Ok, this is my last post about our big road trip adventure. For those that don't follow regularly, this is not meant to be a travel blog, but a lot can happen when your family spends a good deal of time together in the car!
When I first came to Europe, for a backpacking adventure with my best friend before law school, Salzburg was one of our destinations. In part because I had just started dating John and he probably would have broken up with me right then and there if I was planning a trip to Germany and Austria and didn't make a stop in his favorite city.
But we had another reason for stopping in the city: The Sound of Music Tour. When I was a little girl, The Sound of Music was on television every year at Christmas and we always made a special night out of watching it. I remember acting out the scene where Gretal sings the goodnight song and falls asleep on the steps. As I got older, I daydreamed I was Lesiel singing with her boyfriend. (I cannot believe that I just admitted to that, but it's true). And, here's a fun fact from the Sound of Music Tour: they've had to close the gazebo to tourists (you can see it to take photos, but not go in it) because they've had too many people get hurt trying to re-inact the dance...so apparently I'm not the only one with that particular daydream.
Anyway, we have the movie here, and we've always meant to watch it with the kids but never did. At Christmas, there was always something more Christmasy to turn on, and with our massive DVD library we've collected over the years we've lived here, it's not exactly the first thing the boys would think to grab for Friday Night Movie Night. But in anticipation of our Salzburg trip, we planned a special family Sunday afternoon movie day.
Miss B was in awe of the singing and dancing. The boys liked it much more than they (and I) expected. But then again, they have a much better understanding of the Nazis than I ever did as a kid.
After Munich and before Salzburg, temperaments among the passengers were wavering. In a streak of mischievousness, John and I pulled out the movie soundtrack. I laughed to myself thinking about how we had given the kids the perfect "remember when we were driving into Salzburg and mom made us listen to the soundtrack for the Sound of Music?" But seriously, I double-dog-dare you to listen to that music and NOT start singing along and feel better about being in the car. Especially if you are driving through the actual hills themselves!
In the end I was so glad we thought to show them the movie and bring the music in the car. Miss B skipped her way to dinner on the first night singing "I am 16 going on 17..." And when we walked through the park where "Doe A Deer" was filmed, even though it was dark and rainy, she shouted "This is where they jumped up and down the steps singing!" (It made me grateful that I had taken the cheesy tour so many years before.)
And she watched the movie on my laptop no less than five times throughout the entire week. What a great movie to have on a road trip - it's a long one.
It helped to make this a road trip that none of us would ever forget.
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