From the Alps Down to the Mediterranean Sea / and Vice-versa

22 Aug '06 6:41 pm

Thank you, my good friend!

And talking about insect close ups, just look at my favorite one!! My Cricket pet!!

Together with his cousins, they were 5-6 of them from late on in the evenings, everywhwere in our kitchen in Corfu, attracted by the lights. They were not singing inside, though...

My! they are soooo beautiful! their green colours are so Divinely captured! And so ....pets!! Harmless and sweet, when they were in danger on the floor, by our steps and shoes, I was taking them out safely (for me and them...)to our lit terrace --next to the kitchen. They were calm, feeling I was protecting them! I was touching their long antennas full of admiration, and they were just staying calm, seeming fond of my gesture! In the morning they had all disappeared! They were singing to us in unison through out the day, living happily in the olive trees woodland that surrounded our small apartment...

22 Aug '06 7:16 pm

a) The city of Mozart - he is born here - is situated in a big valley, surrounded by the hills of Prealps and the first mountains of the Austrian northern Alps. The Untersberg mountain (1853mH) is the closest to the city. The magnificent region of Salzkammergut, with its magnificent lakes, cute villages and mountains is situated in the east of Salzbourg. The river Salzach divides Salzbourg into the old and modern cities. The old one (:Alstadt) lies on the left side of the river, while the modern one (:Neustadt) is built on the right side of Salzach.

Although found so close to the Alps, Salzbourg usually has a mild winter and ideal summers. Meaning temperatures around zeroC during winter, and medium summer temperatures around 24-25C -- not these last months though, with the 30-35C.

Salzbourg has a lot of important places to visit and events to attend, especially this year 2006, that Austria celebrates the 250 birthdays of its wonder child, Wolfang Amadeus Mozart!

But my husband, Nicholas and myself, having only a few hours ahead during the day (leaving the following morning), visited the parental house of Mozart and the famous fortress, Hohensalzbourg. The Austrians are very proud of this huge fortress, believing that its present excellent condition is the best of all the fortresses of Europe! Its construction started in the 11th century and in 1495-1519 takes its final aspect by Leonard von Keutschach.

Mozart was born in 1756, son of a well known wealthy family of Salzbourg, and his house is a quite big, good taste building in the heart of Salzbourg, with many spacious rooms and an internal garden. All these rooms now have almost no furniture, but plenty of beautiful paintings with the family members (: parents and an older sister). In the entrance hall, though, it has been constructed a miniature reconstruction of the authentic Mozart's house, looking like an open big doll's house, with furniture and all. Before I read a not-allowing-photos panel, I managed to take the photo of Mozart's miniature piano and seat. The authentic piano is exposed in his house.

22 Aug '06 7:35 pm

b) Follow me! Let's walk around Salzbourg and dream together!Walking up to the fortress wont be an easy thing though...

( We chose to walk instead taking the special lift, the "funicule")

23 Aug '06 1:35 am

Liza, thank you for sharing your wonderful holiday with us all - what glorious places you have been! What flowers! What views! What animals you have seen! And you have captured it all for us to have a taste. Thank you.

23 Aug '06 2:08 am

...thank you for your kind words! Yes, it is great sharing our happiness and dreams! It creates a solidarity among people, and we discover, that deep down we are all the same ...

And I just want to reveal something to you now : in the past, you told me in the "In Love Diary", that you like red Roses, and when you married , you were holding red roses! Since then, I had promised to myself, that I will dedicate to YOU the "madly reds" of my garden, meaning mostly red Roses! I will do it in the very close future , though, and not yet, because now I am ready to dedicate my heart and my body to my garden , that is still like a jungle!! Till yesterday it was raining like crazy!! The lawn seems sick at places and the vines(:weeds) got worse! The borders seem to suffocate... Wish me luck...

23 Aug '06 6:13 am

I am curious, Liza,
At school ,many years ago we learned a song 'Funicule ,Funicula ',not knowing what these words meant ....I see that you call a special lift 'Funicule' .As I remember "Some think the world is made for fun and frolic etc etc Funicule Funicula " (I`ve grown up since then !)
Dixie.

23 Aug '06 6:50 am

Yes! Very good question!

Well! Funicule is a lift that slides up and down on a steep slope! We say, "funicular railway". And yes, my good Dixie! Life IS a funicule!! Sometimes we're up, happy, everything all right, sometimes we rush downwards -- an interior or exterior "storm"....Sometimes we are in our ups, sometimes in our downs...The foundation of all is to remain positive, loving, and optimistic -- can we?..

28 Aug '06 3:10 pm

Dear lovely friend Liza,
I am catching my breath after a fence painting marathon, so I thought I'd peep into the forum. Thank you so much for taking me on tour with you - such beautiful landscapes, and narratives. Wow! I am speechless (this doesn't happen very often!). It's the perfect end to a repetitive head-down day for me. I can imagine I am floating around with you, an extra passenger in the back of your car!

30 Aug '06 5:17 am

Liza, you're so sweet to remember that about my wedding! Thank you so much for your promise, I will so look forward to seeing your beautiful "madly reds" when you get a chance to post them (but please don't put yourself to a lot of trouble on my account!)

Bambi
x

4 Sep '06 9:18 pm

to you, my dear Liza for your great effort and generosity in sharing your wonderful adventure with us! Smile

Such lovely photos – the Mount Blanc and the Alps are awesome, so are the gorgeous Corfu Island sceneries, flowers, animals and insects! Your Corfiat blooms excited me so because quite a number of them are familiar to me. The Punica Granatum which I know as Pomegranate rekindled memories of a tree at my backyard two decades ago which bloomed occassionally but never fruited and littered its leaves everywhere! However, I do love this sweet-seedy fruit Wink

.

It was truly a 'fascinating travel, experienced with you during these last two days' and I’ve enjoyed myself tremendously with your detailed and historical narration too. Thanks again. Very Happy

From the Alps Down to the Mediterranean Sea / and Vice-versa

Talking about insect close ups.

4-- Salzbourg /Austrian and Bavarian Alps.

Photos of Salzbourg and the Austrian-Bavarian Alps.

Re: From the Alps Down to the Mediterranean Sea / and Vice-v

Dearest Bambi,

Funicule

Funicule

Thank You Liza

Dear Liza,

A Big Thank You and A Bear Hug.....