Doh Ray Me

The Sound of Music tour was great. A honey blonde (not natural) woman in her 60s in costume was our guide. Robert leaned over to me and whispered, "I think Julie Andrews has aged."

But Christina was great, with lots of local information as well. The film Sound of Music has increased tourism in this city.

She was able to tell us the real story and where Hollywood altered the truth for dramatic effect. Maria was born in Vienna and her mother died she she was two. She trained as a teacher, then decided to join the Nuns here in Salzburg. Captain von Trapp had married an English woman, Lady 'Something' who nursed her children with Scarlet Fever, then died of it herself. What to do? Maybe the nuns could suggest someone to help? Just like in the film, Maria was too lively and was not settling into this order where silence was a big part of their devotion.

 So they foisted poor Maria onto the Captain. They married in 1927, not in 1938 as the film suggests. Hitler wanted the family to sing at his 50th birthday and the Captain to be an officer in his Navy. So the family decided to leave Austria. They did not do the dramatic escape over the mountain. The mountain used in the film led straight into Germany, anyway. They used the mode of transport we ourselves will tomorrow ... train. Apparently Christopher Plummer did not enjoy working with children. For the escape scene, he declared, "I'm not carrying that fat kid over the mountain."

And he seemed so nice in the film. I was screened on a channel in our hotel last night so I watched it when we returned from dinner. Sort of a refresher course for today. We drove out to see the von Trapp mansion from the film. The building is now owned by Harvard University, so we could just gaze longingly across the lake. The real family home is in an area of Salzburg and only a mansion of twenty rooms. But you know Hollywood!!!

Locations all around the area were used. We saw the avenue of trees down which Maria/Julie danced and sang she had Confidence In Me. The real couple got married in the church of the abbey Maria had belonged to. But the nuns did not want the 200+ film crew upsetting their Silence. So a beautiful cathedral a half hour away in Mondsee was used. So I can say I have walked down the very aisle the Sound of Music wedding took place.

One really enjoyable part of the tour, apart from the awesome scenery and houses we saw, was when Christina put on the soundtrack and we could sing a long. Belting down an Austrian road, stunning scenery out the bus windows, belting out "silver white winters that turn into spring" and "climb every mountain" and "doe, a deer, a female deer" was such fun. The few Asian and Indian tourists aboard did not exactly pull their weight, but I probably carried them!!!

On return, we wandered through the Mirabell Gardens, shown above, where the children sang and danced around the fountain. Then we made our way to the Old Town again and paid to ride the funicular up to the fortress that overlooks the city. What a view it was! The old fortress was of interest to wander about, but I would have loved more information about how it was used.

A quick peep into the magnificent church after our ride back down and we walked back to the hotel. The light but persistent rain only started after we returned. All in all, a great day.