Austria! Oh how I love Austria. One very vivid memory of Austria was the day we approached the country after leaving Germany. As our motor coach ambled its way around the curvy roads, surrounded by tall green Austrian pine trees,  suddenly we were surrounded by huge white snow-capped mountains.

I found myself mesmerized by the sudden change in scenery. With perfect timing, our amazing tour guide, Emma, started the sound track from the movie, The Sound of Music. As a young girl, my favorite movie of all time was The Sound of Music. I can’t count the times I saw that movie, but never did I imagine that some day I would find myself in Austria, the country where this movie was filmed. I was so touched by this experience, as I journeyed down memory lane, listening to the melodious sounds of,  “The hills are alive….with the sound of music!” What an impressive introduction to Austria.

Another song of the movie that was immortalized by the writers, Rogers and Hammerstein,  is Edelweiss Forever: “Blossom of snow may you bloom and grow, bloom and grow forever, Edelweiss, Edelweiss, bless my homeland forever.”  The Edelweiss flower grows in the Alpine regions, and is a highly prized flower. I was totally captivated by Austria’s charm and beauty, from the snow-capped mountains, the hillside pastures, to the green velvet alpine meadows with cows, goats, and sheep, lazily grazing . Charming and delightful is Austria. See my post: Innsbruck Austria.

This is the view from our motor coach as we are approaching Austria.

These photos show the hallway just outside my room. Austrian decor is elaborate and ornamental, unlike Swiss decor, with lots of embellishment in fabrics and display.