On Friday morning we did the Sound of Music Tour. Kristina and Kim were dressed up in their authentic dirndls from Kristina's family. We were able to see a lot. It was nice to be able to bus all around Salzburg and learn about the locations they chose for the film. From there we took a train to Villach, where Alois, Kristina's Grandfather's cousin's son.......... picked us up. He drove us to the Fertala Gasthof. The Fertalas live in a tiny town called Agoritschach. We were greeted with beer and a side room to catch the end of the USA v. Slovenia game. We got there right before they tied it up. Then for dinner we ate an amazing meal in their main dining hall. We stayed in the apartment section of the Gasthof that night. The next morning Alois guided us on a beautiful hike up the alm to their cabin which is nearly on top, close by where the three countries of Italy, Austria, and Slovenia meet. Nearly to the cabin, we stopped by a place to have shots of shnapps, a tradition. We spent the rest of the day and night there enjoying our time with conversation and cards. It was a tiny little hut with a wood stove, a cold cellar below, only candle light, and an outhouse. The next day was the local beer festival! This truly topped off the whole experience. We had already been spoiled by the Fertala family enough, then this brought us more of their culture. It was held in a tent in the neighboring town Seltschach. It started with a tradition where the local young men rode horses and attempted to knock down a wooden bucket nailed to a tall wooden pole. It took them several rounds, when the final blow knocked off the last piece giving us our winner. He is celebrated throughout the rest of the night. The celebration included live cultural music with lots of dancing. We were even able to dance the Polka with the locals. Kristina's cousins taught us. It was a long, fun night of dancing and celebrating. Experiencing the culture of these tiny towns was a blast!
The Fertala Gasthof:
The horse competition:
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