The Sound of Music

We just got back from a ten day adventure to AUSTRIA. It was my first time going to Europe and I already can't wait until the next time. The flights there were great. We were lucky enough to have an empty seat next to us on the longest of the three flights so Hunter and Walter were both able to have their own seat. We landed in Germany on Saturday morning and then started our drive to our hotel in Austria. Everyone but Grandpa Mac (since he was the one driving) fell asleep during the car ride. Our hotel was wonderful it was a 3 bedroom/2 bathroom partial kitchen room. This was the view from our window.

On Sunday we went to Salzburg- I loved Salzburg and I think I could live there. It was a beautiful blend of old and new. I loved the look of town. We first went to the Dome to attend mass- I didn't understand a single word. It was some kind of celebration that had to do with wheat. Many of the patrons were dressed in the their traditional clothes. The service was really short and then they had a parade and a wheat crown and bread that they gave out. I wish I understood the reason behind the celebration. The kids loved watching the parade.

Then we went to the Nonnberg Abbey- the nunnery that they used in The Sound of Music. It was a bit of a climb to get up to it.

This was the view from the Abbey

Do you recognize those gates?


Then we went to St. Peter's Abbey-now some tours say this is where they shot the scenes in the movie where the Nazi's are chasing the Von Trapp family, but I have read that all these scenes were done in a studio in California

We also saw the fountains and the festival halls where the Von Trapp family sings "Edelweiss" -unfortunately the festival halls which they still use were closed when we got there. Then we drove to the castle they used for the back shots of the house facing the lake in the movie.- it has been turned into a school and was not open for the public.

So our last site was Hellbruun Caslte-my friend Mette recommended this site and it is also where they house the pavilion from the Sound of Music. We took the tour of the gardens with their trick fountains and toured the palace as well. They had a wonderful playground that the kids got to play on and then we hiked up to the small castle on the hill.

The pavilion from The Sound of Music

The view from the small castle

By the end of the day we were all tired and ready to get back to the hotel.