The Hills are alive with the sound of music

My heart wants to sing every song it hears....... Yes, my heart sang nostalgia; the song and its words playing in my mind, as I looked out the large window of the Panorama Tours bus lazily making its way thru' a mountainous landscape.

I gasped at Salzburg' panoramic beauty panning out before me. Green meadows encircled by thick coniferous trees, cosy cottages dotting the countryside, church spires with their unmistakeable patina, azure skies with wispy clouds, mountainous peaks and glistening lakes fed by glaciers. We got off to take a look at where it all happened. I lost myself in the majestic beauty of the Von Trapp mansion almost seeing Julie Andrews and Baron Von Trapp' children holding hands, dancing and singing. And how can you see the 'Pavilion' and not sing,

You are sixteen going on seventeen

Baby, it's time to think

Better beware, be canny and careful

Baby, you're on the brink

It was one of those memorable days soaking in the climate and bliss of one of the most breathtakingly beautiful places on earth.

Later in the afternoon we went to the Salt Mines in Berchtesgaden; an area blessed with a vast underground treasure of sea salt buried deep into the earth when the Alps rose in an upheaval of nature' forces eons ago and the ocean got sucked below it. We had an enthralling experience deep into the earth' cavity where the temperature was a brrrr 10 deg C, tracking mining technology and equipment right since it happened in 1541 to the present the day. The budding engineer in Bryan paid rapt attention to every word of the guide. He was especially incredulous when he saw the actual 14 ton bronze pump built in 1870 and which ran for 110 years without any breakdown!! We had a big laugh after a heart sinking ride down the wooden slide that took you to the depths of the mine in a jiffy.

We returned to our hotel room weary from the trips we'd done. At the evening dinner I stared into my tall glass of local lager with a heart warming realization that Bryan at 20 yrs of age still prefers to travel with his mum and dad. The alcohol dulled my senses as Maria' (Julie Andrews) favourite things from the Sound of Music, came floating to my head.

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favourite things