It is mole.

The year that my fellow Fulbrighters and I were in the UK, we decided to go to Prague for a bank holiday weekend.  I had been once before and fallen in love with the city and was eager to go back.  We toured the castle, shopped on the bridge, had a sunset cruise and laughed more than I can remember laughing.  On our last day there, once again in the small market, we happened upon a giant stuffed animal.  He was short, round, fat, grey and black with a big red nose.  We enquired about the creature from the woman at the shop.  She responded simply, "It is mole.  It is Czech."  Her simple response still makes us all laugh as we share in the collective memory.



In our drive today, we would spend much of the seven hour drive in the Czech Republic, sadly many hours away from the the beloved Prague, but still enough of our time to ensure that we stop and visit the country that has already brought us joy.  Of course, on our final moments in Austria, we enjoyed a few more Sound of Music sing-a-longs, in particular, "So Long, Farewell."

I had done a little research on southern Czech Republic, in hopes of finding a place that we could possibly break our journey and also take in a few sites.  Brno (pronounced Bruno), described as a small Prague with a dragon legend, seemed like the perfect spot!  Of course, finding a parking spot while driving a manual in an unknown city is always a bit more of an adventure than I anticipate, but nevertheless we were able to wander the city.



In my research, I happened upon the word “dragon” several times, which of course piqued my interest.  There were stories about a ferocious dragon who tormented the citizens of the city, making merchants no longer want to visit the town and residents fearful to leave their homes.  Finally, a butcher devised a plan to deceive the dragon and kill it.  His plan worked and now the dragon is stuffed and hangs in the town hall.  Of course, when presented with a great legend, in particular about a dragon, with evidence that mere mortals can still see, well, you must go see it.  So, we did. 



I don't know about you, but the dragon does seem to look a bit like another, more familiar creature, but who doesn't love a good legend?

During our short visit in Brno, Jessica excitedly punched me in the arm and pointed at a shop across the street. "It is mole.  It is Czech." was ALL over the small toy store.  We found pillows, puzzles, books, games, pencils, toddler toys, stuffed animals, key chains and even little magnets to share with our fellow travelers.  Apparently, this little creature is some sort of a cartoon celebrity here, and sadly, we know nothing about him.  But, he still managed to bring us joy!

The drive was otherwise, seemingly and thankfully, uneventful.  Crossing borders from Austria into Czech Republic and then into Poland was little more than seeing a sign on the side of the road.  After leaving the mountains of Austria, much of our drive today was flat, or gentle rolling hills through expansive countrysides.  I know that trains may have been a more economical form of travel, but oh how I love the freedom of a road trip!  We might have missed out on seeing our mole friend!

The Hills are Alive!

The Sound of Music is one of the most iconic, timeless films ever made. It is a gem that continues to delight audiences decades after its creation. The fact that it is based on a true story makes it even more fascinating. As you can only imagine, Salzburg has (rightfully so) found ways to capitalize on this popularity. Even today, there are a plethora of tour buses that visit the sites of the film taking tourists on trips multiple times every day of the year. Young, old, musical, historical, English speaking and not, the film reaches many. So of course, we couldn’t go to Salzburg without singing and dancing alongside the rest of the tourists!

During some of the morning scattered showers yesterday, we visited the Sound of Music museum. Yep, there’s even a museum. It separates the facts and fictions of the true story and the film as well as gives some insights into the filming process.

Maria did in fact live at the Abbey and her non-conventional ways were a bit of a struggle for the sisters, I mean, “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?” But, she was a teacher, not a young nun. She was hired to be a tutor for one of the Von Trapps who was in poor health due to lasting effects of scarlet fever. The family was wealthy as the Captain’s first wife was the granddaughter of the man who had invented the torpedo. The true Captain was very different than the one Christopher Plummer portrayed. He was a loving and affectionate father, highly involved in the day to day happenings of each of his children. He did have a whistle with different calls for each child, but it was because of the large estate, and he didn’t want to shout.

Maria did bring music into the house, and the children loved her. Perhaps not quite the love affair portrayed in the film, as there was a huge age difference between Maria and the Captain, and while there was love there, it sounds like it was first, more of a marriage of conveince as the children were happy with her, and the Captain wanted a suitable mother.  The role of the Baronesse was a Hollywood addition because at the time, the actress who played her was a much bigger name than anyone else in the film, and they needed her stardom.

A friend of the family, a preacher, was visiting the house one day when he heard the children singing. Taken aback by the talent, he and Maria worked together to train and perfect the young singing voices. The Captain never really approved of the children singing for money, but because of several unfortunate economic crises, the family had little other choices. 

The timing was also a bit different. In real life, Maria married the Captain in the late 1920s, and they had two (and one on the way) more children before fleeing the country. They left the country in the late 1930s before WWII was in full swing. They had been invited to sing in America, and since they were fearful after refusing Hitler’s invitation to sing for him, they took it as an opportunity to flee. It was quoted that the family members screeched with laughter at the final scene of the film saying, “Don’t people know their geography!” The mountains around Salzburg lead into Germany. Yep, Germany, the very place the family was running from. In actuality, in far less dramatic ways, the family walked to the local train station and set off from there. After moving around and touring, the family finally settled in Stowe, Vermont (Jessica and I visited there last year!), which is very understandable as the scenery is similar.

We boarded a huge tour bus this morning, packed with fellow enthusiasts to see some of the beautiful sites where the filming took place. In true Hollywood fashion, the Von Trapp house was actually in multiple locations. We drove past the home that acted as the front of the house with the yellow walls and tall gate that intimidated Maria. It was also here that Maria and the Captain pulled in when returning from their honey moon. A Nazi flag had been hung on the front of the house. Do you remember the scene? Do you remember Christopher Plummer ripping the flag? Watch again. Turns out, it is difficult to tear a flag in half, so the props crew had already put a tear in the flag for him to use. Notice him looking for the tear now?

Thankfully, we stopped at the end of the path where Maria got off the bus, full of confidence, and so, of course, I had to do some reenacting.

The gazebo, a favorite for all us wanting to pretend to be 16 again, is not exactly as you’d expect. The shots from inside the gazebo, with all of the dancing were filmed in a studio with a much enlarged gazebo, making it more difficult for Liesl to prance about. Turns out that she missed one of the benches, sprang her ankle, and they taped it up and continued shooting. The real gazebo was on private property, but too many people kept trespassing, so it was moved to a more public location. But, years ago, an older woman, pretending to be 16 and prancing from bench to bench fell and broke her hip. The gazebo is now locked up and we can only gaze on it from outside.

The beautiful lake that set the scene for the back of the house was next on our list. Oddly enough, you never see the back of this house in the film because it is white, not yellow, but Hollywood directors still managed to find ways to use the lake, dock and back patio to make it look like the two were the same. Remember the scene where Maria and the kids are in the boat, but are so excited to see the Captain, they all fall out of the boat? Well, that scene was a lot more difficult than the carefree scene it portrays. Turns out, the little actress playing Gretl couldn’t swim. The plan was for Julie Andrews to grab onto her and hold her so she wouldn’t be scared. First take worked just as planned, but of course the directors wanted one more. Despite chilly waters, the cast got back out on the boat, but Julie lost her balance and fell backwards, in a different direction from little Gretl. Thankfully, divers were underneath the boat, but it gave the young actress quite a fright. So much so that she wanted to quit. Her parents begged and pleaded with her, and as with most parents, persuaded her with whatever sweets she wanted to continue filming. Well... the filming that was supposed to take four weeks took eleven, and so by the end of that time and all that bribing, little Gretl was, well, not so little any more. Christopher Plummer even refused to carry her up the mountain, so when watching that final scene again, notice that you don’t see Gretl’s face as it was just a stand in (who weighed less). Side note... Christopher Plummer cannot and did not sing in the film.

Our tour bus drove out of the city through the stunning countryside, some of which was shown in the opening credits of the film all while listening and singing to the soundtrack. Thankfully, and not surprisingly, much of the bus joined in with the sing along, led by our adorable guide in her Austrian hat with attached pigtails along with her stuffed goat.

Just in case you get the chance to meet an Austrian, don’t start singing “Edilweiss” to them. It is not their anthem. But it is a beloved flower that grows only high up in the mountains. It used to be that men proved their love by climbing mountains the pick an edilweiss for their sweet heart. Sadly today that will cost you a fine as the flowers are now protected. No real romance left in the world, I guess.

Maria and the Captain actually got married at the church at the Abbey, and although the nuns were going to allow filming there, the director decided to go with a stunning church nearby, lovingly nicknamed the “pink church.” I was also beyond thrilled to find my own stuffed goat at the gift shop next to the church. We had scoured Salzburg looking for something like the puppets used in “The Lonely Goatherder” to no avail. This place is the only one around to carry them! Jessica and I are excited that Lisel and Gretl will be joining us on the rest of our road trip.

The last stop was the famous Mirabell Gardens where most of the clips during “Do Re Mi” were filmed including fountains, the “musical steps,” runways covered in vines and this lovely gnome who was patted on the head when the kids passed by.

All of the indoor scenes were filmed in a studio in California, including the cemetery scene where the family hid behind grave markers, but that graveyard was inspired by one in town, so we made sure to stop by and see it. 

The theater were the Von Trapps performed in the film is also in Salzburg, but it is only open for set tours a couple of times a day, so I’m afraid our timing was not right and we missed those.

Our Sound of Music scouting was almost complete, minus one final climb. “Climb Every Mountain,” right? Well, no, although we could have climbed the mountain where the family was seen escaping at the end, but we climbed to the fortress atop Salzburg. It does not play a role in the film, but it is scene in shots of Salzburg, and so, we decided while there, might as well go see it. It was a massive fortress that had housed people for hundreds of years, growing frequently to even larger capacity. In the fortress, there were towers to climb, chapels to see and even some green spaces with small soccer goals.

Our intention for climbing atop the city was still Sound of Music inspired, though, not just for the fort. Do you remember the scene, just after Maria had taught the children do, re, mi while on a picnic? She was explaining how to replace these sounds with words to make songs. The scene started with the eight of them next to a short stone wall overlooking the city. 

Sadly, we couldn’t reenact the carriage scene where each child represents a different note... we needed more people to make that one work... I guess I will need to “ford every stream, follow every rainbow” to make that dream come true!

Rain and Shine: Salzburg

Our travel plans from here are basically a giant circle and a return to Budapest. This is for a couple of reasons. In the area, the Budapest airport is one of the largest, and so makes for easy access to connecting flights. Another is because there is a huge cost associated with dropping your rental car back in a different location than where you picked it up, so we might as well make this a loop. Sure, renting a car may not always be the most economical way to travel, but the convenience and flexibility it gives are huge bonuses as compared to trains and buses.

We set off to Salzburg from Budapest, a 5-6 hour drive. I’ve actually been to Salzburg twice, but was eager to return as Jessica needed to add Austria to her list. Sure, we could have gone to Vienna and saved several hours of driving, but Salzburg is just so perfect. Don’t get me wrong, Vienna is a truly stunning, royal sort of city, but it still has that big city feel, and I much prefer old cities where the heart of the city is easily manageable, close-knit and gives off the feel of a small town. Salzburg does just that. Plus, there’s the added bonus of the Sound of Music fun that I knew we’d both enjoy!

The drive was mostly on motorways, so fairly easy, despite some stormy weather. Our adorable loft Air B and B, could not be more convenient. The directions should say, “drive past the horse fountain, then drive through the mountain (don’t worry, there’s a tunnel with a partnering sidewalk) and take an immediate right.” It’s a five minute walk to town, and each time we go into town, we walk past the statue that the Von Trapps also pranced beside.

We wandered through the idyllic downtown, a pedestrian area with cobblestone streets winding between pastel painted buildings three and four stories high. It doesn’t take long at all to emerge yourself in Salzburg and cover the heart of the city, so, after a pub dinner of schnitzel, we did just that. Despite the fact of being a Saturday night, the town was quiet, respectfully enjoying itself as opposed to the raucousness that other cities emninate.

Sunday morning, the dreary weather continued, and the heavily Catholic town remained quiet and subdued. That didn’t stop us from wandering up to the Abbey where Maria had once lived, or strolling through the tents set up alongside the river where artists and merchants sold local and faraway treasures. I even found the store I’ve enjoyed twice before. A store filled, from floor to ceiling with blown eggs hand painted with every design you could ever imagine. It’s a true treasure trove, a stunning work of art, an almost fantasy world, especially when you realize the thousands of fragile designs surrounding you!

Almost ready to head in for a bit, away from the drizzle, the clouds parted and the sun shone in all of her majesty. The stars aligned perfectly, and this timing coincided with outdoor performances by some talented Austrians in a festival complete with sausages and beer (and cider!). Some of our favorite American songs were sung like “Walking on Sunshine” and “Proud Mary,” along with ones we did not know, nor could understand the language. Happening upon street festivals is one of the best parts about traveling to Europe in the summer, and one of the best surprises! 

The clouds returned after a couple of hours, and so, like other festival goers, we retreated for a well deserved relaxing evening. It may sound ridiculous for two people in a foreign country to revel in an afternoon on the couch while quoting Lord of the Rings to explain the German voice overs, but I must admit that it was needed and much enjoyed. When traveling for so long, we have to remember to give ourselves a break, just like we all find time to do at home. A dreary evening was the perfect time for us to do that, even when in Austria.

Buda and Baths

Since we explored Pest yesterday, it only makes sense that we explore Buda today! According to Rick (yes, it’s only a travel book that I bring, but I do refer to him as another traveler on our journey), this side of the river should be seen, but doesn’t necessarily have to be truly visited, so, see we did.

We climbed up Castle Hill, where no, we did not visit the castle as it is really fairly modern from the history of the area, with so much destruction and rebuilding. There’s a great view of the river and the Parliament building as well as narrow streets to wander, and a lovely small cathedral.

Choosing a new bridge to cross back over to Pest, we decided, on a whim to check out the island in the middle of the river, a sort of Central Park retreat from the city. Expecting just a few minutes of wandering about, not knowing what to expect, Jessica and I were entranced by this retreat for hours! While it is truly in the center of the city, with so much greenery and so few cars, it feels as if you were miles away. With the current heat wave, the scorching temperatures quickly drew us to the large, central fountain. There was space to sit on the edge and dangle your feet into the runoff that splashed over the side. We were mesmerized for probably way too long (I’ll blame the high temps!) by this fountain that performed all sorts of impressive tricks. Then, it even added music that the fountains were corregraphed to! And there was even another bubble man entertaining the children and creating squeals of delight.

After finally pulling ourselves away from the fountain, we decided to rent a car for an hour. No, not that kind, but rather one that you pedal. With some effort, and a whole lot of laughter, we were able to drive our flower child of a car up and down the island, singing and waving happily at the other tourists doing the same thing. A perfect way to escape the heat and hectic big city!

We wandered back through the city, on a similar path to the day before, but with a new end goal and some added stops along the way. The day before, a playful fountain with great sensors was not working, and the line for the rose ice cream was much too long, but we made up for those today!

Nearing the end of the day, hot and our feet tired from walking, we headed toward one of the baths, the number one thing to do in Budapest. Both feeling a bit apprehensive, and certainly exhausted, I think either of us would have turned away had the other one suggested it, but I’m so very thankful we didn’t. When it is 95 outside, hot springs don’t sound inviting do they? Nor does a swimming pool with hundreds of other people. But then, you experience it and all your cares float away and you realize why people come here. 

All over Hungary, hot water springs flow freely. The Hungarians have long since learned about their healing powers, and have channeled those, creating healing and social environments for locals and foreigners alike to enjoy. We paid about $20 for usage of the pools and the locker room, changed into our swimsuits and then, anxiously wandered out into the swimming areas. Outside there are three pools, but the middle one is reserved for swimmers, people trying to get their laps in. The other two are of similar temperatures, but one is slightly cooler with more “entertainment,” while the other with just the perfect amount of warm, was meant for relaxing. The “fun” pool had sprayers where high powered water jetted out, giving free neck and back massages. There was also a sort of whirlpool in the center with jets pushing the water around in a circle, almost like a lazy river, but it wasn’t slow, and there were no rafts. We spent most of our time in the relaxing pool, where our fingers quickly turned into prunes. People watching and picking up on a variety of languages kept us entertained while we let every ache, pain and worry of the world disappear. We did wander inside for just a few minutes to sample the other small pools of varying temperatures and see the saunas, but we soon returned back to the relaxing pool where life was really too good to be true. It was only our rumbling bellies and the long route back to the apartment that finally urged us out of the pool. But, we have one final day in Budapest before we fly home. Can you guess where we’ll be spending our time?!

Pest

First off, make sure to read that as Pesht, not as the little thing that drives you crazy.

We drove from Lake Bled across the border into Hungary without even the slightest indication of a border crossing besides a small road sign with a new flag on it. The drive, about 5 hours, was fairly direct and easy on the motorway and peppered with fertile flat valleys full of neatly organized rows of corn, golden fields of wheat and grape vines running up and down hillsides. 

Since the drive was a good distance, I did a bit of research on places we may want to stop along the way. The first was Lake Balaton, the largest lake in Hungary, almost 50 miles long. We got some glimpses of the beauty of the lake, but our plans did not exactly pan out. It was pouring rain, a recent accident had cars diverting on other routes, and many places along the way were closed, small towns seemed practically dead. As it is a lake, a getaway place for many, and summer hasn’t really started yet (schools aren’t out here quite yet), all the vacation rentals were still locked up and the many businesses that must thrive on those summer tourist dollars were closed.

We did, with a tad bit of difficulty, find the most adorable castle to stop at as our first official stop in Hungary. It was in a city about 45 minutes west of Budapest. I didn’t know any of the history when it came up in my searching, but it looked pretty, and well, who doesn’t love exploring a castle? Turns out, it’s about the most precious castle you can imagine, and it’s not that old, and it was hand built by the owner himself! Bory Castle was built by Jenö Bory. He was an architect, building engineer and sculptor while his wife was an artist. It took him 41 years to build it, and just about every inch of it is filled with artwork by he and his wife. It is in the middle of a neighborhood, not up on a hill watching which way enemies may arrive from because well, this professor didn’t have any such enemies. In the early 20th century, not many people were building castles any more, and while it is no where near the size of some castles I’ve seen, it was almost more intricate. The turrets, sculpture garden, courtyard, rose gardens and spiral staircases were all unique and made for a picturesque place to live. 

We arrived in Budapest at the exact wrong time and got caught in quite the gridlock of rush hour traffic, but Dad, as he has done the whole trip, handled it with great tact, skill and patience! Our Air B&B in Budapest was in an older building with a stunning facade, but the interior common space, including a large tiled “courtyard” was in need of repair. Always a bit anxious arriving to something you agreed to online, I opened the door to our apartment and stepped into what felt like our own palace. The bedrooms were modest, bathrooms very decent for European standards, but the living room, with twelve foot ceilings was large enough to host a ball in. Oh, if only I had known enough people in Budapest.

Our apartment was just a block from a long pedestrian street lined with restaurants that spilled onto the street, brand name stores and cheesy tourist shops. We wandered along here our first night and struggled to find what looked like “Hungarian food,” but found some Italian that seemed to combine things a bit. 

Thursday was the only day my parents were to be in Budapest, so I wanted to make sure they got a good taste of the city before they left. I consulted Rick Steve’s and we set out on a walking tour throughout Pest. Buda, on one side of the river and Pest on the other side, still have a bit of their own identity, but for most purposes, they have combined into one, Budapest. Most of the tourist attractions are in Pest, and that’s where we are staying. We walked along the river toward the Parliament building. The river was crowded with river boats, a popular destination for river cruises along the Danube.

Along the riverside, a memorial of bronze shoes lined the bank. It is dedicated to the thousands of Jews who were lined up along this bank, ordered to remove their shoes, and then shot by Hungarian soldiers, their bodies falling into the river below. A chilling reminder that the Holocaust happened all over Europe.

Our walk around town took us by the exquisite Parliament building, by monuments and through parks, in front of cathedrals and synogauges, just enough for a great taste of the city. And for the afternoon, we had a real taste of the city planned!

I had booked a small group walking food tour, but it turned out just to be the four of us! Rebeka, our guide, was energetic, enthusiastic, and had a wealth of knowledge of not only the city, but also of the Hungarian food. We lucked out and even had a second “guide” for the day as Rita, from the office, was joining us to photograph along the way. We truly felt like we were getting the royal treatment. 

In 896, Mygars, immigrating from Central Asia decided to call this place home. They brought with them skills and customs unlike any other in the area. They were known for drying out their meat, and even carrying it long distances under their saddles, making it more tender. The cows that they brought with them, are like the Hungarians themselves, tough and hearty. These cows were even immune to the mad cow disease that swept over Europe in recent history, making them very valuable.

Hungary loves their food, in fact, it’s the most obese country in Europe. (A bit ironic based on the name of the country, right?) And as it turns out, the reason we struggled to find “Hungarian restaurants” the night before was because after being so controlled by the communists, Hungarians love having choices. While traditional food is often still cooked at home, when dining out, they much prefer a variety represented by different countries.

It’s a country focused on meat, and so we started with sampling a variety of sausages made from uniquely Hungarian pigs. The Hungarians, still having a bit of Asian influence, love their spices, in particular paprika. The sausages reflected that heat as well, and man they were delicious.

Knowing that vegetables were important, but not really liking them, the Hungarians most typically eat their vegetables pickled, claiming that it helps with digestion. The most common way of pickling doesn’t include any sort of vinegar, but rather a thick slice of sour dough bread at the top of a jar filled with vegetables, water, and garlic. We had two different types of pickles, one a bit sweeter, but both very similar to our pickles. There was also some saurerkraut and a tiny pickled watermelon! All flavorfully delicious.

Our next dish was the Hungarian national dish of goulash. I’ve had goulash before, but the Hungarian version is different. I’m more accustomed to a gravy/stew like consistency, but the Hungarian one is a thin beef soup. It’s delicious, and very flavorful with paprika as a key ingredient. We also enjoyed the Hungarian drink of choice here, palenka. A strong, vodka like drink that is often flavored at home with a variety of fruits and herbs. Palenka is said to cure all ails, whether you rub it on your chest for congestion, on a sore muscle or drink away a heartache. Rebeka said, “we drink to cure the world.”

We devoured a small flodni cake in the Jewish quarter for dessert. While not terribly sweet, it was a concoction of a wide variety of flavors smashed in between a few layers of thin pastry. There were apples, poppyseed, plum jam, and walnut, all holding their own layers proudly.

We couldn’t have a Hungarian food tour without sampling Hungarian wine. Different regions, including by the lake we had tried to visit, have very different specialties. All were smooth and delicious, but what I enjoyed most about this, our last setting of the tour, was the conversations we had with our guides. Discussing openly our personal opinions of our own country’s politics, health care, education, immigration and even maternity care. I loved the openness, curiosity and support each of us felt for the other, the true desire to learn from one another, not judge, and the realization that neither of our country’s have it all figured out just yet.

After we left our darling hosts, shockingly, we were just a tad bit hungry, as it was dinner time and we had been discussing over wine for some time, so we decided to find a place and split a few appetizers. Rebeka had shown us a brand new hotel that had just reopened after being refurbished, so we decided to try it out. Truly stunning inside, in the late 19th century, this building had been a mall, an elegant shopping venue for the wealthy. The ceiling was stained glass with intricate details and archways. Food was perfectly lovely both in taste and presentation. Being reopened for just two weeks after a long renovation process, we asked our waiter to tell us more about the history of the place. He was not confident in his English, so asked me to translate. Apparently, my pronunciation of the one Hungarian phrase I knew, “thank you,” was so good that he mistook me for a local! Always a compliment, especially when I feel incredibly ignorant for only speaking one language. He was able to muster up the confidence though and tell us more about the building, including that his grandmother had once worked there and how proud she was of him to be working there now.

It was a perfect last day with my parents for our family vacation. I put them in the cab headed to the airport the next morning, and they have since made it home safe and sound. I believe the best indication of our time together being so perfect was that I was sad to see them pull away, sad that this trip, such a rarity for the three of us, was over. But now, Jessica and I will continue the adventure in this part of the world.