Salzburg, Austria

Mackenzie Fisher
May 16, 2017
5 min read

The hills fill my heart with the sound of music My heart wants to sing every song it hears My heart wants to beat like the wings of the birds that rise from the lake to the trees My heart wants to sigh like a chime that flies from a church on a breeze To laugh like a brook when it trips and falls over stones on its way To sing through the night like a lark who is learning to pray

The Sound of Music will always be my all time favorite movie. I remember being a little girl and watching the three-hour movie on repeat. From the first sight of Julie Andrews spinning carefree in a field, she became everything I aspired to be! We have so many home videos of me singing songs from the soundtrack, dancing around in my socks in the kitchen, for my make believe audience.

There was even a time where I tried yodeling, though my parents didn't encourage that dream as heavily.

(See, your parents do know what's best for you..)

We had come to Salzburg back in 2009 as a family, and I fell in love with the mountain town. We didn't have enough time to go on the official Sound of Music tour (and probably couldn't convince my little brothers to go on the 4 hour tour) so my mom and I were determined to go this time around!

As usual, our day started off with an unplanned adventure!

On our bus ride from Berlin to Salzburg, our bus had a scheduled two hour stop at a mall. A MALL. Which was, I would like to mention, 30 minutes from Salzburg. Seeing the mountains in the distance, my mom and I were so depressed. Why waste two hours in Austria in a shopping mall? So, of course, we headed to the mountains. Kyla, our fellow mountain lover joined us for the walk!

We saw mountains in the distance, and with no plan, started walking.

We headed down a path through a charming neighborhood, and there were plenty of "snowflakes that stayed on our nose and eyelashes!"

The snow eventually started falling so hard that we needed to seek refuge. We walked into a random Austrian kitchen supplies store and talked to a woman behind the counter. She told us it was her first time hearing English in four years, but still spoke like a pro! The woman told us that there was an authentic Austrian restaurant a half-mile away. A man sitting in the office offered to drive us there, seeing the snow, and we were so grateful of his gracious offer!

Wet from the snowy walk earlier, we were thrilled to warm up and eat inside a beautiful Austrian restaurant!

Ended up having some of the best Wiener Schnitzel of my life, and beat mall food hands down!

My mom asked for a glass of wine, and they served it in a pitcher!

We ran back to the bus, and made it back just in time! Thankful for people who are always down for an adventure and making the most out of every second! Maria von Trapp would be so proud

We got off the bus and warmed up for our gig that night, in St. Michael's Church in Mondsee. This church was the filming location of the wedding scene of Maria and Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music!

So surreal, Julie Andrews walked down this isle!

So emotional getting to sing in such a famous church, and a spot on the movie tour the next morning! We sang an hour choral set to a packed room, and the acoustics were incredible!

Waiting for my future Captain von Trapp at the altar

(Kidding, I can't handle that many kids..)

The next morning, we went on our first tour with our choir. We met our guide in the center, and headed over to Hohensalzburg Castle!

On the way to the castle, we walked through Maribel Gardens, where Do, A Deer was filmed!

Of course, we ran around the same fountain and sang the song at the top of our lungs!

It starts from the very beginning....

Funicular railway to the top of the castle!

Hohensalzburg Castle is one of the largest medieval castles in Europe. Original construction started back in 1077, and it has stood strong during all of these years. In the Holy Roman Empire, the Salzburg archbishops used the castle to rule and people. Hohensalzburg is one of the few castles or churches that wasn't destroyed during the World Wars, and was used to store ammunition and supplies.

The mountain views from the top were breathtaking!

After exploring the castle, we headed to the Mozart Museum! Mozart was born in Salzburg in 1756, and spent most of his childhood in the city!

We went out for coffee at Mozart's favorite coffee shop, hoping the mochas give prodigal piano powers overnight!

Mom finds crazy hats everywhere she goes! Almost bought it considering how cold it was outside..

Beautiful walk across the Salzach River, filled with love locks!

We boarded this amazing bus, and got ready for a tour filled with singing, film locations, and movie secrets!

The back of the von Trapp home! (There are two different buildings used during filming for the front and back of the home!) This is the river that Maria went canoeing with the children in and the canoe tipped! The tip was actually an accident, and Gretl almost drowned! Thankfully, a producer dove in to save her, and the actress was showered with sweets for the next few days!

The gazebo during the "Sixteen going on Seveneen" scene! Definitely one of the most catchy songs in the film, and I used to sing the duet with my stuffed animals!

The dirt road where Maria sang "Confidence" on the way to meet the family for the first time!

The front of the von Trapp House

"Crisp Apple Strudel" break!

In warm vanilla sauce, so amazing!!

Played in the snow during our break! Nothing like a tropical spring break..

Drank Almdudler on the bus ride back to the center, my favorite Austrian soda! Tastes like sparkling cider!

Back in the city, my mom helped me record a cover of Edelweiss in Maribel Gardens! Knowing how much I was missing having an instrument abroad, she bought me a uke in an instrument shop! I was so grateful, and will definitely put it to great use the next month!