Man went to visit the real life location of the 'most viewed photo ever' and was surprised at what he found

When this man went to visit the real life location of the ‘most viewed photo ever’, he was surprised by what he found.

YouTuber Andrew Levitt decided to head on a trip to the famous location in California.

He was desperate to see the history-making spot for himself.

But his journey ended with him finding something very different.

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What is the ‘most viewed photo ever’?

People of a certain age might already be aware of what we are talking about.

But in case you’re not, then allow us to explain.

If you ever used Microsoft Windows XP, then you will remember the ‘most viewed photo ever’.

This photo, of course, is of a beautiful, flowing green hill contrasted against a background of bright blue sky with clusters of clouds.

The photo was famously taken by Chuck O’Rear on a piece of film in January 1996.

The hill itself is located (in the real world) in Sonoma, California.

Sonoma, as some might know, is a wine-producing area of California.

In a strange way, this incredible picture means a lot to people of a certain era.

It meant so much to this YouTuber that he wanted to see it for himself.

Enter Andrew Levitt, the YouTuber in question.

Levitt wanted to head to the original location to witness the history-making area for himself.

But what he found left him absolutely shocked.

The hill is not the same as it was

Remember when we said that Sonona is wine-making country?

Well, it turns out that that fact has had a very direct impact on the area.

Because it isn’t exactly the same rolling, green hill that it was in 1996.

Instead, it is now home to rows and rows of vines.

That’s right – the ‘most viewed photo ever’ is now a vineyard.

In fairness, it is still surrounded by lots and lots of beautiful yellow flowers, so it’s far from an awful view – just a very different one.

Despite the picture no longer being the same, Levitt wasn’t content to give up.

Instead, he headed to Oregon – to an area called the Palouse.

Whilst not the same location as the original wallpaper, it is still incredibly striking.

The YouTuber took some very similar shots of the original photo.

And they are almost impossible to tell apart from each other.