The Hills are Alive...

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I am naming this post "The Hills are Alive..." for Tom.  First, because he spontaneous burst into song -- singing this line -- multiple times during our recent trip to Salzburg, Austria.  With a note of sarcasm but I could tell he was enjoying himself.  Second, because he humored me and went on a Sound of Music tour.

Safe to say that it has been a decade or more since I've watched the classic film The Sound of Music.  It's one of those films though that has so many memorable scenes, catchy songs and beautiful scenery that it IS unforgettable.  If someone asks have you seen the film, you don't have to pause, think back over the hundreds of films you've seen in your lifetime and wonder, "Have I ever seen The Sound of Music?"  Cause, let's face it, there are plenty of forgettable films out there.  But not The Sound of Music.  You remember the film.  Guess they call 'em classics for a reason.

The city of Salzburg plays a main role in the film.  Fitting as many of the outdoor scenes were filmed in and around the city and it is where the von Trapp family was living before they fled.   Now don't worry.  This blog post is not about to become a blow-by-blow recounting of our tour or fact verses fiction between real life and the movie.  I wasn't taking notes during the tour and you can go search for that stuff yourself on the Internet.

I just thought it would be fun to post pictures of sites we saw that are in the film.  We did enjoy coming back from the trip and watching the movie.  Recognizing many of the places we'd just visited.
Our star - the city of Salzburg, Austria
Downsizing - figured I'd give Tom a break from big bus tours
The red top is Nonnberg Abbey - Real and Movie Maria's abbey
House used as the back of the von Trapp home in the movie
The gazebo used for the "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" scene was constructed for the film at the house above but eventually got moved to Schloss Hellbrunn.
Too many accidents due to re-enactments...so they've locked the doors!
The house that served as the front of the house is not visible from the road we were on.  It sits behind a long, tall yellow wall that we could hardly see from the road.  The yellow wall makes an appearance in the film too during "I Have Confidence."
First look -- pulled over on the road's shoulder
Zoomed in and cropped  - can you see it now?
A Salzburg location that makes several appearances during "Do-Re-Mi" is Mirabell Gardens and Palace. 
The Gardens
The fountain and the stairs below make appearances
Tommy give me a Do-Re-Mi
Arbor's in the movie too...'Fa' a long, long, way to run
Yep, he's in the film too.  See if you can spot his 5 seconds.
The fountain on the Residentzplatz makes an appearance too.
Triton fountain
We also went up into the Lake District with our final destination being Mondsee, home of the church where the wedding scene was filmed.
Winding roads through the hills
Nearing the Lake District
Mondsee
Mondsee Cathedral
An organist was playing while we were in the cathedral
Hundreds of locals served as extras during filming
So, there you go.  Those are my highlights.  Hope you enjoy looking at the photos and then going back to the movie to see what you can recognize.  

Tom and I really had a great couple days in Salzburg.  I'll do another post soon where I share some of the non-Sound of Music related pictures. 




Comments

  1. Thomas DalrympleMay 21, 2011 at 10:34 AM

    The hills are alivvvee....hack...hack...with the sounds of muzak...

    ReplyDelete

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