Hallstat and Salzburg, Austria

July 20, 2020

Grüß Sie from both Hallstatt and Salzburg, Austria! After months of lockdown measures, we finally were able to get back to traveling. Austria was on the top of our list of destinations. I (Christy) have always loved the Sound of Music and so going to Salzburg has been a dream for a long time. After reading that Hallstatt was one of the most picturesque places IN THE WORLD, we also decided to make a quick stop there for a day, also.

On the drive into Hallstatt

Here is Austria from the kids' point of view.

Lake Hallstatt

Logan (Age: 11)

Favorite thing about Austria: I loved the Sound of Music tour. We watched the movie not long before going and it was fun to walk all of the different places we saw in the movie. Our tour was basically a private tour (only one other person came along) so I felt like we really were able to learn quite a bit and enjoy it without a crowd. I also really loved walking around Hallstatt. It was a beautiful little town. We parked near the water, so we were able to walk over and skip rocks and we also were able to hike up into the mountains a little on our salt mine tour.

Our fantastic tour guide.

Kids reenacting scenes from the movie.

In front of the famous gazebo

Favorite Food: I loved the apple strudel we had on our second night in Austria. We ate at a very traditional Austrian restaurant and I didn't love the main course options, but the dessert was amazing!

Traditional Austrian Apple Strudel

One new thing I learned: I found it very interesting that one scene in the Sound of Music called for the film crew to put up Nazi flags in different locations in Salzburg. They did not inform the residents that they would be doing this, though. With the war having just ended 20 years prior to filming, the residents of Salzburg had quite a scare when they saw all of those flags up! I also thought it was interesting that some of the movie was filmed in L.A. and that it wasn't all filmed in Austria.

Doesn't every little girl want to be Liesl?

Ceiling from the chapel where the movie Von Trapps were married.

Brody (Age: 9)

Favorite thing about Austria - Going to the salt mine in Hallstatt. I liked going down the slides in the salt mines. They were long and fast and led to darker and darker parts of the mine. I was really afraid, but it was fun to be able to learn about the mines and to be able to say I was that deep into them. We went 400 meters underground! The history of the mine goes back 7,000 years!!

Getting ready to tour the mines

Salt lamps in the mine.

Favorite food: I couldn't eat the apple strudel because of the gluten, so mom and I shared some apple strudel ice cream and it was really yummy! It tasted just like the real thing (I snuck a taste of dad's) but cold.

Apple Strudel Ice Cream

One new thing I learned: The salt mine we toured is the oldest salt mine in Europe! Its history goes back 7,000 years. We were able to see artifacts from a long time ago and we were able to hear stories about the mine that go back thousands of years. We even learned about a man who got stuck in the cave and died, but because of the salt, his body was preserved really well.

Lookout point in Hallstatt before we toured the mine

More from the lookout point

Lincoln (Age: 6)

Favorite thing about Austria- Riding the Panoramabahn (also called the funicular) to the top and being able to look at the mountains and the water from there. We rode it before we went to the salt mine. Mom was scared, but it was awesome!

View from the top of the funicular ride.

Favorite food: I liked dad's soup thing and I also loved the apple strudel.

Griessnockerl (traditional Austrian dumpling soup)

One new thing I learned: the mine that we went in has the oldest wooden staircase in Europe. We could not walk on it because it was too old, but we were able to see it!

Downtown Salzburg

Mollie (Age 4)

Favorite thing about Austria: The Sound of Music tour. I liked running around the gardens like the kids in the movie do!

Favorite food: I liked mom's egg meal and I also liked the apple strudel.

One new thing I learned: That the family in the movie actually didn't live in the movie house. They lived in another house and it is a hotel now. Also, they did not climb through the mountains to escape. They took a train.

Actual Von Trapp Family home.

Lake where movie scenes were filmed.

Mom note: Our education connection in Salzburg was Mozart. We studied him a few years ago and will study him again next year. Our tour guide was a wealth of information showing us Mozart's birthplace and his residence. We were able to briefly walk through the residence (though, sadly, the museum was closed). There is evidence of his influence on the town all over the place. From Mozart chocolates (we did not like these) to Mozart ice cream (not bad), to Mozart coffee shops-- it's easy to see how loved he is by the people of Salzburg. We are excited to learn more about Mozart next year now that we've had a real life connection!