BootsnAll Travel Network



Day 14 Salzburg

Where: Salzburg, Austria
When: Sept. 17, 2005

“The hills are alive with the sound of Music.”

I’m sure everyone has heard those notes to those lyrics ever since you’ve been young. If you really like the movie and want to remember it just like the movie. I suggest you log off now and get back to work like you should. j-k!

Very interesting Sound of Music Tour today. The tour guide pretty much debunked the movie. Gave us the ins and outs of what really happened. Micheal, our guide, was quirky but good in his own way. Anytime he did’nt want to talk he would put the movie sountrack on. His english was good but was not excellent like Markus yesterday. He seemed like he needed to smoke every minute. I actually caught him at the end of the tour dragging as many smokes as he can before we had to get going. What a funny sight!

Now, maybe you should see the movie again to get a refresher on the certain scenes. Or just be familiar with the movie.

Anyway, the tour started with the locations they used around Salzburg. The market scene where she picked up a fruit, the market was going on today and we went to the square where they filmed that shot. Interesting as one tour bus or van was passing by the market after another. The locals were just waving at the tourist and one vendor actually raised an apple just as if Maria Von Trapp would buy it. We then went to the Nönnberg Abbey where the wedding of Georg and Maria Von Trapp actually happened. Later on this. The abbey is closed for any tours whatsoever. We then went above Salzburg to the new Museum location. This location was where she had the kids lined up to sing the do re mi song. With the view of Salzburg to the west in the background. Pretty view.

Actually today was very rainy. We really lucked out yesterday by going to the Eagles Nest and getting a clear skies to get the magnificent views. But today we had to actually use our umbrellas.

As we were leaving the last location by the museum. Mary tried to pick up a rock or something and Micheal the tour guide just had that quizical look on his face as to what on earth do you wan’t a rock from here for? Very funny scene! Oh well.

We then headed to the building where the final performance took place. Actually it was closed but we saw the outside of the building. They are also refurbishing the building and adding on in preparation for the big Mozart celebration next year. The city of Salzburg will attempt to play all 22 of Mozarts concertos. This has never been done before. One on each night. This will be the biggest Mozart festival ever.

We then headed to the Mirabell Gardens. This place is actually for free to see. The Mirabell Gardens were laid out in the 18th Century. This is where Maria and the children were seen dancing around the statue of pegasus, the winged horse, and thoughout the gardens singing “Do re mi” song. Very bueatiful rose gardens even in the rainfall.

We then headed thru the new town and to the Leopoldskron Castle. The castle was actually owned by Max, Georg’s confidant. In reality, Max was never that close of a confidant. He was actually a talent scout. He was one of the founder of the Salzburg Music festival back in the 1920’s. He was half-jewish and his real name was actually changed for the movie. The Nazis actually tried to make him an honorary Aryan, but he declined. His castle was confiscated and owned by the Nazi governor of Salzburg during WWII. The front exterior of the castle was used as the Trapp family home. The children were boating on the lake and fell into the water. This was in the back of the castle. Also, the Venetian room of the castle was copied and was used as the ballroom in the movie.

The glass gazebo where the oldest sang the song “16 going in 17” was originally located in the Leopoldskron Castle. But the owners of the castle after the war, was so pissed that alot of teenagers would sneak at their grounds to reenact the scene that they donated the gazedo to the city of Salzburg in the 50’s I believe. The City then placed it in the Hellbrunn Castle grounds. The Hellbrun Castle ground was humungous! one of the “roads” that paralells the castle was used when Maria was dropped off the bus to be the nanny of the kids. It’s a tree lined road.

We then headed to the Lakes region. Where the water is so clean that it is drinkable. The water is so clear you can read the label on the cup that was in the lake floor. Most of the scenery was from this area. The towns of Fuschl, St. Gilden and Mondsee. The scenery shown at the beginning of the movie was filed at Lake Fuschl on the way to St. Gilgen. This area I believe is called the Salykammergut area. We went to the location where she twirled. But no one went out to recreate as it was cold and raining. So we just told Micheal to press forward.

We then went to the village of Mondsee. Very picturesque! Here, the original trees are still there where the kids were hanging from when Georg and the Baroness came back from Vienna, except that the trees are much taller and bigger than in the movie. duh!

The Mondsee Cathedral is where the wedding scene was filmed. The cathedral is very beautiful. Maria, led by Leisl, walked down the aisle to meet the baron in front of the stairs of the main altar. Today a baptism was taking place.

The baron was born in the balkans and he came from a naval military family. His first wife, whose family fortune came from her parents arms factory made their fortune during WWI. She died of childbirth complications almost to a year after the last one was born.

After WWI, Georg despised the Germans especially the Nazis because he blamed them for the decline of the Astrian empire and it’s way of life. That’s why he dicided to leave rather than serve in the U-boats.

Maria Von Trapp was rather a large lady not the skin and bones type as depicted in the movie.

The family actually fled by train to Italy then to England then to the US. They never crossed the mountains as shown in the movie and never set foot in Switzerland.

Maria wrote the original book and sold the rights to a german company. Which swindled her of money by saying that they can only offer so much by german law or something like that. Anyway, there are actually a couple of german movie version of the book. The American movie company that made the movie actually bought the rights from the german company. So the Maria Von Trapp never made much from her story. Well, the rest is history as they say.

Maria and Georgh had three children of their own. But the original 7 children did not like the book or the movie for that matter. They even did not like Maria that much either. The movie seemed to portrait the opposite. The childrens biggest concern was that their father was portrayed as very strict. He was not and he was very seldom home. This much Maria admitted at a later date.

The Von Trapp family did do singing tours in the US as a means of livelihood and finally settled in Vermont and openned a wellness resort. Maria has actually visited the place on one of her trip to Vermont to see her friend Carol.

That’s it for the SOM tour. I hope I didn’t break anyone’s heart. But it is what it is.

I can’t wait to watch the movie and look at the scenery. It should be interesting.

Ended the evening by having 3pints of guiness at the Dü wählst den literally 100ft from the hotel door. This place was voted the Irish Pub of the Year 2005!

Cheers Mate!!!!!!

Auf Wiedersehen!

Tomorrow, travel day to Füssen!



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