Dirndl

Salzburg, Austria, July 1971. It wasn't folksy then to wear a dirndl (or lederhosen).

Behind-the-Castle Reunion

Salzburg, Austria, July 1971. There's more than one way to get to the site.

Residenzplatz Reunion

Salzburg, Austria, July 1971. It's a Baroque spot.

That Schatz Shop

Salzburg, Austria, July 1971. We've already shopped here.

"And, there are simply too many notes."

Evidence emerges that Mozart and Salieri collaborated.

Direction

Austria, near the Hungarian border, July 1971. The pair brings good luck.

Exchanging Portraits (Part 53)

Probably Vienna, Austria, about 1948. This is my Dad's friend, Casey.

Musical Memory

My Mom has been a lifelong opera and operetta lover. She and Dad occasionally bought season tickets to Chicago's Lyric Opera, and we usually listened to Saturday opera radio broadcasts (but I always preferred ballet). We celebrated New Year's Eve by watching Die Fledermaus on television, and we caught a staging of The Merry Widow in Central City, Colorado.

When Mom was growing up, the three most popular sopranos where Jeanette MacDonald, Marta Eggerth, and Deanna Durbin. Mom collected cards with images of each singer, and she and her friends went to the cinema* to watch the dubbed movies in which the starlets appeared.

In about 1934 or 1935 Marta Eggerth arrived in Kaunas for a concert. The city officials prohibited Eggerth from singing in the opera house because Eggerth specialized in operettas, a musical form, according to authorities, beneath the dignity of the opera house. Eggerth therefore sang at an outdoor theater. My Mom's maternal Aunt Dora took Mom to that concert. Mom recalls Eggerth wore a white gown on stage. When we watched a few Eggerth clips on YouTube, Mom even got a bit misty.

Vienna, Austria, July 1971. This is the Vienna State Opera. It was natural for Dad to photograph this building when we visited Vienna.

*The same cinema at which Dora used to accompany the silent movies.

Exploring the Gardens

Salzburg, Austria, July 1971. We're visiting Mirabell Gardens and Palace, where everything is smaller than it appears in the movies.

Narrative Reunion

Vienna, Austria, July 1971. There's a story on every pillar.

Salzburg Scene

Salzburg, Austria, July 1971. We arrive in my favorite European city.

There's not much to do in a big city.

Vienna, Austria, July 1971. Dad admires the fountain near the Opera House. I like this clip because the movie camera captured some of Dad's mannerisms.

Exchanging Portraits (Part 43)

Vienna, Austria, about 1948. Someone painted a portrait of my Dad's friend, Casey, and Casey photographed the painting.

City Tour

Vienna, Austria, about 1949. My Dad's friend Casey visits Maria-Theresien-Platz.

Karlskirche, Daytime

Vienna, Austria, July 1971. We visited the church grounds several times.

Economy Class

Over the Atlantic Ocean, July 1971. We've boarded the Pan Am 747 "Jumbo Jet," and we are on our way to Vienna.

The View from the Castle

Salzburg, Austria, July 1971. We've climbed to the castle.

Roundabout Reunion

Vienna, Austria, July 1971. Visiting a large city is rarely relaxing.

Five-Star Reunion

Salzburg, Austria, July 1971. The hotel was the "Österreichischer Hof" when we stayed there. Now it's the Hotel Sacher Salzburg.

A Disappointment

Near Hintertux, Austria, July 1971. One of the things my Parents and I didn't like about hiking in the European Alps was the lack of "wild" places. Even remote spots in Austria and Switzerland were cultivated and civilized. But I was happy to see a Swiss Brown.