When I was a teenager in The U.S. Army stationed in Europe, I was awarded an all-expenses paid trip to Salzburg, along with a few others from my base in West Germany.
We stayed as guests on an American base just outside of town. As young men, the four of us certainly experienced Salzburg’s nightlife. In a time before cell phones, one member of our crew decided to part company with us to spend time with his new acquaintance. So, when we discovered he had the keys to our building and room, there was no way to locate him.
Back at the base, we decided that drunk servicemen could solve the problem by scaling the side of a building to our second-floor window. Across the quad was a mobile basketball hoop. We dragged it across the blacktop on its little metal wheels, making all kinds of noise, laughing all the way, and shooshing one another for all to hear. I remember thinking, How is it that the MPs (Military Police) are not onto us?
At the window, we tilted the pole to the brick wall, which got us within a jumping distance from the backboard to the window ledge. The most agile and least drunk person went first and made it. We cheered like we had just won a tournament, then drunk-shooshed ourselves as we looked for the MPs again. We all got in with the help of someone leaning over the window to lock our hands when we jumped for the assist.
Just as we were laughing ourselves into the bunkbeds, the door handle jiggled. We knew we were busted. But in walked Wilson with the keys. He stood dumbfounded and asked, “How the hell did you guys get in here?”
The laughter echoed across the quad, where a basketball hoop remained leaning against the building.
As a nineteen-year-old, my worldly experience was lacking. So, when our tour guide offered the WWII tour of Hitler’s vacation home and underground city versus the Sound of Music Tour, I chuckled. Of course, I’m going on the WWII tour. I blurted to my buddies, “What the heck is this foreign movie they’re so proud of? To heck with that.”
It wasn’t until a movie night with my college girlfriend—soon to be my wife—that I heard the words “The Sound of Music” again. She called it one of the greatest movies ever made. I yawned and thought, yah-yah, whatever. I get to pick the next flick!
Afterward, I thought, damn, that was a memorable movie. And I kicked myself for blowing off the opportunity to visit the filming sites of the movie while I was overseas.
A fireman buddy of mine had a similar experience. His girlfriend—soon to be wife—made him watch it too. But he didn’t really let on as to how much he liked it until one day the girls returned early from shopping and found him eating popcorn and watching it alone. We’ve never let him live that down.
When we had kids, we made sure they saw the movie before a trip to Stowe, Vermont, which is where the real Von Trapp family settled in the United States after their escape from Nazi occupation. It is now a tourist destination featuring an Austrian-inspired mountain resort with gorgeous views reminiscent of Julie Andrews’ angelic singing twirling through the panoramic views of a mountainside meadow.
Our daily lunch (and sometimes breakfast) before or after hiking came from a classic provisions store aptly named Eidelweiss (which was a touchingly symbolic song from the movie). Eidelweiss the store was where we’d have our picnic-style lunches made. While we waited, you could hear the hum of the song dancing in our heads. The store was just one of those places where the warmth of the store workers and customers often ended with someone saying, “Namaste!” when parting to head for the calling of the mountains.
By Frank Rocco Satullo, The OhioTraveler, Your Tour Guide to Fun!
