The Hills Are Alive!

Turns out that Hollywood tricked us...twice.  In The Sound of Music, the von Trapp mansion in Salzburg, Austria, was actually two large estates, neither of which had any connection whatsoever to the family.  One was used for filming the lake/boat/terrace scenes; the other, for Maria's entry off the road as she first lays eyes on the house.  Recently, however, the real von Trapp mansion has been opened as a hotel; we stayed there just a couple of nights ago.  While it perhaps lacks a bit of the grandeur of the Hollywood version of the home, the marvelous family photos on the walls inside and the furnishings made the place special.  Here are photos of all 3 locations.  The real house is at the bottom.