Welcome 2020

I can hardly believe that another year has come to an end - where has the time gone? 

It is sobering again to reflect on the year & what it changes has brought; it is also sad because we have lost some friends & family and because  some friends relationships have floundered, we are all a year older, a privilege denied to many, older but not necessarily wiser - we are all learning to master life as we live it  ...

So for 2020, move in the direction of your dreams, even a little waddle will do;   remember you can always start afresh, here’s to new beginnings; things do change but kindness & humility are always in fashion; if you can’t be kind, be quiet at least; it is harder to be restrained than it is to give someone a piece of your mind but only one gives peace of mind; be thankful for today because in one moment, it can all change. 

Straighten each other’s crowns without telling the world they were crooked, the world has enough critics so be a cheerleader instead. Everyone, yes absolutely everyone, likes to be appreciated & to have others looking out for them too. This is especially true of those who are the ones who check up on others - they too need people to appreciate them. 

I am sending wishes for good health & many blessings as we welcome the twenties - may some of your wishes come true. 

Thank you for stopping by, supporting my modest blog, my flickr & instagram - I have got to know many of my followers as ‘friends’ & that is where the internet opens up a whole new world. 

See you in 2020, 

Dee ~💕~

Salzburg, the home of the Sound of Music

Who else loves The Sound of Music? I grew up with that musical, I know the songs off by heart, the scenery makes my heart soar & so I was absolutely delighted to visit Salzburg & visit many of the places used in the film.

The statue in Residenzplatz square / Residence Square is seen in the film but unfortunately statues are covered up to protect them in winter so only the top is visible with the market all around it ... 

During their carriage ride through the city, Maria and the children sing as they pass the Residenz Fountain. Relatively recently, a patch of the original river-stone surface was revealed, prompting the city to overhaul the Residenzplatz completely.

The Summer Riding School / Felsenreitschule , seen in the final scenes of the film, it is where the singing competition is held & we see only the inside of the building ... 

The Felsenreitschule as Film Set For fans of the famous Hollywood blockbuster “The Sound of Music”, the Felsenreitschule is a must-see. It was on its historic stage that Maria, the captain and the children took part in a music competition and performed their folk songs. Immediately afterwards, they fled to Switzerland to escape Nazi persecution.

St Peter’s Monastery, Cemetery & Catacombs were founded in the 7th Century & they are one of the oldest & most beautiful cemeteries.   Sound of Music fans are familiar with them as the Van Trapp Family hide in them ... 

Mozart’s own sister Nannerl is buried amongst these graves, as are many artists, merchants, scholars, and famous people.

St. Peter’s and “The Sound of Music”

International guests know the cemetery and the catacombs as a famous backdrop for the Hollywood movie “The Sound of Music”. Pursued by the National Socialists, the Trapp family fled through St. Peter’s Cemetery, finding a secure hiding place in the dark rocky recesses before ultimately escaping safely to Switzerland.

Music at St. Peter’s

Mozart and Haydn both have close ties to St. Peter’s. In 1769, the thirteen-year-old Mozart composed his “Dominicus Mass” for the abbot, while just a few years later Michael Haydn was commissioned by the abbey to write his “Rupert Mass”. Today, the Baroque Hall at Stiftskeller St. Peter as well as the Romanesque Hall are regularly used for concert events including “Mozart Dinner Concerts”.

The Mirabell Palace and gardens across the river - Mirabell Gardens, along with the Felsenreitschule and Nonnberg Convent, is one of the most important shooting locations from the famous Hollywood musical “The Sound of Music”. In the film, Maria and the children dance around the Pegasus Fountain in front of the palace, singing the song “Do Re Mi”. At the end of the scene, the Trapp family stand on the steps in front of the Rose Hill and sing the song’s final bars. At the same time, viewers are enchanted by unique views across Mirabell Gardens towards the fortress.

The Nonnberg Priory lies a little above the city, not far from the Riding School, its red turrets just visible. Every morning at 6:45 am, the sound of the Nuns singing still waft across the city. 

Origins of the Convent

The early days of the convent are now shrouded in darkness. It is a fact that Emperor Henry II established a Romanesque basilica on the grounds of today’s convent at around the turn of the first millennium. In 1009, a Christian institution was consecrated to the Virgin Mother, making it the second oldest church in veneration of the Virgin Mary here in Salzburg. Erentrudis of Salzburg was the first abbess of the Benedictine convent, taking her own special place in history as the city’s patron saint. Her rock tomb is located in the crypt of St. Mary’s Church.

Nonnberg Convent as Hollywood Inspiration

The convent became famous internationally thanks to novice Maria von Kutschera. She was sent by her abbess as governess to widower Baron Georg Ritter von Trapp, for whom she was to take care of his children. Shortly thereafter, Maria married the baron, subsequently founding a family choir in the early 1930s. Her story served as inspiration for the world-famous Hollywood movie "The Sound of Music", continuing to captivate visitors from around the world to this very day.

I hope you are also a fan of The Sound of Music & that you have enjoyed this blog post. Leave me a comment so I know you have visited.

Dee ~💕~

Salzburg, the city of music ....

My hairdresser, Andrea is Austrian & she said Salzburg is her favourite Austrian city. She is from Vienna & having visited Vienna in the summer & loved it, I was surprised at her being so passionate about Salzburg.

However, they are two very different cities & I loved the compactness, age, history & stories of Salzburg.

It is naturally the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart & his name is everywhere ...

A statue to The Magic Flute - it is a lovely statue

 Mozartkugel - the name is a great selling point in Salzburg

Mozart’s birthplace He was born in 1756 at the Hagenauer Haus, no 9 Getreidegasse,  a small apartment on the third floor, not the whole building. The family lived there for 26 years. He only lived until the age of 35.  It has a constant stream of people outside as it contains a much visited museum too

Mozart knew the Catholic Cathedral well, originally built in AD 767, it was destroyed by a fire & rebuilt in 1598. 

A view over the square from the entrance to the Cathedral ...

The very impressive interior of the Cathedral with its elaborate dome ...

The traditional squares host Christmas markets & they attract great numbers of visitors to the City

The fortress dominates the hill above Salzburg 

Mozart presiding over a large square with a pop up ice rink well used by children

His history is entwined with that of his birthplace, he only lived for 35 years but what an impact he had on music.

Beautiful views of the river & life beyond the city centre

An interesting building over the river on the hill ...

Some bling, Austrian crystals ...

Salzburg personifies elegance & charm ...

Austrian crystals to bling up your Christmas ...

 Even the Christmas markets are elegant ...

The other important musical connection deserves its own blog post, so stop by again soon, 

Dee ~💕~

Innsbruck & the flagship Swarovski shop...

I was fortunate enough to travel to Austria, Germany & Belgium in December to visit the Christmas markets & to take in city tours of Munich, Salzburg & Innsbruck.

I was delighted to join a tour of the Swarovski shop in Innsbruck. It has been owned by the same family for 5 generations.  The outside belies the stunning wares inside.

Step inside to be met with 'Carefully made by hand from paper and finished with sparkling Swarovski crystals. Set-designer Rhea Thierstein created this new installation called “Radiant Light”.

Some of the jewellery is absolutely amazing, most of it is too glamorous to be worn by us mere mortals but there is no denying the beauty of the crystals which absolutely glimmers & shimmers. 

The display alongside the 3 storey stairwell is ‘Lily Pond’ by Susanne Rottenbacher , inspired by Monet’s water lilies 

The staircases are the closet to Hollywood glamour that I will get - by Vincent van Duysen. The stairs are made up of 20 000 crystals & they shimmer   ...

CASCADE by Vincent van Duysen
Below, visitors are bathed in light emanated by the CASCADE chandelier, which was created for Swarovski Crystal Palace by Vincent van Duysen. The opulent piece, which is almost five meters tall, flows down from the ceiling like a waterfall. It is made up of strings of crystals combined with LEDs, so celebrating crystal and light in their most beautiful form, and tying in with the great tradition of the chandelier. CASCADE was used as a prop in the film “Ocean’s Thirteen” starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt in 2007.

An art display by the French designer Shourouk Rhaiem used Swarovski crystals to embellish everyday items. You will not look at your shopping trolley the same way again. All I could think of was how many crystals were used ... 

A truly extraordinary shopping trolley

Nutella anyone?

Amadeus ...

Breakfast time?

I loved the Christmas decorations & baubles ...

I bought the Mayflower ring for youngest daughter for her birthday last year - there is a less elaborate one on the far left, hers is the one next to it ...

I loved Innsbruck & the sleety weather did not distract from the stunning city - I would have loved it with heaps of glistening snow but how can you not appreciate the architecture ... 

Beautiful spires ...

The Christmas markets bring people out to celebrate, socialise & shop in the run up to Christmas

History is evident on the buildings ...

I love this style of buildings ...

The Swarovski shop ...

 I would love to people watch from that balcony ...

 The Goldenes Dachl / golden roof is an important tourist attraction in Innsbruck. It was completed in 1500 & has 2,657 copper tiles that glisten on the roof ...

Lovely traditional outfits for sale everywhere ...

I love photographing scenes through archways as they frame the subject matter ...

I fell in love with the beautiful castles & turreted buildings that we passed; they are fairy tale scenes

I hope you have enjoyed these scenes too, thank you for your company at this busy time of year,

Dee ~💕~