A Few of Our Favorite Things...

April 30, 2010

(Note:  Sorry for the random unexplained and unfixable font changes...)

It was specifically included as an itemized expense on the pre-trip proposed budget outline:  4 tickets for The Sound of Music bus tour.  The kids were introduced to The Sound of Music movie for the first time just months earlier at Christmas, when they received a copy of the movie on DVD in their preparatory "Surprise European Adventure" gift box.   Since that time, they have watched the movie at least a half dozen times and have mastered nearly all of the song lyrics, although we all have a hard time remembering that brown paper packages come before wild nocturnal flying geese on the list of "my favorite things." 

  

But when Cade discovered that the bus tour only included a mere handful of the noteworthy Sound of Music sights, he proposed that we invest some money in an informative keepsake book we happened upon in Hallstatt and embark on a much more comprehensive do-it-yourself tour... and save some Euros in the process.   The kids were all in agreement, and I found it tough to argue with his logic, so we ditched the bus tour plan and proceeded to execute our own mostly-fun Sound of Music scavenger hunt, made even more interesting by the book's better-than-a-tour-guide insightful commentary and gossipy anecdotes.  (What?!  Christopher Plummer (aka the dashing whistle-blowing "Captain Von Trapp") really didn't like the children?  Or the movie (which he called "The Sound of Mucus")?  His singing voice was dubbed at the last minute because his voice wasn't strong enough to match Julie Andrew's?  The actress playing Liesl was a 21-year old model and was NOT actually 16 going on 17?  The boat scene was so traumatic for the 5-year-old actress playing Gretl that she is still afraid of water?   Riveting stuff.)   

In spite of some navigational issues and GPS system glitches, we did manage to track down enough Sound of Music landmarks to satisfy even Cade's highly demanding self-guided tour requirements.  Earlier in the week, we had already seen the famous glass gazebo ("16 Going on 17"), the Mondsee cathedral (wedding scene), Fuschl Castle and St. Gilgan (aerial shot), and Hohenwerfen castle ("Do Re Me" background).  Today we added Castle Anif (in aerial view of Salzburg region at beginning of film), the Residence Square and Fountain ("I Have Confidence" scene), the Hohensalzburg Fortress, Nonnberg Abbey, Leopoldskron Castle (the Von Trapp "house on the water") and its garden (where gazebo was) and balcony (dance scene), the Rock Riding School Festival House (concert scene), the Horse Pond (background scenery in movie) and the original Trapp family home... or at least a place that looked enough like the photo in the book that I could declare our lengthy and time-consuming search a success so we could quit looking for it.  Whew.  When we passed a disembarking busload of tourists at one of the sights, Cade shot me a conspiratorial and victorious "our tour is SO much better than their tour" look.   Maybe so, but at least their driver knew where he was going...  

By early afternoon, it was high time to wrap up our Sound of Music tour and get on with the Salzburg city tour.  Regan was almost crying.  She was going to miss the rental car and she didn’t want us to give it back.  I too was almost crying:  tears of relief and joy that it was time to surrender the wheel and leave the driving to the bus and train drivers!  I loved the feeling of freedom and independence that came with having a car at our disposal; the car afforded us far more flexibility with time schedules and spontaneity.  But we had miraculously managed to survive the week without a single scratch, breakdown, dent, flat tire or collision, and I looking forward to a refund of my $3,000 credit card deposit, which was required in addition to our Collision Damage Waiver insurance.  

We boarded a public bus close to the car rental return place and headed for the Mirabell Gardens, a gorgeous baroque style park where (at Cade's insistence) my three children proceeded to march and sing around the big fountain and reenact "The Sound of Music" fountain scene on video for posterity.  Director Cade found that it was difficult to effectively recreate a singing and dancing scene that had originally included six children, but I assured him that the limited casting options were more than offset by blond cuteness and sheer enthusiasm. ( I should have worked the amused crowd of bystanders for tips, but I was far too busy as videographer.)  After a few takes, the kids thankfully called it quits and we finally bid "so long, farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, goodbye" to The Sound of Music and moved on with our exploration of Salzburg.  

We stopped to buy a watercolor painting from a talented local artist, then finally made our way to see Mozart's one-time place of residence.  We ordered some tasty pizza and kebaps "to go" from Reyna's Cafe (where the lone employee seemed unimpressed by the fact that the cafe "has my daughter's name all over it," but it sure made Reyna happy), then sauntered across the bridge for a look at Mozart's birthplace, a stroll around town, some gelato (of course!), and a leisurely hike up to the massive fortress on the hill.   Oh, how I LOVE this beautiful city!  

From nearly anywhere in or around Salzburg, it is difficult to miss the stunning Hohensalzburg Fortress, one of Europe's largest and best-preserved medieval castles.  The fortress sits on a huge rock (aka small mountain) at the top of the city skyline, presiding over the city and offering spectacular panoramic views.  Originally built in the 11th century and expanded over time, it served as a protection to the city's clergy and population of a thousand or so residents.  Within its walls, it seems like a little city-within-a-city, since it was designed to be self-sustaining if necessary.  Due to the lateness of the hour, we missed our chance to tour the museum and see the castle rooms that are open to the public.  But we still got to wander through parts of the fortress, check out some cannons, and hang out in the courtyard, where the kids played a ring toss game and Regan built a fortress out of blocks.  Most importantly, we got to enjoy the stunning views of Salzburg... and we are still left with a great excuse to have to go back someday.