Day 18 - Tuesday 10 April - Munich to Salzburg

Slept ok with open window. Had breakfast (turns out they do actually have bread rolls) and got ready and checked out. Went with the group to the airport (got a new coach and a new driver but he was running a bit late). Got dropped off and terminal 1, and walked under to terminal 2 to pick up the keys for our car. Fortunately we were able to get a car with a GPS! Went to the garages to pick up the car (of course it was down the far back corner wasn't it?). But couldn't figure out how to change the language of the GPS to English, or how to even take the parking brake off, so had to walk wayyyy back to try and find someone, which took even more time out of the day. Turns out the parking break is a little switch in the middle. How bizarre! We also couldn't get the GPS to talk to us, but of course by that time we were out on the autobahns so I couldn't stop and fiddle.

Historical aircraft outside Munich Airport

Stopped for a pitstop at a rest house, and bought an Austrian toll sticker (8.80 for ten days). Also got the GPS talking to us.

Our first real stop was the closter at Hoglworth. It was also our first trip off the major roads onto teeny tiny roads which was, er, interesting. Of course I couldn't document any of it :(

Kloster Höglwörth, seen in the opening credits of The Sound of Music

View south from Kloster Höglwörth towards Wengkapelle and Germany/Austria border mountains

Drove onto the hotel, negotiating Salzburg streets which was pretty stressful. At least there's free parking. And free internet! But it was quite late by the time we go there, on account of roadworks all up and down the autobahns. I'd been hoping to get here a lot earlier, and the weather was closing in (proving again to me that it's *always* cloudy and rainy in Salzburg). The forecast was for rain the rest of our stay, so I thought we should get up the mountains first. But the mountains were mostly clouded over which was pretty sad making.

Anyway, so headed out again. Headed up Mehlweg first, but overshot where I'd been aiming for, so didn't find *the* hill I wanted to see. But I suppose we were close. Except it was so cloudy and rainy you really couldn't see anything :(

Countryside along Mehlweg, near where the opening shots of The Sound of Music were filmed

Hill along Mehlweg, near where the opening shots of The Sound of Music were filmed

Then along the Rossfeld Panoramastrasse. This road is 8EUR and the top of it goes along the Austria-Germany border. But it was all clouded over so couldn't see anything. But luckily the clouds parted a little bit here and there and could at least see the view. Got to pretty close to the ridge the family walks along at the end of the movie, but couldn't find the exact spot (I think it's all covered by trees now anyway).

Clouded over path on Rossfeld Panoramastraße

View south from Rossfeld Panoramastraße (peaks form Germany/Austria border

Me at Rossfeld Panoramastraße
Photo by Mum

Rossfeld ski lift (Skilifte Rossfeld GmbH & Co.KG)
Photo by Mum

View towards Kuchl from Rossfeld Panoramastraße

Meadow at the western end of Rossfeld Panoramastraße (the shots I was looking for would have been up the hill off to the left out of shot)

Meadow at the western end of Rossfeld Panoramastraße

View north towards Salzburg

View north towards Salzburg. The Untersberg massif on the left is seen in the final shots of The Sound of Music

View north towards Salzburg from Rossfeld Panoramastraße

View towards Golling an der Salzag

Untersberg massif from Rossfeld Panoramastraße

View towards Salzburg from Rossfeld Panoramastraße

Bridge on Rossfeld Panoramastraße

Then back down and south. Found two of the churches used in the opening shots of the movie (and the intermission) in Kuchl and Golling.

Kuchl's Pfarrkirche, seen in the opening credits and intermission of The Sound of Music

Wallfahrtskirche St. Nikolaus near Golling an der Salzag, seen in the opening credits and intermission of The Sound of Music

Then continued south to Werfen. It was getting too late to attempt the Sound of Music walk from the town up to the meadow, so we drove up. I think the actual meadow is on private property, so we just stood at the top of it. It was pretty cloudy and getting dark, so didn't get the best shots, but at least go the idea.