I am 26 going on 27

Me (as in 'me, a name I call myself') paying tribute to the greatest movie-musical of all time


So last weekend, I finally made my triumphant return to Salzburg, Austria after several weeks of debate. My main point of hesitation was, of course, the currency and affordability of said venture. The Czech crown (and the American dollar, for that matter) doesn't hold up so strong against the Euro, which is (by far) the most annoying foreign currency I've ever encountered. This tends to limit how much Western European travel an English teacher earning a modest Czech salary can accomplish. Sigh, how I long for those days when Germany had its marks and Austria had its schillings!

So I decided some time ago that I was going to limit my travels in Western Europe to countries where I either had family (i.e. Germany) or places that I REALLY wanted to visit. Austria happened to top the list of those places and, unfortunately, those Salzburg hills were alive and well with the sound of Euros! So, it was decided, Curtis was going to be a BUDGET if it killed him. Heck, I lived in NYC for four years, so I'd been through tighter financial circumstances. Hence, I found a cheap hostel and made my highly-anticipated Salzburg pilgrimage. And I'm happy to say that I certainly didn't regret it!

I boarded a 6:00 a.m. train out of Prague on Saturday. One of the best parts of the trip was the train ride itself. Once we got outside the Prague boundaries and into the southern parts of Bohemia, the train sped through flower-filled valleys, dense forests and picturesque mountain villages. I was exhausted, but I couldn't sleep a wink! Once I arrived in Salzburg, my first stop was Schloss Mirabell and its beautiful gardens, which were in spectacular full bloom.


On Sunday, I acheived my lifetime goal of taking the official "Sound of Music" tour! We started off bright and early, at 9:00 a.m., first visiting both of the 2 locations that were used as the Von Trapp home in the movie and Liesl and Rolf's "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" gazebo. After that, we went to two small towns outside of the city, Mondsee and Wolfgangsee, which feature the heart-stopping vistas as seen in the opening and closing scenes. Mondsee is also home to the cathedral where the wedding of Captain Von Trapp and Maria was filmed. These were by far two of the most incredibly beautiful places I'd ever visited...flowering meadows, ice-blue lakes and sweeping views of the Alps above. Our guide also pointed out miscelleanous sites along the way, some of which I tracked down on my own afterward (Nonnberg Abbey, for example, where scenes for "I Have Confidence" and "Maria" were shot, and where the real Maria served as a postulant nun before her post as governess to the seven Von Trapp children).

A few little-known facts: for example, the real-life events of 13 years are condensed into the musical, which is set over the course of a single year. Christopher Plummer HATES the movie and now refers to it as "The Sound of Mucus." The actress who played Gretl Von Trapp almost drowned during the filming. And the real Von Trapp family didn't actually climb through the Alps to flee Nazi-occupied Austria, they simply boarded an Italy-bound train! (I was SO sad to learn that one...sigh, the magic of Hollywood!)

All striking of iconic Julie Andrews poses aside, I have to say that Salzburg is officially one of my favorite European cities. It's like a little Valentine tucked into the snow-covered Alps. Of course I also took some time to explore the city and enjoy the other sites, too. The baroque architecture is just amazing. And the best part was that the weather was perfect! I wore a T-shirt and shorts for the whole weekend. I had some initial reservations about travelling alone, but I found that I was able to meet a lot of interesting people at the hostel. My roommate was an Australian backpacker and the place was swarming with Brits. I gave them all my contact info in case they come to Prague as well.

A truly Czech weekend!

Spent last Friday in Melnik, a small town about 45 min. north of Prague where the Labe and Vltava Rivers converge. This prime location makes it excellent for wine production, the fruits of which we (of course) sampled. It was quite nice (had a budget meal and walked around the old town) but the weather totally blew, and we arrived to find both the wine cellars and chateau closed for the day.

On Saturday (yet another rainy, miserable day) I joined my friend Anne and her 2 Slovakian colleagues for a night at the cinema. Took in "The Constant Gardener," a British film for which the fabulous Rachel Weisz won an Oscar. It's certainly not a feel-good kinda flick. But the performances were stellar and the cinematography superb.

On Sunday, Anne and I went to a witch-burning festival just outside of Prague...we didn't last long, however, as it was FREEZING outside. So we made our way back to town and to a pub where we enjoyed glasses of bile vino and smazeny syr, a.k.a. "Heart Attack on a Bun," but SO delicious.

Monday was simply the perfect day...the weather warmed up just in time for May Day, the European equivalent of Labor Day. It also bears some similarity to the American Valentine's Day in that it's considered a "day of love," and men traditionally kiss their girlfriends/wives underneath flowering fruit trees to ensure good luck, love and fertility for the coming year. Although I personally cannot partake in this time-honored tradition, I did indulge my inner voyeur as we strolled through town. I spent the afternoon "garden-gazing" with my pals Mark and Megan. The entire city was in bloom, or so it seemed.

I can bypass zoos, but a well-manicured garden is not-to-be-missed in my book. I drove everyone in NYC crazy because of my affinity for the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, and it's quite the same here. We hit Petrin Hill where we partook of the sweet-smelling cherry blossoms, and then to the Wallenstein Garden (where the outdoor concert scenes in "Amadeus" were filmed) and then to the Royal Gardens at Prague Castle (which feature a "singing fountain" and loads of tulips, one of my favorites) and then over to Letna Park, where we grabbed a pivo.

Also, we had dinner at Cantina in Mala Strana...hands-down the BEST Mexican food I've had since I've been here. Granted, that's not saying much...

So I'm (hoping) to hit the scenic hills of Salzburg this weekend after all. I've been looking forward to it...albeit a little apprehensive as I'll be travelling entirely by myself. I don't get it...am I the only person who's ever dreamed of visiting Mozart's birthplace and channeling Julie Andrews on an Alpine hillside? (That's a rhetorical question, thank you...no comments from the peanut gallery are necessary). I've travelled alone before, of course, but I don't usually do much weekend-long sightseeing on my own so this will be something new. Libras ARE the partnership sign, after all :)