Posts Tagged ‘sound of music’

The Austrian Navy

Saturday, November 1st, 2014

DSC02376We are in Bolzano (Bozan),Italy. This region of Italy has an identity crisis as it doesn’t know if it’s Italian or Austrian. It belongs to an area known as Tirol: think Heidi, mountains, streudal, and beer. Mix with it pizza and pasta and your confusion would be justified.

Up until World War I, Austria had a coast line on the Adriatic Sea (Colonel Von Trapp from’ Sound of Music’ fame was a submarine commander in real life). The entire region for centuries was germanic and then to the victors go the spoils and it becomes Italian.

Today, all signs are in both languages and 85% of the inhabitants speak German. But it is a rich agricultural and industrial area for Italy (tons of apples are grown here, and of course wine) so despite protests and initiatives, it remains  Italy’s domain.

I think it’s the best of both worlds!

Hansel And Gretel Take On Salzburg

Wednesday, September 10th, 2014

Maria Von Trapp’s story lives on

Maria Von Trapp’s story lives on

Where were you and how old were you when you first saw The Sound of Music?

It was my 16th birthday on a very special date with a guy I had a huge crush on (Andy Andeck). We were at the Loma Theater was where all the big movies were shown in town and it would show for a year or more (Lawrence of Arabia, etc).

And don’t we know ALL the words to the music?

Heck, my wedding march was the one Maria had in the movie because it wasn’t ‘Here comes the Bride’. Well I guess that impressionable teen lives again in that today we got me a dirndl! (Steve already owns liederhosen). The women in Bavaria wear this native dress often, not as a costume but as everyday nice clothes, and men are in their deer skin pants just like any pair of shorts. It pains me to see Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer get old, but their story or rather Maria Von Trapp’s story lives on.

The Notorious Flower

Friday, June 12th, 2009

edelweissThis is the real Edelweiss.  It is a tundra flower that grows above 9000 feet and is not the national flower of Austria.  In fact no one really paid attention to it until Rogers and Hammerstein wrote a song about it!

The Hills Are Alive

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

soundofmusicbus…with tourists in tacky buses, traversing the city and countryside in search of the vital locations for the filming of “THE SOUND OF MUSIC“!!

I am on the bus.

soundofmsicchurchYes,the movie came out when I was merely 15, and I had a date to the Loma Theater, Point Loma (where it played for 2 years) with Andy Andeck!  Sigh, to picture his arm around my shoulders, going numb scenario…my first big crush.

Flash ahead 6 years, and I have already been an organist for 8 years and played many a “here comes the bride” at weddings , so I chose the Wedding March from the Sound of Music for mine (to STEVE)!

 So, I got to see the Church they used, and they played the CD on the bus, and I was in  “Nostalgic Land”.  Pure schmaltzzzzzzzzzzz and I loved it!

Moooo…ving On

Friday, June 5th, 2009

cowbellSay “cheeeeeese!”

We found it, in the middle of no where – the Emmental Cheese Factory!  It is a beautiful alpine factory sitting atop a large green pasture and it was quite an education. 

The cows drop off their milk, some enzymes are added, it curdles and it pressed into molds, and aged, and aged.   Bubbles in the curing process seek to escape, and  wa la….swiss cheese (soundscheesetank like Steve)!

We are in Garmisch, Germany now.  Tomorrow we visit King Ludwig II’s crazy castle (think Disneyland on a mountain peak).

Then on to Salzburg.  Mozart, Sound of Music, struedal and beer? We will find out!