Lady Capulet in the Jungle

This post originally included photos, but through my own stupidity, I accidentally deleted them. Despite repeated attempts to retrieve them, they are permanently gone. My heart is broken.

Last week, Jessica's 8th grade class put on a production of Romeo and Juliet.  Rather than a tired old traditional version of Shakespeare's classic, the 8th graders were encouraged to put their own spin on it.  Each of the three 8th grade classes produced and directed a piece of the play, and they were each allowed to choose the setting and time period for their section.  So, the first part was set in present day Las Vegas, the second in 1969 San Francisco, and the third in the jungle.  Jessica was in the third part of the play, playing Lady Capulet. 

Because it was like three mini-productions, and to give everyone the chance to participate, the cast kept changing as well as the setting.  So, it was kind of a wild ride for those of us in the audience.  As each scene got underway, it took us a minute to figure out who was Romeo, who was Juliet, etc.  But, I have to hand it to the 8th graders.  Students directed, acted, and put together the props and scenery all on their own.  And, they all memorized their parts, which was Shakespeare word-for-word.  I think it turned out to be a fun project for everyone.

I wasn't sure how my boys were going to like it when we went to watch it last Thursday night, but they were surprisingly enthralled.  Pepper didn't ask a single question - which is VERY unusual for him - and Adam and Luke were really into it.  They were both horrified when Juliet took her potion, and on the edge of their seats when Romeo and then Juliet died at the end.  So, I guess the whole project was a success - the 8th graders got to know the play and have some fun putting it on (which is saying something, considering it's Shakespeare), and the audience enjoyed themselves, too.  And of course, I was really proud of Jessica's interpretation of Lady Capulet in the jungle!

The Hills are Alive...

This last week, the kids had spring break and Brad had some time off for Easter, so we packed up the car for a road trip to Salzburg, Austria.  I have always loved The Sound of Music, so it has been a dream of mine to visit Salzburg ever since I first saw Julie Andrews prancing around the city singing "Do-Re-Mi."  I've heard that Robert Wise, the director of The Sound of Music, felt that the city of Salzburg should be like another character in the movie.  Now that I've seen Salzburg in person, I can see why Robert Wise felt that way - Salzburg is just bursting with personality and charm.  During the 4 days we were there, it became a running joke to say, out nowhere, "You know, I think these hills are alive."  But honestly, the place really did feel alive.  Maybe it was because every time we turned a corner, the soundtrack to Sound of Music would come to mind, or maybe it was just that everything was so breath-takingly beautiful, I felt like the city was speaking to me.  Whatever the reason, I just felt giddy as we explored Salzburg and the surrounding countryside.

The Salzach River runs right down the middle of Salzburg.  The "Old Town" is on the side below the Hohensalzburg Fortress, which you can see at the top of the picture overlooking the whole city.

These buildings are on the other side of the river.  Our hotel was behind that church on the left, so we were within walking distance of just about everything.

The "Old Town" is just on the other side of all those buildings stuck together.  It is so cool to walk through a small archway and leave all the cars and busy roads behind.  "Old Town" is pretty commercial now, with lots of modern shops, but there is still a lot of the old charm. 

We couldn't come to Salzburg without doing something Mozart-related - this is his city, afterall - so we visited the Mozart Museum in the house where he was born.

Exploring "Old Town" Salzburg.  Some of these buildings and courtyards may look familiar from The Sound of Music.

Walking through Salzburg, Pepper was most excited to see this Astin Martin parked on the street.  I guess everyone gets excited about their own things...

Near the entrance to the Fortress, there was this little narrow street.  How cute is that!

It was the perfect time of year to visit Salzburg - all the spring flowers were in bloom and the weather was delightful (most of the time, but we didn't mind a little rain).

In the market, we passed a booth selling these ginormous pretzels, and of course we all had to have one.  Jess and I have sugary, puffy ones and the boys all wanted to try the chocolate-covered pretzels.  Yes, they were every bit as delicious as they look, and no, we were not able to finish them.

After a day of sight-seeing, the boys wanted to spend some quality time skipping rocks in the Salzach River.

I think the "picture-esque-ness" of the setting was lost on them, but it wasn't lost on me.

We brought along our little DVD-player and The Sound of Music DVD so we could watch the movie many times.  Here we all are crammed around the tiny 6-inch screen so we can watch it after a day of exploring beautiful Salzburg.

Hohensalzburg Fortress

We spent most of one day visting the Hohensalzburg Fortress, which is the big castle on the hill over-looking the city.  We took a funicular up to the fortress, which was huge and so, so interesting.  The fortress was begun in 1077, and expanded many times under different rulers.  We learned that in all that time, the castle has never been captured.  Apparently, its location at the top of the mountain made it very secure (I guess with fortresses, as with all real estate, the first three rules are location, location, location). 

The views from the castle were unbelievable!

The castle's primary function was war and protection, so we saw a lot of war stuff.

 

Adam was flabbergasted that these are all "real" swords.  A nine-year-old's dream exhibit.

One of the rooms was dedicated to medieval tools of torture.  Seeing various iron weapons and torture devices briefly interupted my love affair with charming Salzburg. 

 

Music was also a major theme of the exhibits in the fortress.  I don't have a picture, but we saw a big pipe organ that was put into the castle to sound over the whole city.  It originally didn't have a keyboard, so it just made a big braying sound that earned it the nickname Salzburg Steer.  Over time, a keyboard was added so music could be played.  I guess some of the ruling Archbishops used it to wake up the town when it was time for work, and to signal when the work day was over.  So, the hills really were alive with the sound of music...

 

Here are the state rooms where some of the Archbishops stayed at the Fortress.  Fancy, eh?

This dreadful little privy was right in the middle of one of the fancy state rooms.  So, as extravagant as they looked, I can only imagine how they smelled!

 

Lunch atop the Fortress.

 

There was an exhibit showcasing marionettes on the Fortress.  Adam told me this was his favorite part of the whole trip.

Gathered around a well before we left the Fortress.

The Sound of Music Tour

Since my whole reason for wanting to come to Salzburg stemmed from seeing it in The Sound of Music, we HAD to take The Sound of Music Tour.  There are several tour companies that offer a tour that will take you around to see the specific sites used in the movie, and it was well worth the money!  I loved seeing where my favorite scenes were filmed and imagining myself frolicking around Salzburg just like Maria and the Von Trapp children.

As we drove from place to place, our guide told us several interesting things about when the movie was filmed.  First of all, the actual Von Trapp family home is not in the movie at all.  Robert Wise used two different houses/castles for the family's home. 

 

This is Leopoldskron, which was used for the back of the Von Trapp house.  All the scenes on the terrace behind the house were filmed here.

Yep, that is the terrace where Caption Von Trapp was standing when Maria and the children capsized their rowboat upon seeing him home.  They all came dripping through that gate in their "curtain clothes" and lined up right there for the Captain's grumpy inspection. 

Because another house was used for the exterior of the house, they had to film the argument scene between Captain Von Trapp and Maria twice.  The water and terrace from this house was behind Captain Von Trapp, and the porch and exterior of the other house was behind Maria.  You'd never guess when watching that argument between Maria and the Captain that the whole thing was spliced together to make the yellow house look like it was on this lake.

 

The gazebo was originally on the grounds of Leopoldskron, but it has been moved to another location now.  Leopoldskron is part of a university now, and crazy tourists used to disturb them by stealing over the walls to get a picture of this gazebo, so the university gave it as a gift to the city of Salzburg.  There is a reason it looks so much smaller than in the movie - it is.  This was only used for the outside shots, and another, bigger one was built in Hollywood for the inside dancing scenes.  So, when Leisel leaps from bench to bench in the movie, there is more than a couple of inches between each one.  It is locked so no one can get inside.  Our guide told us that it used to be open until an 80-year-old woman crashed through the glass one day while she was leaping from bench to bench imitating "Sixteen Going on Seventeen."  That had to be a sight!

This is Frohnburg Castle, which was used for the front and exterior of the Von Trapp family home.  We couldn't get any closer than this. Of course, I had "I Have Confidence" playing in my head when I saw the yellow wall along the road.

Nonnberg Abbey, which is where the real Maria was when she was sent to be a governess for the Von Trapp family.  This is also where the real Captain and Maria were married.  They used pieces of the abbey in the movie.  Under the steeple, you can see an arched doorway - that is the gate where the soldiers came to find the Von Trapps, and where the children came looking for Maria when she left.  Nuns still live here, so we couldn't get any closer.  We did see some nuns walking around the streets of Salzburg, which was hugely interesting for my kids, especially Pepper.

The tour took us up to the Lakes and Mountain District, which is where they filmed the scenery shots at the beginning of the movie. 

 

 

Lukie and Pepper channelling Julie Andrews twirling atop a green hill, about to break into "The hills are alive, with the sound of music..."

As we drove through the countryside, our guide played the Sound of Music soundtrack in the van.  Like I said, we'd watched the movie several times before taking this tour, and it was a little disturbing to hear Lukie quote the movie in places and sing along with the songs.  I don't know if that is normal for a three-year-old boy.  His favorite line is "Maria makes me LAUGH...ha, ha, ha!"

Incidentally, the real Von Trapps did not walk over any of these mountains to escape to Switzerland.  Even if they had climbed these mountains, they would have ended up in Germany.  When questioned about the blatant false geography used in the film, Robert Wise said, "Hollywood makes its own geography."  I guess so, because all of these mountain locations are about 40 miles away from Nonnberg Abbey, so if Maria had been frolicking in these hills, as it appears at the beginning of the movie, she would have had a very long run to the Abbey when the church bells rang!

 

 

 

This is Mondsee Church, where the wedding between Maria and Captain Von Trapp was filmed.  Like I said before, the real wedding took place at Nonnberg Abbey, but Robert Wise thought this made a much more dramatic statement. 

 

 

 

Here is the Horse Bath, which is one of the places we see Maria and the children prancing around in their "curtain clothes."

 

 We finished off our tour in Mirabell Gardens, which is where a lot of "Do-Re-Mi" was filmed.

 

This is the Pegasus Fountain, where the children marched around the ledge where Pep is standing.

Even though it was raining, the kids had a great time running around Mirabell Gardens. 

 

 

 

 

The end of "Do-Re-Mi" is on these steps in Mirabell Gardens.  The scene in the movie was shot from the top of the stairs looking down, and the children hopped up and down the steps for each note they sang, with Julie Andrews ending up in the center, grabbing the top of her head and singing a high, final note.  (Sorry, I guess I've seen the movie too many times in the last few days.  I think I have it memorized)

One thing that is mind-blowing to me is that The Sound of Music is virtually unknown in Austria and Germany.  A few months ago, Brad and I were having dinner with some of his co-workers, who are both Germans.  I mentioned that I was excited to see Salzburg because of The Sound of Music, and both of the German co-workers gave me such blank looks.  They had never even HEARD of The Sound of Music!  How can that be??!!

On our Sound of Music tour, our guide told us that most Austrians have no idea about the movie, even though it is how most of the rest of the world identifies Austria.  He said that a few years ago, on the Austrian version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire", a woman had a $75,000 question "What Sound of Music song is also the name of a wild-flower?"  The woman didn't know, and phoned her friend.  Her friend also didn't know, and the woman ended up giving the wrong answer and losing a ton of money.  In the States, that would have played out ssoooo differently!  For one thing, the question would have been worth about $200, because it is so easy, and for another, the contestant would have certainly got it right!  So, don't come to Austria and expect to see the locals singing "Edelweiss", because chances are they don't even know the words!

I think the Sound of Music tour was a perfect way to top off our trip to Salzburg.  This was my favorite trip we have taken since moving here.  I looovvveeedd the city, and the mountains, and the springtime weather - it was all perfect!  Even the drive was delightful - in our six hour drive, I think we passed about 50 little towns that consisted of a picturesque old church surrounded by red-roofed cottages on the side of a hill.  I planned this trip to help me feel better about missing the BYU Ballroom reunion happening in Provo, UT this weekend, and I think it worked.  Even though I wish I could be in Provo reminiscing with old friends, I am filled with Everything Salzburg.  Lovely!

Stuff I See Everyday, But It Still Doesn't Seem Normal

This post originally included photos, but through my own stupidity, I accidentally deleted them. Despite repeated attempts to retrieve them, they are permanently gone. My heart is broken.

I have lived here in Berlin for almost eight months, yet there are still many things I see that make me wonder.  So, I have made another list (sorry, I guess I think in lists).  This list is entitled Stuff-I-See-Everyday-But-It-Still-Doesn't-Seem-Normal.

Now, just to clarify, I am not necessarily calling these things crazy or dumb.  I am simply stating that even after seven-plus months here, they still catch my attention.  You know how your mind learns to ignore details in everyday life that are just too commonplace to notice?  Well, those are what I call Normal Things.  This list is made up of things that, even though I see them everyday, still catch my eye and make me remember I am in a completely different place from where I have ever lived before.  So, to the average German, I'm guessing these are all everyday things that are not worth noticing.  But to me, they are really strange/funny/cool - you know, Not Normal.

1. Rathaus

Before we moved here, I took a few German lessons (a waste of time, but whatever).  One thing I did learn was that the German word for Government Building is Rathaus, pronounced "rat house."  It makes me snicker a bit everytime I pass by this Rathaus, because it is so aptly named.  I think we may be able to call some American government offices by the same name.

2.  Crazy-long street names

Here is Jess modeling some street signs in our neighborhood.  Germans like to make new words by simply combining already existing words (for example, the German word for "glove" is "Handschuh", which means "hand shoe").  But, this makes for crazy-long words, which are especially obnoxious on street signs.  But, aren't the sign posts cute?

3. Kevin Kline School of Communism
No, that's not the real name, but whenever I see this school - which I drive by everyday - that is what I think it should be named.  Mostly because of this mural painted by the entrance:
Doesn't this guy look like the actor Kevin Kline?  Maybe it's just the smirk on his face, but to me he looks like the guy in A Fish Called Wanda.  And what is with the stark uniform?  This seems like a propaganda poster for Communist Ideals.

And then there is this other painting of who I assume is the same guy.  Apparently, this is a picture of him when he used to sing with the BeeGees.

Just a few feet away from what I consider very serious depictions of Our Dedicated Leader of Learning, there is this sculpture.   I think this is supposed to be our Kevin Kline look-alike in sculpture form.  You can see the mustache and furrowed brow, but really?  A yellow nose-sculpture?  Is this dignified?  I chuckle to myself whenever I pass by here, (except on the occasional I-Hate-Germany-Day, when I just think it is all stupid).

4.  Amazingly cool houses
I loooove to walk around our neighborhood and just look at all the cool houses.  We live in Zehlendorf, an area of Berlin that is between the city center and Potsdam, the town where all the old summer castles are.  In the olden days, the nobility of Berlin used to travel to Potsdam to escape the summer heat of Berlin.  Because they were traveling by horse and carriage, it was a two-day drive, so they would stop in Zehlendorf for the night on their way.  Eventually, Zehlendorf became a fancy place of sorts because it was a stopping place for the rich folks.  So, there are tons of  beautiful, old homes all over the place.  All of these houses are within walking distance of our house, and whenever I go for a walk, I want to just stand in front of the houses and drink them in.  Here is a sampling of the amazing houses in our area:

5. Babies bundled-up for an outside winter walk

Berliners are big-time walkers, even in the middle of winter.  They really value getting a Daily Dose of  Fresh Air, so they have all kinds of gear to make it possible.  Even when the weather is below freezing, mothers will pack up their babies for their daily walk.  Nearly every stroller is equipped with this sleeping-bag-type-thing to keep baby toasty, and there are all kinds of fancy covers to keep baby dry if it is raining or snowing.  During the winter months, I often pass by strollers that look like mounds of blankets, scarves, and hats surrounding a tiny pair of eyes blinking happily.

6.  Men wearing hats

For the most part, Germans dress much more formally than Americans.  I often think Germans dress like grown-ups, whereas Americans dress like children.  This picture was taken at about 11:00 a.m., so I'm guessing this man was getting ready to go do some shopping or something.  This is exactly the kind of clothing I see men wearing at the grocery store.  I NEVER see anyone in sweats and tennis shoes unless they are playing sports.  And, proper attire for men seems to include a smart hat.

This is my neighbor across the street coming out to do some yard clean-up.  No grubby t-shirt and worn jeans for him!  No sir, he is going out in his sweater, slacks, and (of course) hat.

7. Mailmen on bicycles

Here is our friendly neighborhood DeutschePost Man.  Even during the winter, he rides his yellow bicycle along the sidewalks delivering mail.  Even though he has what I think would be the coldest, most miserable job ever, this guy has always got a grin on his pink, chapped face.  Maybe it's frozen that way.  Whatever the reason, I think he is delightful.

8.  Shoppers with baskets

I've mentioned in a former post that German grocery stores do not bag your items for you.  Many German shoppers have wicker baskets to carry their purchases home in.  On my way to pick up a few groceries of my own, I followed this wicker-basket-carrying shopper.  I'm sure after the shopping, this basket was topped off with a loaf of baguette bread and a bouquet of flowers.  Those seem to be German necessities.

9.  Wearing the appropriate color for the task

This is something that never ceases to amaze me.  There appears to be colors that people here wear to indicate their job.  For example, gardeners always wear green from head to toe (yes, Mr. Green Jeans).

 

Maintainence workers always wear blue - the janitor at the school, the guy who came to fix our drain, and these guys fixing our neighbor's fence.

City clean-up guys are always in orange, which matches their trucks.  These guys collect trash, sweep sidewalks, drive the little tractors that clear snow off the sidewalks, and generally keep the city tidy.  Always in orange.  This tendency to wear the appropriate color for your career fits the German stereotype of being Super-Orderly.

10.  Narrow cobblestone roads

I don't know if I will ever get used to this.  The roads here are very narrow, so there is not enough room for two lanes of traffic.  This is our road, which I have to drive on everyday, and it still makes me crazy.

Here is how it works:  if I were driving on this road and I saw a car coming the other direction, I would pull off to the right behind that parked silver car so the other car could go through.  When it is clear, I pull back into the center of the street and proceed.  If another car comes while I'm going, it is expected that he will pull off somewhere to the side and let me pass.  Basically, both cars assess who has the room to pull off, and the person who can pauses while the other one goes.  So far, I've never gotten into a game of Chicken, so it works.  But, I am so excited to go to America this summer and drive on roads that always have room for traffic going both ways!

11. Gates

I have to say, I don't understand the obsession with gates.  There are fences around every yard, and gates in front of sidewalks and driveways.  It is the gate across the driveway that I find rather annoying.  When my neighbors drive somewhere, they manually open their driveway gate, get back in the car and drive out into the street, get out of the car and close the gate, then get back into the car and drive away.  Repeat that in opposite order when they get home.  Add the fact that if they have a garage, there is no automatic garage door opener, so there are another few steps to get the car into and out of the garage.  We have a gate across our driveway, but we leave it open during the day, whether we are home or not.  I just don't want to jump thru all those hoops everytime I run an errand.  No wonder Germans walk everywhere!

12.  Graffiti

One thing that really bugs me is the graffiti. This is on a fence right across the street from our house.  We live in a nice neighborhood - you've seen all the beautiful houses - yet there is graffiti everywhere.  My American eyes associate graffiti with gangs and slums, but that isn't necessarily the case here in Germany.  Graffiti is just people "expressing" themselves, and nobody seems to mind it popping up on nearly every flat surface.

13.  Outdoor markets

This is an outdoor market that I pass everyday on my way to pick Lukie up at school.  There are markets like this everywhere, all year round.

Right now, because it's Spring, there are lots of flowers for sale.  At Christmas time, there were Christmas decorations and gifts for sale.  There are usually a lot of fruit and vegetables for sale, too.

14. Blinds on the outside of the windows

This is a picture of the window to Pepper's bedroom when the blinds are down.  These wooden blinds can be lowered from inside the house, and they are awesome!  They totally block out the light, protect the windows from windy, harsh weather, and they never have to be dusted.  I think they are brilliant.

15.  Biking as a serious mode of transportation

People here use bikes for far more than recreation.   You can see this bike is outfitted to carry all kinds of stuff. 

It is very common to see people of all shapes, sizes, and ages biking about running errands.  A lot of people do their grocery shopping on bicycle, strapping their purchases into the basket on the back of their bike. 

16.  Military time

This is the clock on my microwave.  In America, we would call this time 5:10 p.m., but here in Germany they use military time.  I still have to do math everytime I look at my clock after noon, but it is getting easier.

So, even after nearly eight months, life doesn't seem completely normal here in Germany.  Lots of things are different - and they feel different - but it is okay.  For the first couple of months, every different thing felt like a slap in the face, but now I mostly think it's funny. 

That's progress, right?

Remember when I was a cat-woman?

Lukie just handed me this picture and said, "It's you, Mom, when you were a cat-woman."

*sigh*

Those were the good ole days...

Lukie

My baby boy at school (this may also be titled We Love Miss Abigail).

My baby boy at home.