Experiential Paper

Hunter Hodge

Experiential Paper

05/30/2010

Salzburg, Austria: “The Sound of Music,” Castle Hohensalzburg, The Eagle’s Nest

What I love most about Europe is the natural blend of history and modernity. This ability to live in the past while living in the present describes me well. I love history and when you have a tremendous group of friends, like Blake Mitchell, Katie Kellogg, Jordan Overstreet, and my brother joining you in all your adventures, I knew Salzburg was going to be a blast. It did not disappoint.

In three days we had toured the shooting locations of “The Sound of Music,” walked through the monstrous Castel Hohensalzburg, and visited Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest (Hitler’s private bunker and mountain retreat) just across the border in Germany. But our wonderful trip was not without a price.

We boarded the bus to begin our tour of “The Sound of Music” at 2pm on Friday, May 27^th. The 4 hour drive was absolutely breathtaking! Not only did we go to all of the famous scenes where “The Sound of Music” was shot, but we learned a lot about the real history of the Von Trapp family and Solzberg as well. It felt like we got to see everything Salzberg, nature, and history had to offer in one trip. We saw beautifully serene lakes, pompous palaces, roaming landscapes, delicate fields of wildflowers, ancient churches and monasteries, Medieval towns and homes, and even the birthplace of Mozzart!

Some of the notable places we went were Lake Monsee (scene where the kids are riding their bikes) and the Monsee Church (where Maria and Mr. Von Trapp are married), St. Gilgen (beautiful mountain lake panorama view), The Mirabel Gardens (“Doe, Ray, Me” song in the gardens), the Hellbrun Palace, and a whole host of other places.

After the tour, we walked around the luscious, impeccably groomed Mirabel Gardens, and then wandered the city a bit. It was so cool because old stone walls covered with plants, weeds, and other vegetation, along with the massive Hohensalzburg castle over looking the city and other medieval constructions made me feel as if I was in two places at once. It was like I lived in both the past as well as in the present.

On the second day, Austin and I bought tickets to enter the Hohensalzburg Castle keeping watch over the city and it was absolutely what I have always thought a medieval castle would be like and better! The sheer scale of the Castle is astonishing as it really takes up the entire top of a mountain. Its walls extend even further out with the last wall snaking through several mountains and leading to other smaller forts. There are many keeps and just as many different layers of walls. Construction on the Castle was begun in 1077 A.D. and was built kind of in phases, with each Archbishop that ruled over the town adding his own section. The first Castle Hohensalzburg was built between 1077 and almost 1100 A.D. and was built over the reigns of several Archbishops (ending with Konrad I) in the Romanesque style architecture. Then succeeding Archbishops continued to add new walls, buildings, keeps, and layers. The last piece added on was finished in the early 1700s, but the Castle remained in use until the 1950s and into the 1960s.

Not only did the exhibits in this castle teach me about the history and beauty of the castle, but they also informed me about the history of the town and surrounding region. In fact, there have been numerous inhabitants of the region, including the Romans, as well as even older civilizations. It was simply breathtaking as I constantly imagined old Austrian soldiers marching up the steep road to the monolithic fortress. Whenever I saw a tower and its arrow slits or the gaping holes in the exterior wall overhanging the approach below, I would envision what it would be like to storm such a castle while being showered with arrows from the towers and boiling oil from the overhang. But castles were not just places of violence. They were also a major center of commerce and often included large courtyards in the middle for markets. The courtyard at Hohensalzburg was huge! It was about 150 yards long by 100 yards wide with a large stone well right in the center.

The views over Salzburg and the surrounding countryside from such a high perch were expansive, but what caught my eye most were the many signs posted all around the castle indicating when each part was built and by whom. I loved this part because it constantly sent me back in time. Each sign made me think about what was going on in Austria as well as the rest of the world at the time, and also about the progression of the castle through hundreds of years of change and renovation.

In addition, we spent hours combing the town for all it had to offer. One of the most unique places we went was a monastery called St. Augustine. Not only was this monastery a goldmine of historical and spiritual interest (it has been functional since 1621), but it was also the largest beer hall in Austria.

It combined history, with beautiful art, with fantastic food, and a sampling of the Germanic culture. I love Austrian/German food! And we can lump them together kind of because for a large part of history they have been one country whether under the “Holy Roman Empire,” the Prussian Empire or the Third Reich of the Nazi regime in World War II. This connection sparked a very intriguing thought in my brain which I will get to in a moment. When the monks are not praying and serving God, they are brewing some delicious beer and serving it to the locals. But one of the parts that I have liked a lot about Europe is how differently Europeans approach alcohol. Yes there are some tables made of table tops mounted on old fashioned wooden kegs, but these pubs are nothing like the bars we think of in the States. They are more like restaurants rather than a place to party. Also, Europeans drink alcohol really only with dinner. The Germans, Austrians and other Europeans consume for the purpose of complementing the many delectable tastes presented to the palette of your tongue by the (in this case) hearty diet of the Germanic people.

And boy what a finely crafted cuisine the Austrians and Germans have brought into this world! It is truly the diet of manly men. This diet is characterized by such hearty meats as Bratwursts, Currywursts, meatloaf, and steak. Add to that some large portions of potatoes and sauerkraut (cooked, fermented cabbage) and you have the makings of a great meal. Then just wash it down with some fine beer and you will leave completely satisfied. And the thing is that in Europe, there is no pressure to get drunk or crazy drinking alcohol. It was nice just to be able to appreciate the drink for what it is – a refreshment made to complement and wash down food.

To return to my uncompleted thought regarding the similarity of the Germans and the Austrians as pointed out to me today by the tour guide for The Eagle’s Nest tour, I believe that this knowledge highlights the value of history in our world today. The Austrians and Germans have been one people for a very long time. Their language is the same, their food is the same, they have many of the same traditions, and their share a great amount of family lineage and history together. The feeling of brotherhood between these two different countries tells us that people are not, and cannot be divided along political boundaries. Rather cultural heritage and a shared history are more unifying than any political border ever could be.

In light of seeing this blend of people first hand during my trip to Salzburg, it is no wonder that colonialism and the arbitrary division of nation states did not work. It is also no great mystery why the Germans and the Austrians often fight side by side together – because they have common cultures and a shared history. Should we have been surprised when World War I broke out after a radical Serb assassinated Archduke and heir to the Austrian throne Franz Ferdinand, and Germany offered its unconditional support to Austria, thereby setting in motion the domino of alliances that initiated the war? No. Finally, it is no wonder that the arbitrary division of Europe between the Allies and the USSR could not be held together. A hard lesson, but a lesson learned nonetheless.

On the last day in our beloved little bed and breakfast, the Trumer Stube, Austin and I woke up early to book a last minute tour of The Eagle’s Nest. For those of you who are not history buffs, The Eagle’s Nest was Hitler’s second home in the Bavarian Alps just outside the German town of Berchtesgaden on the Austrian-German border. The compound consisted of a single story house with a concrete bunker underneath. If I had thought the Hohensalzberg heights and views were amazing, it was nothing compared to The Eagle’s Nest, which was actually on top of a mountain in the Alps!

The sheer audacity of the project was baffling as steep cliff faces rose up around the construction site in all but one direction. It was quite beautiful with mountains, valleys, trees and rivers surrounding me on all sides. Also, due to the location of the house at the peak of a mountain, it was quite solitary, calm, and relaxing. When I think of the Furher sitting up there on cool summer days just 65 years ago, I think how oddly his genocidal thoughts contrasted with the serenity and life on that mountain perch. Moreover, I think about how odd it is now that the privileged home of the once unstoppable Hitler have been converted to a bustling restaurant for the common man. Meanwhile, the rest of the compound has been laid open to the trampling feet of tourists from around the globe. It just goes to show how fleeting human life, power, and glory can be on this Earth. It is for this reason that I am all the more resolved to place my ambitions and identity in something far greater than this existence – God.

Therefore, my trip here to Salzburg has been one of the best experiences of my summer so far. In fact, the Austrian hospitality, rich culture, gorgeous scenic panoramas, luscious hills and fields, and fascinating history have all combined to make Salzburg one of my favorite cities. Not only did I learn something about another culture, another history, another city, but I learned a great deal about myself. In a world in which I was constantly confronted with the victories and ruins of the past, I could not help but think about my present and my future, my motivations and my life, my hopes and my dreams. So thank you Salzburg, thank you Austria, and thank you my family for allowing me the opportunity to better myself and to strengthen my commitment to my faith in Christ.

Review #6 - “Another Year”

Director: Mike Leigh

Run Time: 129 minutes

Cast: could not get on internet

Language: English

Setting the tone is an integral part of directing a film. From the opening credits, Director Mike Leigh does a great job of utilizing the film’s structure, title, and music to convey a methodical, somber perception of our feeble human existence. “Another Year” uses a non-descript, middle class neighborhood in England as its setting. Symbolizing all that is mundane about life, this quiet neighborhood serves as the backdrop for an in depth analysis of the difficulties of aging.

The film works towards this goal by following an English couple, Tom and Gerri, as they move about their daily lives. Gerri is an occupational therapist who deals mostly with people suffering from depression, and Tom is a geological engineer who drills holes in the ground to test the feasibility of various construction projects. Far from being either passionate lovers or disillusioned partners, Tom and Gerri are a sixties-something couple whose lukewarm yet comfortable relationship emanates banality and complacency. Never exuding too much of any emotion, Tom and Gerri’s relationship makes me feel numb and zombie like. In this way their existence comes off as morose and depressing. In and of itself the couple’s sweet relationship actually gives me hope for their happiness, but the utter lack of anything exciting and the monotonous routine of work and neurotic friendships created a somber mood among the couple, their family, and their viewers.

The concept of aging in “Another Year” is depicted as a constant struggle against the menace of time. A struggle in which time gradually robs us of our passion and identity much like a river gradually wears down the rough texture of the rocks lying on its riverbed.

One of the ways in which Director Leigh illustrates this mood is through music and the presentation of the opening credits. As the curtain opened, the subdued and meandering tune ushered forth from the screen produced in me a melancholy mood with a hint of optimism. The sound of the tune’s stringed notes amidst the emptiness of a screen devoid of any content amplified this feeling of weariness mixed with the slightest bit of hope. Then, just as the music seems to be coming to a more cheerful climax, the notes drop sharply into a much more solemn, resigned tone. This sudden change in the emotion of the music worked in perfect synchronization with the appearance of the film’s title, “Another Year.” The result was a feeling of hope being crushed. In this way, Director Leigh used the music and the title of the film to evoke in my mind images of feeble men endlessly trudging through the daily grind of life while trying to find happiness in a vain search for identity and purpose.

The methodical, droning rhythm of “Another Year” was enhanced by the structure of the film as well. The first and most obvious aspect supporting the rigid, mechanical structure of the film was the division of the picture into the four seasons of the year. As we all know, the seasons come and go with relentless regularity each year. By viewing this story through the lens of seasonal changes, we in the audience quickly realize that this is a metaphor for our lives. Though the seasons change and we all age, our life consists of mostly the same monotonous routines until we die. Then, after death, life goes on with out us.

In the movie these truths are supported by the fact that no matter the season, Tom and Gerri are always seen entertaining the same people, like Gerri’s neurotic co-worker and Mary and Tom’s washed up friend, Ken. It is implied through conversations with these friends that their presence is a regular occurrence. For instance, when explaining to Katie (Tom and Gerri’s son Joe’s girlfriend) who Mary is, Tom calls Gerri’s friend of 20 years her “special patient.”

In fact, when Ronnie’s wife (Ronnie is Tom’s brother) dies during the film, the event is really more of a formality than anything else. Ronnie’s wife is never introduced to us during the movie, and Ronnie himself is only onscreen for the scenes regarding the funeral. We never have time to love her in life nor grieve for her in death. But this is undoubtedly an intentional move by Director Mike Leigh. By not allowing us to care for her in any way, Leigh is making the point that no matter what happens to us, life goes on and we as a human race will not miss those who die. So what is the purpose or meaning of life when what we do here on Earth will never save us from death? Though some things may change, the cycle of life and death remains omnipotent. Such are the burdensome thoughts and experiences of aging.

Another way in which Leigh reinforces the feeling of time’s inexorable march, which inevitably results in death, is the constant use of agricultural imagery. Throughout the film, Tom, Gerri, and their son, Joe, are seen tending to the garden they own out in the country in every season of the year. Thus, like the seasons imagery, the agricultural cycle of tilling, planting, sowing, and harvesting in the family garden serves to regulate our sense of time.

However, though I think Director Leigh succeeded in accomplishing his goals, it was not perfect. One of the things I had a problem with was the script writing. Though most of the time I thought it was witty and insightful, there were several times during the film in which the dialogue was painstakingly wooden and unsuitable for the occasion. Other times, the timing of the actors’ jokes and facial expressions seemed off. Whether it was forcing a laugh or pausing a little to long to deliver the witty punch line, there were a few awkward moments in an otherwise great film.

All in all, however, the movie was effective in accomplishing its goals. The pace was slow, but measured. It was rhythmic and methodical just like the passage of time and the onset of old age. As I watched the movie, I felt like I was slogging through a muddy swamp in the middle of a rainstorm. The characters in the film seemed to trudge through life as if they were trudging through this mud of time and purposelessness. Thus if a movie is to be judged by the extent to which it has accomplished the goals it set for itself, “Another Year” certainly succeeded in making me question what it means to live and to grow old.

Reviewed By: Hunter Hodge