Theeeeeeeeeeeeee HILLS ARE ALIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!!!!!!

Now, I am not a great fan of the movie The Sound of Music. Thinking back, I think I've watched it about 4 or so times, but this partly due to the frequency of it being repeated on TV. I'm not even sure if they're complete viewings. But like getting excited when I see Melb Uni or in various movies, I sure got excited to visit the locations featured in the movie!!! Again, out of laziness, we did the same tour as Pooey and it was hosted by a highly amusing tour guide. I can't really remember much from what we were told on the tour or the order of it because my excitement was tempered by lack of sleep from discovering that both Dad and Thai snored. But we can relive it through photos!!!

Being a cheesy Asian with the cheesy tour bus!

First stop! The place that played the rear of the Von Trapp residence! Interesting fact I remember - the girl playing Gretl (the smallest one) nearly drowned while filming the scene where they fell into the lake!

The lake also featured heaps of baby birds - look, a line of goslings!

The next stop was Hellbrunn Palace which also played the side/front exterior of the Von Trapp residence

Also at Hellbrunn was the custom-built gazebo where Sixteen going on Seventeen was set! I somehow managed to almost replicate Pooey's pose from 2008! As with her, this also elicited some laughs from fellow tourbus peeps.

Umm...I think this was supposed to be Confidence Alley

I don't remember what this was but it sure looks pretty!

I can't remember what this was either. I think it was just overlooking some Alpine Lakes.

Me admiring how pretty everything is.

The tour then went to Mondsee where the church that the Captain and Maria were married in  (movie-wise, not in real life) is located. We also decided to have strudel for lunch here. Bro had the apple, pictured here...

while I decided to try and make up for all the weight I've lost by eating a cheese strudel! Miam, custard.

The sleep dep really hit me in the afternoon and I fell asleep on the bus. As a result, Ireally don't remember what happened after lunch. It was probably more alpine lakes. We got back to Salzburg proper some time in the afternoon and the bus fortuitously deposited us right opposite the Mirabel Gardens! Feeling slightly rejuvenated but the nap and the purchase of earplugs, I coralled Bro into helping me replicate some scenes from Do-Re-Mi and Pooey's photos! I think the poor quality of the photos betray his discomfort at having to participate in the fun.

Marching around the fountain!

Skipping under the archway! 

Copying the heroic sculptures!

And finally making sure that I didn't make the same mistake as Pooey and having my right arm up to hit the final high note!  

Messing around the gardens, I also made some new friends

My friend, the Unicorn

My other friend, the Lion.

Having fulfilled the aim of going to Salzburg, I went back to the hotel and collapsed into sleep.

Salzburg

Eventually, Pooey had to go back to Meldon, while me, Dad, and Bro headed off to Salzburg. Our entire trip was pretty much unplanned - cos you know, I do have to work full time in addition to spending 3 hours after work each day trying to learn German - so I decided we were going to do basically the same stuff Pooey did when she visited in 2008! Hooray for forward planning!


Our copying of her trip started right off by staying at the exact same place, Der Salzburger Hof, except this time we didn't get a Buffy-clone receptionist - we got someone who I kept thinking looked like a cross between Julia Zemiro and Tina Fey. Since we'd arrived after 2pm, we didn't have time to join the Eagle's Nest Tour and instead walked into the Old Town in search of food. 

The town really is surround by hills. Those hills are called "The Alps."

Touristy shots ahoy!

We ended up at the cafe attached to the Salzburg Museum where I had a radler made from the local beer! Mmmm, tasty.

My radler washed down my beer-marinated pork with spaetzl mmmmm


Bro's schnitzel mmmmm



Dad's Veal special mmmmm



We ate our meal overlooking this fountain from the Sound of Music!

As we ate our lunches, the Bro and I decided it would be nice to visit the Hohensalzburg Castle (Festung Hohensalzburg) which overlooks the city. And because we're young and healthy, we decided to skip using the funicular and WALK up there. Dad declined to join us on this trip.

Our view of the castle from where we were having lunch. It is pretty high up from this angle.

This photo probably doesn't indicate how steep it actually was to climb.

The view of Salzburg on the way up 

How kyoot - a sandpit castle in the castle grounds!

 

Some views from various places in the castle. So pretty.

The castle had a number of castle-y things on exhibit as well as an audio tour to climb some of the towers. These include...

A creepy marionette museum, with some grotesque face cut out thingies...

 and this skeleton marionette in a cupboard. Hehehe

A really old toilet in the Princes Chambers.

A museum with mediaeval military equipment. This display was pretty cool.

A museum showing torture equipment. Yes, they are Scold's Bridles and a Chastity Belt.

Enjoying the audiotour

The Salzburg Bull - a giant pipe organ. 

We walked back down from the castle and wandered around the town before retrieving Dad for dinner. 

On this stroll, we saw this piece of contemporary art (which I normally hate), but I liked this one! It's called Subcommittee and is by Tony Cragg.

Anyway, we all had a good day, but better stuff was on the way. Coming up next...THE  SOUND OF MUSIC TOUR!!!

Frühlingsfest!

Sometimes, life in Muenchen feels like one beerfest/drinking season after another. There was Oktoberfest in September, and then over Xmas there was all the gluhwein and feuerzangenbowle. Then of course there was the Starkbierfest over Lent (it's like drinking an entire bottle of wine by yourself). I was plenty happy to find out that there was a mini-Oktoberfest held during late April/early May - Frühlingfest, and I was even happier when I realised Poo's visit would coincide with the first weekend! Long story short, I felt it was time to dirndl up again and here's what happened with photographic evidence. 

First things first, it was kinda cold so Pooey had to borrow trenchy because she only packed dresses. And we also decided it would be the perfect opportunity to meet up with Chris cos he wanted to get the lederhosen out and drink beers. And you know, catch up with frens. 

We went to the Augustiner Tent...

...because Chris and I agreed that Augustiner is the best beer in Munich!

(okay, we're really drinking Radlers)

Pooey gets into it!

Going in, I had previously decided that I wanted to eat half a roast chicken while Pooey wanted Schweinhaxe. Upon reading the menu, Chris pointed out that there was a food platter for 2-3 people that had all the goodies we wanted on it. SOLD!!! And then some people saw us eating it and they were also SOLD!!!

Pooey so excited with the food

Two small Asian girls and a moderately skinny Swiss-German polished the platter off good. Pooey holds up the leg bone as proof!

Helium balloons for sale!

Later in the afternoon, Juliane, Susie, Franzi, Sebastian and Thomas from work turned up (in dirndl and lederhosen) and we all happy drank a few steins together. Unfortunately, me and Poos had to leave the tent earlier than the others so as to get some dampfnudel and apfelkuchen before toddling off to the airport to pick up Pa and Bro.  

The first stall we went to didn't have dampfnudel and the apfelkuchel wasn't ready so we got some quarkballchen instead.

Mmmm...we enjoy deep-fried balls of dough. 

The next stall we went to DID have dampfnudel AND we could get it mit kirschen to replicate the first time she ever had it!

Pooey gets ready to dig in!

There was also a friendly dog sitting near our table as we went to eat the dampfnudel. He clearly wanted some.

Anyway, it was all fun and games. Frühlingsfest continues until mid-May, as seen on this advertising board near the u-bahn stop. Gonna have to make time to get some Apfelkuchel!

Pooey's here!!!

Yay!!! Pooey arrived yesterday to help me babysit Dad and Brother and since she's here, I decided we should try to eat at some of the places near my (current) apartment which I have wanted to eat at but haven't for whatever reason (usually exhaustion and being alone). There are two Japanese restaurants I wanted to check out and we ended up at Kushi-Tei because we were so lazy we kept walking straight.


Part of the reason why I always wanted to go here were the magical words in their title - Japanese grillhouse. Another reason was their chalkboard outside the restaurant featured Japanese handwriting. Pooey and I were both heartened by this because it meant (to us) that Japanese people actually worked there. We were then pleasantly pleased upon entering to find that the clientele were also Japanese. Only good things could come from this. And then the guy serving us was a bit of a cutie. In fact, when he gave us our tea or something or other, Pooey actually said, "Thanks, Cutie." As he left, I said to her, "You know, he can probably understand you." Heheheh. 


We decided to get a pair of set izakaya/yakitori menus (B and D for anyone who want to follow this up) and I can't really remember what they were but I'll give it a shot. 

First up, we were given some free carrot and cucmber sticks. This was good because it turned out that we really needed the vegetable component. Since I have been deprived of fresh seafood, I asked for sashimi. Unfortunately since Munich is landlocked, we could tell from the texture of the salmon that it had probably been shipped here deep frozen :(

Next! Some panko fried things. Ummm, off the top of my head I think it was prawn, mushrooms, chicken, something I couldn't identify, and I can't remember the last one. We also go a capsicum (paprika) stuffed with meat!

Yakitori chicken and Zucchini followed by Chicken with garlic. Mmmm, fragrant.

More yakitori chicken with cherry tomatoes (nice! Wouldn't have thought of it) and stuffed mushrooms. And then some grilled chicken chops with baby corn.

Dish of the night! Grilled beef and I can't remember what the side was, it was so overwhelmed by the awesomeness of the meat. Some disappointing california rolls came with the menu, although it was nice to get the taste of roasted sesame again. 

The menu also came with miso soup that was bizarrely given to us with a spoon and roasted green tea which Pooey is enjoying 

While we were eating/waiting between courses, we were looking at a cartoon menu that was tacked up above the door. We were so tempted by one particular item that we ordered it despite not really needing it in the menu. That item that temped us so was...chicken skin. Yes, we ate deep fried/grilled chicken skin on skewers. It was artery-clogging awesomeness.

Would I go back here? It's a bit on the excy side but for genuine jap flavours served by a cutie? Definitely! Also, Pooey pointed out that they had a bar area I could sit at if I decided to return all on my lonesome. Win!