Cambridge

Having nerdy friends certainly helps at times. Having a nerdy friend who teaches at Cambridge is especially helpful when you need cheap tourist options. Helloooo college accommodation. Wow, it's been a while since I've been in a university dorm, but it seems as though it doesn't matter where you are in the world, all dorms have that same, musty feel. Ahh who cares when you're only staying for one night and it's free!

Typically English, drenched in history, grand architecture, picturesque countryside - here are a few snaps of the town:

Nah, I didn't go punting. Though if anyone does, it's recommended that you have one of the many uni students give you a tour.

Newton's mathematical bridge. Cool! I was disappointed to find out that Newton had nothing to do with it and that it does have bolts. But I'll still call it Newton's bridge anyway.

The famous Kings College. Famous for.. I don't know what. All I know is that there is some sort of hierarchy and only certain people are allowed to walk on the grass!

Some bridge. I thought it was purdy.

I supposed I should visit Oxford too. Maybe.. one day. They have Harry Potter's dinner hall!

Marguerite

It was a girls' night out at theatre tonight with some preview tickets to the new musical Marguerite. We paid for the cheap seats and so we got the cheap seats in the Upper Circle and my, was it a shite view. I'm of the opinion that if you're gonna go the theatre, avoid the upper most tier where possible. Vertigo aside, it may sound snobby and I realise that some theatres are more tolerable than others but I can't enjoy what's on stage when I'm busy massaging my sore neck, while peering through binoculars. Maybe I should just do neck strengthening exercises.

Regardless, once seated we observed that the theatre was barely half full and that there were plenty of seats in the dress circle below. Lil Miss J and I decided to try our luck for new seats and so we ran all the way down the maze of stairs to the box office, charm intact.

Me & Lil Miss J: Haaaai, we and some friends are seated on the upper tier and we can see that the theatre is not full. Are we able to get better seats?

Dude in office box: Hmmm maybe. Let me see what I can do. There are few seats in the dress circle.

Me & Lil Miss J: Cool, thanks!

Dude: Do you girls have your tickets with you?

Me & Lil Miss J: Umm, no we left them upstairs *winces* I guess, one of us can run upstairs and get them?

Dude: *tap tap on the keyboard* Nah, don't worry, here are some new tickets for you.

Me & Lil Miss J: Thank you very much!

Hmmm it seems as though my wit (not utilised here) and Lil Miss J's charm can get us girls anything. This dude didn't even bother to check if we really did have tickets! I mean I could have walked off the street and gotten into the theatre for free! Might keep this trick up my sleeve for next time. Hehehehe....

Anyway about the musical. It tells the story of an older, fallen woman who is clinging onto the her younger glory days. She embarks on an affair with a younger man. It is basically a modern (relatively speaking, it's set in the 1940s) version of the opera La Traviata. Actually, that is not true because La Traviata was based on the novel The Lady of the Camellias which is the direct inspiration for Marguerite. It's all the same stuffs.

The selling point of Marguerite was that it brought to the stage by the same team responsible for Les Miserables. The mood, stage set and score were definitely comparable, though the actual musical composer had nothing to do with Les Mis. Of course this is not a criticism and I'm the last person who is licenced to make such judgements. My personal opinion is that the songs were good but nothing ground-breaking. I'm certainly not rushing out to buy the CD. There is a sense that it is trying to capture the same audience as Les Mis but falls short and ends up a poor man's substitute. The tragic, fallen woman plot does absolutely nothing for me and it's probably because I lack empathy for such self-pitying lead characters. That being said I can see how these kinds of musical will appeal to a certain audience type. It's pretty obvious I'm not that 'type'.

One thing I will applaud is leading lady Ruthie Henshall. Again, I'm not musically qualified but her voice was just one of the most purest I've heard on stage and is deserving of her West End/Broadway superstar status. I kept thinking of my year 8 music teacher description of 'honey' and thought 'Yes! That's how her voice sounds!'.

So yeah, I will emphasise that I'm not the most qualified person on the planet to give a critique about musicial score etc but Marguerite isn't a bad musical, it just didn't leave me much of an impression. I'm happy to watch anything once, but I wouldn't be running back to see it. That being said, if Ruthie Henshall is in any other production, I'd probably give it whirl.

Salzburg - Werfen Ice Caves

Before I start this post I should include one more photo in relation to yesterday's Sound of Music tour. Here it is:

Queen of Cheese!

I totally forgot this scene and it was only because of the 24/7 Sound of Music channel did I remind myself to get my ass back to Mirabell Gardens to punch the air.

Oh look a trolley bus. This is what happens when a tram and bus procreate.

Now for the musically inclined - Mozart's house. Yay. J and I went inside and decided we weren't interested enough to pay the entrance fee.

Oh look, The Sound of Music cow. Curry wurst snack to fill me up before my icy adventure. Hmmmm sausage....

Today I ditched the rent-a-parents and their little offspring, Jade and ventured alone to the Werfen ice caves. Alright, I didn't really ditch them but the tour involved some steep hill walking which just wasn't favourable. I was quite looking forward to seeing the caves. Not for any particular reason though - it's not as though I love the cold, snow or anything of the sort. I think it was just a case of 'Cool! I'm going inside a cave!'

Our guide was of all nationalities, an Aussie! Not an Austrian Aussie, but an Australian Aussie. Wtf. I was a loner on the bus but hey, that meant that I had a spare seat next to me the whole time. Though it is a bit bleah having to ask people to take photos of you. Now the thing about the weather today in Salzburg is that it was a glorious 28-29 degrees. Not really the day to be wearing my ski joggers and carrying my puffa jacket.

Once the bus brought us as close as his little wheels could take us, we climbed a short steep incline to the cable car which would transport us to.... another steep climb. My hamstrings did burn a little but it was a good "I'm doing exercise!" burn.

The view from inside the cable car. Yeah, not great with all those people in the way. The alternative to the cable car is a 90 walk up the mountain. No thanks.

Eeeep! The view to the entrance.

Seriously the view was just ... wow...

I'm here! Yes I asked a fellow loner to photograph me.

While walking up the mountain, I did wonder why were explorers coming all the way up not just any old mountain but this particular one? Oh well.

Waiting for the people in the cave to exit, so we could have our turn.

Our tourguide was a local and I dunno, maybe a bit jaded about taking tourists into the cave. He kept getting tetchy about things. Hmmm all the information guides claim that photos in the cave are not allowed but that obviously that isn't true. Our bus guide TOLD us to take photos but just do it when the cave guide has stopped the group.

Oh and these photos lie - most of the time the cave was pitch black except for the gas lanterns that were held by every 4 person. Every once in a while the guide would light up a piece of magnesium to highlight the indoors scene.

Purdy natural ice sculptures highlighted by the lit magnesium. Hmm.. ice lines, kinda like tree age lines. An ice sculpture which kinda looks likes a bear? Elephant?

The stairs which needed a-climbing.

Yes I begged a fellow tourist to photograph me with the gas lamp.

Exiting the cave was pretty kewl. The cold air indoors meeting the warm air outdoors caused a strong wind thrust which propelled us out of the cave. Kinda like a big cave spirit saying 'Get out!'.

We then treated ourselves to a snack on the mountain restaurant and enjoy the view.

The tour stopped by the castle which was used for the movie Where Eagles Dare. Too bad I'd never heard of the movie and didn't appreciate it.

Our day ended with a delayed flight *whine*. But at least I got to drink my Almdudler and Manner wafer.

Salzburg - The Sound of Music Tour

Today is a special day.... THE SOUND OF MUSIC TOUR!! Yaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!!!!!!!! The silly thing is, I'm not even a huge fan of the movie. That might sound a little bit unbelievable given that I watched the stage version in London. I mean, I enjoy the movie as much as the next person. It's a pleasant thing to have on the TV in the background and Rodgers and Hammerstein surely ticked the funky song box but ... I'll never profess to LOVING the film. I think I just like it a lot. Just 'a lot' as opposed to 'A LOT'. Not 'don't-change-the-channel' type of 'a lot' but more like 'oh-I-was-channel-surfing-and-it's-on-tv-for-the-umpteenth-time-but-I'll-leave-it-on-this-channel-for-now type of 'a lot'. I think my excitement also stemmed from the touristy photo opportunities. Hehehehehehe.

Believe it or not, our tour (which was the 'Official Tour') did not include a frolick on the mountain. Our guide said that was in Germany. But really, they could've taken us to any mountain and told me otherwise. Happy times would've been had.

Our tour also excluded a walk around the famed Mirabell Gardens where parts of Do-Re-Mi was filmed. I was a bit miffed at that. What kind of half-baked Sound of Music tour doesn't take you into those gardens? Luckily, J and I had already planned for a little self-exploration in the gardens before the tour and I could finally execute my secret agenda of recreating some of the Do-Re-Mi scenes. I should also credit the following screencaps as they're obviously not mine.

Mine and J's attempt at the scene. I curse my lefthandedness!

Soooo/Sew - a needle pulling thread!

Running through the hedge tunnel. Other people wondering wtf is up with these two asian chicks.

One of the statues they danced around. I can't even remember this scene.


Oh, I was here yesterday! See my previous blog.

After the reenactment but before the tour we had a snack (read: cake) at Cafe Tomaselli.

Our unashamedly touristy bus.

I was quite disappointed that our guide was not the female one who wore traditional Austrian clothing. Another gripe - the actual sites were not that close to each other and so to keep us entertained during the drive they had ...... nothing! There were TV screens on the bus, so they should've played the movie while transporting us!

Me and my bus!

The rear of the Von Trapp residence. Me ruining the photo just to prove to everyone that I'm there!

The boulevard where the Captain saw his kids in the trees. My bad attempt at climbing. I can't shut my mouth cos I was too excited.

The front of the Von Trapp residence. No, the bus didn't stop.

Next was the purpose-built pavilion, where the song 'Sixteen going on Seventeen' was performed.

Oh there goes the teenage couple!

The pavilion was locked. *sulk* My little pose elicited a giggle from fellow tourists. Me no care - must make the most of opportunity!

The church where Maria and the Captain were married. It was located in some other town.

Oh look, here I am waiting for the bride to arrive.

Before getting back on the bus, were given free time to do whatever we wanted. So I had an apple strudel with custard. Mmmmmm.... healthy...

We all got a little 'bonus' souvenir - a pin with a picture of Edelweiss. Cute! Supposedly they used to give the seed but it's kinda difficult to get it nowadays.

For dinner we decided to hit the Mullner Brau beergarden, which I do have to say was probably the nicest beergarden I've been to. Though I haven't seen many - I can count them all on one hand. But I could see how lurvely it would be in the height of Summer. It wasn't easy to find this place and a long walk down an empty corridor wasn't reassuring but once we reached the beergarden it was like we discovered a secret! *clap clap* It was full of locals and clued-in tourists alike, drinking stuffs and eating stuffs.

Our dinner - roast chicken (always a favourite), potato dumplings on sauerkraut, cold vegies in a vinegar pickle (not that nice, I was thinking that I could run into tummy probs) and a pretzel.

Me and the big beer barrel. Yeah.

Tomorrow, the longest ice cave (maybe) in the world!

Salzburg - Day 1

So yep, last night J, me and J's parents (my Rental Parents) left London, bound for the Austrian city of Salzburg. What is Salzburg's claim to fame? Mozart's birthplace and the filming location for The Sound of Music. *rubbing hands with glee* Embarrassing tourist photos coming your way.

We stayed at a little hotel a little out from the centre of the city, Der Salzburger Hof. Nothing significant here, except that the hotel receptionist had an uncanny resemblance to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She was so cute with her Austrian accent.

I thought it was coincidental that The Sound of Music was on one of the tv channels in our room. I now realise that this was a channel devoted to playing the movie repeatedly. Cheese to the max.

Our SOM tour was scheduled for tomorrow, opting to go to the Eagle's Nest today. This was a retreat built as a gift for our favourite dictator, Adolf Hitler. The drive was less than an hour away and just over the Austrian border into Germany. The tour revealed how picturesque the Austrian-German countryside was; J was particularly in awe of how clear the river was.

The entrance to the tunnel leading to a purpose-built brass elevator that would transport us into the actual building.

We were very lucky to have the Spring sunshine beam on us and the view from the top was pretty damn spectacular.

(L-R, T-B) Oh no Jade, don't jump! Yours truly and the Nest. Twiddle-Dee and Twiddle-Dum with the lovely backdrop. Cafe Latte on the top of a mountain anyone?

The actual building interior was nothing to write home about. A few rooms here. A fireplace there. Meh. Lunch was a small town... somewhere.

When in Austria-Germany eat as they do - sausages and sauerkraut.


Oh and when in Austria, eat a Sacher Torte. Or a Topfenstrudel mmmmm


Then walk off those calories in the sun. Pose here... and then close your eyes outside the Mozart Museum. Some golden ball sculpture in the Old Town. The fountain where Maria splashed water when she sang 'I have confidence'. More SOM touristy shots tomorrow!

From the square the Salzburg Castle was beckoning us to fulfil touristy duties......

So we made our way to the Funicular...


....for a view of the town. It's so purdy. There are heaps more photos, but I'll try not to bore you.

Dinner was at St. Peter Stiftskeller, the oldest restaurant in Austria and probably the world now that I think about it. Hmmm, kinda makes me wonder how that 300 year old Spanish Restaurant managed it's claim to the title. Probably a technicality.

I did much like the inner courtyard of the restaurant, but it was a bit chilly to sit outdoors tonight.


Our antipasto starter and my lamb shank main....mmmmmmm.

Then back to the hotel to rest up for a fun-filled, cheese-maxing day tomorrow - The Sound of Music Tour!! yay!!! *clap clap*