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Deep in the heart of all of us lurks a Julie Andrews fan. Like it or not, she is there, bellowing about hills being alive and making it impossible for us ever to take our medicine without the necessary spoonful of sugar. She was everyone’s nanny and surrogate mother. As adults, we pushed her deep down inside, ignoring and denying that our liking for her existed, only for it to come bursting to the surface when we least expect it.

You see, I’d come to Salzburg not knowing this was the home of the von Trapp family and the location for the Sound of Music. I knew there was something special about Salzburg, being the birthplace of Mozart, but had no idea what impact the city would have on me until I stumbled into the strikingly familiar Mirabell Garden. There was the round pool Maria and the von Trapp kids had run around. From the back of my head it forced its way forward. ‘Doh, a deer, a female deer…’

Then it was clear. Others were mumbling the song, some even dancing a little, and there were packs of middle aged women roaming the garden in search of pink-faced blond-haired Austrian kids in lederhosen and dirndls (the traditional dress for women) with whom they could live the dream. It seemed the garden had suddenly turned into an audition for a Sound of Music based reality television show, Trappstar.

Caught in the moment, my Julie fan bubbling to the surface, I quickly signed up for a Sound of Music tour. The bus was full, with a wide range of age groups, but all from English speaking countries. The Sound of Music is unknown in continental Europe, even in Austria. One American couple had even dressed up for the occasion, wearing traditional Austrian dress, feathers in the hat and all. Fortunately, the Sound of Music has just the right amount of camp for such antics to remain silly and not become downright embarrassing.

The bus rolled out of Salzburg, swaying to ‘Sixteen Going on Seventeen.’ How could I still know the words? Even the loutish youths up the back were singing along. We stopped at Castle Hellbrun, a 17th-century hunting castle, to see the gazebo where the children jumped from bench to bench in the movie. The gazebo is locked now because an 84 year-old women fell through the glass trying to emulate the movie. Hellbrun is a stunning castle famous for its trick fountains, dark grottoes, and an intricate mechanical theatre powered by water. Expect to get wet if you make a visit.

The singing and dancing continued as the tour took us to Leopoldskron Castle, where the children went boating and fell in the lake, to the Collegiate Church of Mondsee, where Maria and the Baron were married, and to the Abbey of Nonnberg, where the nuns sang ‘Maria’ and the children came to the gate to ask Maria to return to their home. Especially good is the journey through the Salzkammergut, the picturesque lake district that is the perfect reality of how everyone imagines Austria to be: rolling hills, delightful villages, shimmering blue lakes, winding roads, and lazy cows grazing on mountain sides. It is worth to take the tour just to see this stunning region.

Later that evening, a Canadian couple I had befriended hauled me along to the Sound of Music Dinner Show. I think they saw me prancing around Mirabell Gardens before the tour and pegged me as a likely fan. The show takes place in the famous Sternbraeu restaurant in the old town, with the dinner menu consisting of ‘schnitzel with noodles and crisp apple strudel’; definitely a few of my favourite things. After being with a busload of enthusiasts, I was now in a restaurant full of die-hards who knew the songs word for word and sang through mouthfuls of schnitzel.

After the show, I skipped around the old town, singing snippets of songs I could remember, swinging around lampposts and generally acting the fool. The old town was a delight and I promised myself that tomorrow I would stuff Julie back down into my subconscious and enjoy Salzburg’s other half: Mozart.

I started the day with a hike through the Kapuzinerberg, one of two mountains flanking the city. Early rain had the new spring leaves glistening and it felt like I was miles from civilisation. At the Franzinski Castle, I looked down upon Salzburg, with its flat topped houses, winding streets and Italian architecture, and the Salzach River slicing the city down the middle, creating two very distinct halves. I headed down toward the Mozart half, to the towering turrets of the old town churches, with the mighty Hohensalzburg Fortress looming over it all.

Mozart’s birthplace on Getreidegasse is the first stop. Inside this famous locale are family portraits, a history of the family and original instruments belonging to the young prodigy. Interesting is the room exhibiting travelling life at the time, which shows how the young Mozart spent much of his youth on the road with his father giving performances at courts around Europe. The poor boy spent half his childhood in the back of a carriage.

Getreidegasse is accessed by any number of small alleyways and adjacent courtyards, and tourists gather here in great numbers in the summer, taking a quiet break after hauling themselves up to the fortress and back. Of course, the thirty minute climb can be avoided by taking the train.

Salzburg’s famous landmark and the largest preserved citadel in Central Europe was originally constructed in 1077 as a refuge for the ruling Archbishops. It was expanded and developed over the years and was under siege many times but only fell to Napoleon. Salzburg was a Roman principality and never had a ruling royal family. The Prince Archbishops presided over the city, living in the regal opulence of the Residence and escaping to the fortress anytime armies marched on the city. A tour of the fortress museum is interesting for its glimpse into the middle ages and for the extraordinary view from one of the towers.

Salzburg also has a stunning 17th-century cathedral located in the heart of the old town and surrounded on all sides by sprawling squares of statues and fountains with views of the fortress above. The cemeteries of St Peter and St Sebastian are also worth a look, but Salzburg is a town of endless fascination. It is possible to walk the narrow streets for days, and then escape to the parks of the Kapuzinerberg and Moenchsberg.

Given that Mozart made his first noises here, it’s no wonder that Salzburg is now a place with a wide variety of musical offerings. The concert season culminates with the Salzburg Festspiele, held from late July to the end of August. But it is possible year round to enjoy musical events at theatres and churches, with the Mirabell Palace staging regular concerts as well. The Mozart Festival at the end of January is also popular.

My Julie fan has once again returned to the delves of my subconscious, pushed further down by Mozart and the history and architecture of the city; a couple of Stiegl beers also helped me to forget. It must happen to many visitors who come for the Sound of Music that they eventually leave the von Trapps behind and discover a city rich in culture and beauty. The hills are indeed alive, but to the sound of Mozart.

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