Austria: In the Land of the Von Trapps

I first watched the movie 'The Sound of Music' in college, and right after, I decided that if I ever got the chance to travel abroad, I would go to Austria to see Captain and Maria's house. That good fortune finally came in the autumn of 2014. I had read that autumn in Europe is very beautiful, but I had no idea it would be such a vibrant spectacle of color. It looked as if the trees were ablaze in red, yellow, and gold.

Our first destination in Austria was Salzburg, from where we would begin our 'Sound of Music' tour. On a bright, sunny morning, we visited Captain von Trapp's house. In front of the house was the huge lake where the children's boat had capsized. A flock of swans was floating on the dark water of the lake. We learned that the road where Maria sang the "Confidence" song was not in front of the house; it was in front of the Archduke's house. The gazebo, the glass house where "I Am Sixteen" was sung on a rainy night, is in the Archduke's garden, even though the movie shows it as part of the Captain's home. The church where the Captain and Maria got married was beautiful, and replicas of edelweiss flowers were being sold in front of it. We also saw Mirabell Palace, which is in the city, quite a distance from the Captain's house. It was a very enjoyable experience to compare each place to the scenes from the movie.

However, thanks to our tour operator, we learned two interesting tidbits. First, the people of Austria don't like the Hollywood version of 'The Sound of Music.'. They prefer the one made in their own country, which has a very different story. However, I have not seen it. Secondly, the Hollywood movie shows Captain Von Trapp and his family escaping from the Nazis by fleeing to Switzerland. But the mountain range they are shown crossing actually leads to the Bavaria region of Germany, meaning in reality, crossing those mountains would have led them right back into the clutches of the Nazis.