The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music

We had our Sound of Music tour this afternoon and it was a full three hours of history, movie trivia and sing alongs. We learned a ton about the history of Salzburg and Austria, and about the filming of The Sound of Music.  The film is like a patchwork of various sites around the Salzburg area. Different shots were filmed in different areas, some of which were pointed out and some of which we visited today. We saw the Mirabell Gardens and the Pegasus fountain, where the multiple scenes are filmed during "Do Re Mi"; Leopoldskron Palace which was used as the back of the manor for scenes on the balcony and the water; Nonnberg Abbey which is where the real Maria stayed until going to work for Captain von Trapp and where the Abbey scenes were filmed; and Hellbrunn Castle where the girls skipped down the lane with Confidence and where the famous "16 Going on 17" gazebo sits, locked up tight after a lawsuit involving a leaping elderly woman and a broken hip. 
Then we drove about an half an hour out of town to visit the Lakes District and Mondsee Church, which was originally Gothic until a Baroque facade was built around the front (who knew?) - it was chosen because it had the best filming angles for the aisle shots. Just like the children and Maria, we also visited Braun's cafe, where we had some fabulous apple strudel with warm vanilla sauce and cool vanilla ice cream. Delicious!!

We are heading to Venice tomorrow, where we let go of Lisl the Diesel, our trusty Volvo station wagon. It has been great to have a car and driving here has been as easy as driving at home (only WAY faster!), especially with the help of NeverLost to navigate us through the tricky parts ... you know, like busy intersections, or mountain passes, or farmer's fields.  We will be sorry to see her go indeed, and from Venice on we'll be on foot and train while in Italy.

Thinking of you.
Do, Re, Mi ... and the rest of the Sisterhood ...