Sound of Music (1965) opening scene song "The Hills Are Alive With the Sound Of Music" filming location

After visiting Burg Hohenwerfen near Werfen in Austria, we cross the border into Germany to the precise location of Julie Andrews Meadow (also known as Mehlweg Meadow, not to be confused with Sound of Music Meadow near Salzburg) where Julie Andrews was filmed performing the song "The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music" in the opening scene of the movie "The Sound of Music" (1965). We then cross the border back into Austria and go around the photogenic town of Salzburg which is popular for the numerous other shooting locations of the legendary film. We will then cross the border into Czech Republic heading for Prague in our next photo-story.

Neues Rathaus, Marienplatz, Munich (composite)

If you have over four hours of layover at the Munich international airport (MUC, Munich Franz Josef Strauss Airport), you can go out and visit the incredible mechanical show put up by the glockenspiel clock at the main Marienplatz square of the city of Munich. It is incredibly easy to ride Munich's commuter trains to watch the Rathaus-Glockenspiel in action. Here is how exactly to do it comfortably and efficiently.

German side of the Three Countries Bridge Flags of Switzerland, France, Germany, the European Union and Weil am Rhein

Switzerland, France and Germany are three of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe for good reason. These countries offer a diverse range of attractions from panoramic mountain scenery to charming villages to world-class museums. In this photo story, we continue from Paris (photo story) on a TGV Lyria fast train to Zürich and embark on a great road trip crossing country borders numerous times exploring Basel, the Three Countries Bridge, Strasbourg where the Notre Dame Cathedral inspired Victor Hugo's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", Baden Baden where the Casino is the location of Fyodor Dostoevsky's "The Gambler", Heidelberg and Heidelberg Castle whose gardens inspired Goethe to write Gingo biloba and whose wine cellars still contain the Heidelberg Tun - the world's largest wine barrel, the Rhine Valley and Black Forest, the towns of Hornberg and Triberg which are legendary for Black Forest Cuckoo Clocks, the Swiss lakes of Lucerne, Lungern and Sarnen on the way to the beautiful town of Meiringen and the Reichenbach Falls where Arthur Conan Doyle had Sherlock Holmes contest his nemesis Professor James Moriarty in "The Final Problem". We circle back to Zürich and take a SBB (Schweizerische BundesBahn) fast train to Milan, Italy from where we head to Venice aboard Trenitalia's famous high-speed Frecciabianca train.