Salzburg, Austria!

This morning, we headed off to Munich's train station (Hauptbahnhof!) We expected it to be confusing after our experience yesterday, but it was surprisingly easy. We got on our seats and slept for the 2 hours we were on the train to Salzburg. When we arrived, we hailed a cab and went straight to our hotel... the Villa Trapp. Now, if you aren't a Sound of Music fan, or more importantly if you have never seen the movie, stop reading this now. Go slap yourself in the face, become a real person, and watch it!! Seriously though, it's a quality classic movie and everyone who can appreciate a good story (based on a true one) will love it.

The Villa Trapp - No tourists (only guests) allowed! :)

Growing up watching the film, Rachel and I have always loved the story and the scenic area where it takes place. A big part of going to Salzburg is seeing the sights and places used in the film. It draws millions of tourists to Austria each year, so of course when you're there you have to take a Sound of Music tour! Since my Mom is obsessed with the film (more than your average person), she read up about the true history behind the story, and all about the real Von Trapp family. With this knowledge in hand, we booked our hotel very strategically. The building we stayed at is the actual house where the family lived during the pre World War II period. In real life, they escaped the Nazi regime by sneaking out their back door and walking to the train station near their house, fleeing into Italy. In the film, they hike up into the Alps off to Switzerland. Either way, it's a cool story-- what was even cooler was that we got to see the real stuff it's all about.

The Mozartplatz in old town Salzburg

After Maryann went on a photo spree of the house, we headed into the heart of the city. The main plaza, known as the Mozartplatz, is where we started it all. There was a lot of upscale shopping, and of course without our tight designer jeans and stilettos we felt very "American" walking around this classy city. As we explored, we saw the house where the famous Wolfgang Mozart was born, and we went to an old cemetery. Everyone we met was very friendly, and I loved how old and colorful all of the buildings are. I think this city is quintessential "European". After we spent one too many Euros, we headed back to Villa Trapp.

The staircase that the children ran down to meet their new governess Maria!

We figured we would explore the grounds and then go to bed early as the hotel is a bit outside of the city, but Rachel and I ended up chatting with two of the hotel's 7 total guests. They were from Kansas, and while we were talking in the parlor of the building, we were joined in conversation by another couple. They were from Australia but were living in Cambodia, working for a NGO to help young women who have been abused. Since I was in Cambodia in January, I was loving getting to talk to them about their work and experiences in Phnom Penh. We all ended up getting into a very lengthy and deep conversation about foreign governments, religion, and then the inevitable Nazi/WW2 topic. We all stayed up until about 1am, which is saying something because after walking around all day us three girls were exhausted! 

The seven Von Trapp children who lived in the house

One really interesting thing we learned from our new friend Geoff (a historian), is this: Apparently, after the Von Trapp Family fled from their home so that their father/The Captain would not be forced into the Nazi army, the home was taken over by the regime. One of Hitler's right-hand men named Heinrich Himmler used the house as his office, and it was there in his second floor room that he drew up and engineered the initial plans for the Holocaust. Finding this out gave us all goosebumps. I actually felt very uncomfortable when I realized we'd be sleeping in the house where so much evil had began. We then learned that after the war ended, the house was given to a convent, and the nuns set up a chapel in Himmler's office and performed rituals in it, etc. to make sure "all the evil was out". That was a big relief. It was still chilling to think about though, and it's not a fact that the hotel owners ever advertise or mention. The other thing they don't mention to guests is that on the grounds outside, an entry that looks to be a dirt-floor cellar is actually a bomb shelter. Himmler had a bunker constructed on the property in case of air raids, and it is still on site. The Austrian government is understandably not a big fan or restoring or promoting anything from the Nazi era, so the property owners were actually told not to restore it or make it common knowledge that the bunker is there. This of course was really interesting and cool for us to know, and we decided tomorrow we will go explore the bunker on our own...