I DID pass through Germany on one occasion on my way to a holiday in Austria when my companion at the time said she was sick of going to Tenerife. This was one of the many compromises “we” made. Who gets sick of going to Tenerife?
We stayed in Kitzbühel and did the usual touristy things such as climbing to the famous ski-lift, passing herds of bell-ringing cows along the way. It is a small Alpine town of about 8,000 people which swells to thousands more in the ski season. Several travel guides described Kitzbühel as a world famous ski resort between Innsbruck and Salzburg which attracted the rich and famous including Arnold Schwarzenegger and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. One day “I will be back” as Arnie said in the famous 1984 film “The Terminator” – if the Lottery numbers are favourable – to see the Kitzbüheler Horn – the highest-most peak at 1,996 meters. I will then be rich if not famous!
Kitzbühels’ ultimate allure is a combination of medieval heritage, world-class skiing – and a jet-set atmosphere that continually attracts the international high society.
We also visited some wonderful gardens and bought a silver Kitzbühe badge which I kept longer than my companion. As they say in the world of football “we parted by mutual consent” – probably best when you “Can’t solve a problem like Maria” as sung by the nuns in “The Sounds of Music” lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein. Her name wasn’t Maria, which I have changed to protect the guilty!
But we did go to the city of Salzburg on a day trip – the place associated with the Von Trapp family as well as the birthplace of Mozart. Dubbed Austria’s “City of Music” it is well worth a visit.
When the Nazis annexed Austria in 1938, the Von Trapp family faced a difficult choice. Captain George von Trapp (played by Christopher Plummer in the 1965 movie) – a celebrated naval commander – was ordered to join the German Navy, an order which he refused. He also turned down all efforts to get him to fly the swastika, the national flag of Germany in the Nazis era from 1933 to 1945, and force the family choir to perform at Hitler’s birthday celebrations. The swastika is now banned in Germany and many other civilised countries.
Those decisions put the family in danger so George von Trapp took them on a vacation – not across the Alps, as depicted in the award winning film – but they actually boarded a train to Italy which is where I will go twice on my Journey Across the World in 80 Years.
The Von Trapps eventually ended up in America and, after a successful singing tour, settled in Vermont, buying a farm in 1942 and turning it into an Austrian style resort. The last surviving child, Johannes von Trapp, ran the resort for years before handing over management to his children – thus ensuring the hills of Vermont continue to be alive with the sound of music!
But after we visited Austria in August – and several other compromises along the way – we took in the delights of Faro and Prague.
Join me again soon on my journey “Across the World in 80 years”.
Author: John
Author of Around The World In 80 Years