julie Andrews

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We were in the library, sailing up the Danube and singing songs from The Sound of Music, led by Captain von Trapp’s real granddaugh­ter: Elisabeth von Trapp. Actually, I was listening, too shy to join the other novices: four young women who could with conviction sing “I am 16 going on 17”. It was when they got to the line: “Totally unprepared am I to face a world of men”, that I saw, through the window, that we were passing a stretch of riverbank frequented by naturists and silently urged the singers: “don’t look now – you’ll be put off for life.”

The presence of von Trapp was the musical flourish on a journey already strong on the arts. The cruise would take us from Budapest via a medley Uniworld’s River Beatrice ship, above; a poster for the original Sound of Music film, below of historic cities to the German border, and included an excursion to Salzburg, the main location for the film adaptation of the Rodgers and Hammerstei­n musical. To celebrate the film’s 50th anniversar­y last year, Uniworld invited Elisabeth to accompany two of its Enchanting Danube cruises. She enjoyed it so much she came back for more. Eagerness to sign up star guests is just one sign of how cruise lines are evolving – and booming. When I boarded Uniworld’s River Beatrice ship in Budapest, I was surprised at the number of sleek cruise vessels on the river, with names like Monet, Beethoven and Nimrod. At a welcome concert for passengers, von Trapp sang songs from the film in a clear, luminous voice, accompanyi­ng herself on the guitar. She told anecdotes about her family, the home they made in Vermont after they left Austria in 1938, and their life as touring singers. Later, she hosted an afternoon tea at which two dancers in Viennese ball regalia taught us the waltz. The cruise also featured musical recitals, theatre sketches and lectures to prime us for the shore excursions.

Budapest and Bratislava were new cities for me, so in each case I took the “first-timers’” option. We explored the art nouveau opulence of the Hungarian capital and the winding, cobbled streets of its petite Slovakian counterpar­t, as local guides coloured in the detail. By the time we hit Vienna on day three, however, my brain was starting to jam. As our coach glided past a humbling concentrat­ion of world-class opera houses, theatres, concert halls and museums, I felt overwhelme­d.

As the guide led us into the city centre on foot, the only words I could take in were “1,100 coffee shops” – with the unspoken subtext of “cake”. I peeled away from the group and found a coffee house – the last place Mozart performed in public as a pianist – a few doors from his final home, where he died in 1791. I contemplat­ed his genius with a slice of Café Frauenhube­r’s speciality: a slice of heaven stuffed with apple and poppy seeds.

On board, relaxed chats over meals at big round tables with families and couples from Hong Kong, Qatar and Canada proved to be a trip highlight. Around three-quarters of the 130 passengers were from the US, but we comprised 13 nationalit­ies in all. The words “semi-retired” came up frequently, although there was nothing “semi” about these travellers’ energy or sense of adventure.

During the course of the cruise, I joined an afternoon group cycle tour along the riverbank. I also took advantage of the early-morning activities run by the inspiring fitness coaches, Elena and Milenko. We did yoga on the roof of the ship, saluting the sun as it rose above the Danube plain. In Vienna, we went Nordic walking along the riverbank. The following day, as the boat followed the twisting river between wooded hillsides, we performed the Five Tibetan Rites of Rejuvenati­on. Just three of us: none of the other guests seemed to want rejuvenati­ng.

I mentioned the fact at breakfast. Hal, an 83-year-old from Ohio, said: “Saving my energy for the bike ride later: 28km up the river, temperatur­e forecast to be 40 degrees, don’t want to overdo it. You joining us?” I made my excuses. Hal’s business card read “Apex Enjoyment Co.”

Reg, 81, from Adelaide, said it’s important to stay in shape in middle age. “Scientists now agree that middle age is from 60-90,” he added. As Reg is a semi-retired obstetrici­an/ gynaecolog­ist, we believed him. And I was feeling younger by the day.

A ‘Sound of Music’ singalong tour on the Danube strikes an unexpected chord with James Bedding

Still, I stuck to my plan and enjoyed the barbecue on the sun deck as we glided up the Wachau Valley, a picturesqu­e stretch of the Danube. From Linz, coaches took us to Salzburg for a day trip. Before a singalong on the steps in the Mirabell Palace gardens – film location for the closing bars of Do-Re-Mi – Elisabeth sang in the palace chapel, where the echoing acoustics matched her pure, bell-like voice perfectly. “That gave me goose bumps,” one passenger said later. I saw her on board tutoring some young singers from the US and Indonesia and Singapore. At the final evening singalong they performed with confidence.

Von Trapp originally trained in music, theatre and education. After running a fashion business for 25 years she decided to explore her own creativity – and now tours as

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