Back in "S" Town

As we got back into Salzburg, our first stop was Mirabell Gardens.  Mirabell Palace (Schloss Mirabell) was built by Prince-Arch Bishop Wolf Dietrich on the banks of the Salzach River.  The gardens are some of the most beautiful in Salzburg and several places within the gardens were used during the filming of TSOM.

 







In TSOM, Maria and the kids frolicked as they circled the central fountain shown behind us.

 



"The statue of the fountain...is a symbol of Greek mythology(Pegasus).  After being located at two other sites, it has finally found its permanent home" at Mirabell Gardens.  In TSOM, Maria and the children marched around this mighty winged horse.



The flowers were exquisite:

Sometimes finding our way through the gardens was interesting:

And you TSOM enthusiasts will remember this---Maria and the von Trapp children danced and ran races through this rose and ivy-covered arbor in the Mirabell Gardens while singing Do-Re-Mi.  Sarah was acting the part!!!

Another shot of the von Trapps singing Do-Re-Mi was filmed on these steps at Mirabell.

It was getting late enough that we needed to head across the river and start looking for a place to eat; but as we went and stopped on the bridge, we got some great shots of other scenic spots:

The Hohensalzburg Fortress sits on top of the hill with lots of other landmarks in old town, but it was along the grassy banks of the Salzach River that Maria and the von Trapp children were filmed running single file in TSOM.

That red-domed steeple (second from left) is the Convent of Nonnberg (Nonnberg Abbey) where the real Maria von Trapp was a novice.  The walls and gates were filmed in TSOM, but entrance into the still-active abbey is not allowed so any scenes with the abbey were on sound stages built to copy the real deal.



The Collegiate Church and the Franciscan Church behind it (the gray-colored one with the pointed steeple)



Same group of churches to the right, the Dome Cathedral and Glockenspiel to the left



 We found a little restaurant tucked away in the corner of a square.  Our table was next to a window, and we could look out and see Mozart's Geburtshaus (birthplace).



More adventures from Salzburg (Saturday, June 4th) coming on the next blog...I was really liking Salzburg by now, so much to see, so much to do!