This past weekend one of my childhood and adulthood dreams finally came true… the hills are definitely alive with the sound of music! After twisting my friend Fal’s arm, we boarded a train from Prague to Linz and then to Salzburg, Austria on Friday. Fal has been here for about a week and we determined it was time for a trip outside of Prague. We couldn’t have timed it better. Fall is hitting most of Central Europe and Austria, in particular, was breathtaking. I tend to think, however, that Austria is pretty much ALWAYS beautiful. I woke up on the train just before the Czech-Austrian border to catch some amazing sights of autumn. Vibrant shades of red, orange, and yellow covered the rolling hills. Along the way I couldn’t help but think of my beloved Upstate NY. For me autumn will always have a special place in my heart of hearts—despite the many years since high school, it still represents an hour more of sleep, pulling out warm sweaters, sipping hot chocolate, early morning Saturday swim practices, and attending Friday night or Saturday afternoon football games.
Salzburg is world renown for the local boy, musical genius, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and, thanks to Hollywood and Rodgers and Hammerstein, the Trapp family. According to our guide, more visitors come to this famous Austrian city of 185,000 to catch the Sound of Music tour than to celebrate Mozart, but there are still many, many people that come to hear Mozart. One of the first things Fal and I did was visit Mozart’s birthplace and home. The third-floor apartment dwelling included his actual viola and harpsichord as well as many other personal items of the boy wonder. Each room in the house contained a different theme, and of course, different operas or compositions provided constant background music. The wunderkind wrote his first composition at age five and taught himself violin and the organ by age seven. I learned quite a bit about how his father Leopold took him on tour as a child, about his troubled relationship with the Archbishops and the court, how he eventually struck out on his own, and fun things like how to best powder one’s wig.
Saturday morning I got up bright and early for a traditional Austrian breakfast. Imagine if you will a fresh selection of breads, rolls, cheeses, yogurts, fruit, and deli-sliced meats. Lecker schmecker! Soon we were off to Salzkammergut to view Austria’s lake district, where the opening shots of Sound of Music were filmed. Words can’t do justice to the Austrian landscape: the green hills and mountains, the alpine waters, wooden-tiered houses, sheep and cattle … it is really something one would find only in a fairytale. From what I understand, the crew of Sound of Music did not exactly experience ‘fairytale’ conditions when they came to Austria to film. What they thought would take 6 weeks in reality took 6 months because of bad weather. In the middle of August, poor Julie Andrews was taken in a box-cart up Mountain Untersberg in a fur coat to guard her against the harsh cold and chilly winds. We, however, had a lovely day once the morning rain passed. There is nothing quite like the clean air and verdant mountains of Austria, its flowing beer taps, crisp white wines, schnitzels, apple and cheese strudels in custard, and the Austrians themselves. In all honesty, I was sad to leave Salzburg. I hope I'll find future opportunities (many future opportunities) to return!
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