The Sound of Music

posted by: Katie



Pretty much the entire reason I went to Austria was because I am a HUGE Sound of Music fan. I watch the movie all the time, and even have the sound track. It was always my dream to go and take the tour in Salzburg, Austria, and while I was here, I thought that I should take that opportunity.

So, the company that does the Sound of Music Tour picked us up at our hotel, and drove us to where the bus was for the tour. The tour took us around the town of Salzburg, and the tour guide, who was so funny and awesome, showed us spots that the movie took place.

We also got off the bus a few times to see places up close, and took a lot of pictures. I had to do everything they did in the movie! But going on the tour was so cool, I was able to recognize so much! I was even able to answer a trivia question right, I was the only one on the tour who knew the name of the mountain Maria sang on at the beginning of the movie (the untersberg) and I was probably the biggest dork.

The tour showed so much countryside and the town! A lot of it was covered in snow, so it was kind of depressing, but it was beautiful nonetheless. We drove past places like the Hoensalzburg fortress, where I went the day before, and drove through the town. Then we went to the house that the movie used for the back of the von Trapp villa, where the lake was. It was so cool to see it up close! Then we went to Hellbrunn Palace, where the gazebo from the movie is kept now, but it was sadly locked, and I couldn't dane in it. But I got a few good pictures. Then we drove up into the mountains, and saw the little Bavarian villages that dwell high above the city of Salzburg. We saw the church where Maria and the captain got married in the movie and we went to this little restaurant that is said to have the best apple strudel. It was so good! Worth the snow for a tasty treat like that. Then we went around the mountains and saw all the mountainscape, the lakes and all that, like how they pan around Austria in the beginning of the movie. Then I went to Mirabell gardens, where the song Do Re Mi was done, or at least a lot of the dancing was there. I danced like they did, which was probably pretty sad. And then I went to the house they used for the movie in the front, and went right up to the door! (it's a school now, so it was ok). And I got a lot of great pictures and fufilled my secret little Sound of Music dream!

I had a blast, and then returned home to London, where the story continues again...
-Katie