What a difference a decade makes
As we begin the 2020s, I’ve seen discussion about whether this is the start of the decade, or the end. Does the decade start, for example,…
Whatever happened to the Von Trapp children?
Dame Julie Andrews is 80 now, but the stardom surrounding her role as Maria in The Sound of Music has never dimmed. Although she was absent…
Fifty years of The Sound of Music
When Maria von Trapp led her Captain and seven children across the mountains – or, more accurately, her nine children out the garden gate to the…
Dirndl to go (or stay)
Claudia casts a critical eye over my cleavage. Or lack of it. Clearly, I’m wearing the wrong kind of bra. Compared to her décolletage – and…
Beyond the grave
In the rocky mountainside cemetery in the pretty Austrian village of Hallstatt, space is at a premium. It’s been that way since the early 1700s, and…
Into the salt mines
In 1734, the “Man in the Salt” was uncovered deep in the mountains above the Austrian village of Hallstatt. With a history dating back more than 7000…
Is this the prettiest village in Europe?
Some people think so. Others have described it as the most beautiful lake-side town in the world. Welcome to Hallstatt, in the Salzkammergut region of Upper Austria,…
I went to Vienna…and this is what I saw
I went to Vienna for three-and-a-half days and this is what I saw: a beautiful new boutique hotel (where I stayed); two construction sites (yes, hard hat…
Schnitzel, at last!
After four days in Vienna, I was yet to taste a decent schnitzel. There was one, in a tavern in the 19th district, but it was…
A night at the opera
Would any visit to Vienna be complete without a night at the opera? I think not. So, off we go…and luckily it’s an easy one to…
A Glass Half Full 