the Sound of Music tour. Non-Sound of Music fans need not read the following: Just as promised, we saw the trees the children climbed, the exterior to the house, the infamous gondola where Lizell got her first kiss. The hills they climbed and the church they were married in and the original abbey where Maria 
thought she would spend the rest of her life. Besides the miserable weather we had, we enjoyed the company of other S of M freaks. The church they were married in was really cool to see. I enjoyed remembering all the favourite parts of the movie in person. Our guide gave us tidbits about the real couple. Now, cover your ears if you're a huge fan, but the hills they climbed at the end of the movie would actually have taken them into Germany. What really happened was that they took a train into Italy, a boat to England and then went on to the USA where they still live! Our tour guide said that he frequently has people crying on the tours, one 19 year old girl said that she has watched the movie twice every day since she was five. Ummm ya....Really quite extensive though. The trivia he told us was very interesting. The story was not at all like the real Vontrapp family, but was fabricated by Hollywood. When Maria complained she was silenced with $900,000!!We really enjoyed the beautiful mountains in Salzburg. The town was relatively small but so picturesque and enjoyable. We ate dinner in a beer hall dinning on sauerkraut and schnitzel. Although if you're n
ot a Sound of Music fan, you may get a little annoyed with all the movie paraphernalia they have here. They are definitely living high off the hog! Most Austrians apparently have never even seen the hollywood movie, and don't particularly like it if they have. There is a German version that is the original and more accurate to the Vontrapp tale.We also went to visit the home that Mozart and his family lived in for many years. They have done a great job of restoring the interior to the way it would have been if they had never left. Quite the interesting museum, if you love his music. We were all amazed to listen to his beautiful music and then to be told tha
t he was only eight years old when he composed it!! He was quite a devious sort of fellow and chose to ignore many of his father’s warnings and married a woman who was considered beneath him. Quite the scandal!We also walked all around the city shopping and discovering more cute buildings and sound of music picture opportunities with our new friend that we met on the tour. A must see if you're a fan! I had wanted to go to Salzburg on my last trip and was delighted to have finally made it!
