Sound of Music movie!

October 8, 2018 / Ed Armstrong

Elizabeth, Charlene, and I loved seeing the actual gazebo that was used to film the Sound of Music!

The scene where Maria and the kids fell out of the canoe was filled here! What a beautiful area!

We were delighted to take the train from Munich, Germany to Salzburg, Austria and go on a tour with the Sound of Music movie was filmed.

This gorgeous site is where the bicycle ride was filmed!

The Nonnberg Convent on the hill was great to see in person!

It was amazing to remember a movie that had such a big impact on me growing up and see so many locations where it was filmed. Truly amazing! The famous gazebo was a key setting in the movie! The Nonnberg Convent on the hill was great to see from a distance. The mansion next to the water scene where everyone fell into the lake was beautiful! I also loved seeing the road with the trees where Maria’s bicycle ride was filmed. The Mondsee Basilica was where the wedding scene was filmed. However, I think the Mirabell Gardens and the Pegasus Fountain was my favorite. This was where the dance scene with Maria and the children singing the “Do Re Mi.”

The wedding scene was filmed in this church.

Germany-55

Germany-54

Germany-57

Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site

October 8, 2018October 8, 2018 / Ed Armstrong

This is the main gate for the Dachau Concentration Camp. The interrogations occurred inside this building.

Prisoners were kept inside the fence.

These beds were rebuilt for the memorial site, but obviously it was very cramped and crowded for the prisoners.

A very sobering day trip was to visit the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site. I was impressed that it was accurate and honest stating what happened there. At the same time, it was very respectful to the people that died there. As we walked through the exhibits I saw groups of high school students meeting to discuss what happened in order for it to never happen again. It was sobering to see the fence around the concentration camp, the building where people were questioned, the tight quarters where people were housed, the gas chamber, and the crematorium. The memorial site was sobering, but respectful. I am glad I visited it to more clearly understand what occurred there.

It was sobering and shocking for me to stand inside the gas chamber! It was sad that people died right in this room.

The crematorium site was quite sobering to view.

German Castles!

October 8, 2018 / Ed Armstrong

The Neuschwanstein Castle is gorgeous!

The Neuschwanstein Castle is very impressive! It famously inspired Walt Disney when he planned Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty castle.

Linderhof Castle was beautiful inside and outside!

We also really enjoyed visiting Linderhof Castle. This is where King Ludwig II of Bavaria lived and the only castle that he lived long enough to see completed. It was spectacular inside and out!

The king slept here each night!

Munich, Germany!

October 8, 2018 / Ed Armstrong

We loved the German beer and cocktails!

This is a sculpture of Luke in one of the beautiful churches. We want to show this photo to our grandson Luke!

Charlene and I had a wonderful trip to Munich, Germany to visit Elizabeth and Dennis. Munich is a beautiful city with tremendous history. We absolutely loved visiting the area!

This is the central square in Munich! The statue of Mary is in the front (Mary’s column) with the glockenspiel in the background.

It was especially fun to taste German beer and enjoy German pretzels. We enjoyed learning about the beers made in Munich as the community was preparing for Octoberfest.

I especially enjoyed visiting the center of Munich and seeing the famous glockenspiel. Each day at noon the glockenspiel plays music and the two platforms rotate with their colorful figurines.

I love this photo of Elizabeth and me in front of the glockenspiel!

One of my favorite photos is the picture of me and Elizabeth in front of the glockenspiel.

Germany-27

The food was wonderful, and it was an unexpected surprise to eat pork knuckle and the sauerkraut made in Germany. Both were fantastic!

Here is pork knuckle and it tastes wonderful!

This sign shows the logos of beers that I made in Munich. They are great!

We went to BMW World and learned they have Rolls Royce cars too. We were allowed to have a photo taken in front of a car that cost $1,000,000. However, it was no surprise that we were not allowed to sit in the car or touch it!

I could look at, but not touch, this amazing car!

The walking man sculpture is one of Dennis’ favorite sculptures in Munich.

The famous Walking Man!

The parks in Munich are very beautiful!

An unexpected surprise was to discover that there is surfing in Munich! There is a river that has rapids where people can surf by going against the flow of the river. It was very fun to watch people take turns trying to surf the river!

Surfing on the river!!

It was very interesting to see a sculpture that spelled Love when viewed from one side. However, the same sculpture spelled Hate when viewed from the other side.

Love on one side of the sculpture

And hate is spelled when looking at the same sculpture from the opposite side

We visited a Munich museum and were surprised to be able to see a beautiful painting by Claude Monet and another famous painting by Vincent Van Gogh. Munich has something for everyone to enjoy!

Beautiful painting by Claude Monet!

Famous painting of sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh!

West Memphis, Arkansas!

June 14, 2018June 14, 2018 / Ed Armstrong

I loved this RV park located right along the Mississippi River!

The RVs can park quite close to the water and benches are available to watch the boats and barges go up and down the river!

Today was a big driving day! I got up early, hooked up the Jeep to the motorhome and headed south from Louisville. I drove through Bowling Green, Kentucky and then entered Tennessee. When I went through Nashville at the end of rush hour so the freeways were a little wild. I kept going southwest and went through Memphis and crossed the Mississippi River. I found a RV park just inside Arkansas that was right on the Mississippi River.

It was very peaceful to spend time on the benches. One couple brought a guitar and played songs while watching the river.

I think it must flood periodically in this RV park because it is flat and right next to the river. There was a laundry room built as two stories and the washers and dryers were on the second floor. A sign on the outside should the water level with the flood in May 2011.

Believe it or not, but this is the laundry room!! The washers and driers are placed on the second floor to protect them from flooding! It was shocking to see how high the water was with the flood in May 2011!!

I rode my bike all around the RV park and then discovered there was trail on the top of the levee. I had a wonderful time riding along the top of the levee for several miles. The humidity must have been close to 100% because it was so humid! My t-shirt was completely soaked in no time!

I had a wonderful time riding my bike along the top of the levee! I tremendous amount of work must have gone into making this huge levee for miles and miles! It was wonderful to pedal and pedal and take in the countryside! I love riding my bike!

Maker’s Mark and the Bourbon Heritage Center!

June 14, 2018 / Ed Armstrong

I liked all the products in the gift shop that had the characteristic red dipping as they do with their Maker’s Mark whiskey bottles.

Maker’s Mark has a wonderful variety of famous products!

Very famous whiskey!

For my last visit to distilleries I drove to Maker’s Mark and then to the Bourbon Heritage Center and Heaven Hill distillery. Maker’s Mark had beautiful grounds and an excellent gift shop.

20180612_120327

20180612_120611

Their characteristic dipping of the whiskey bottle top with red was available on my items. I thought the shot glass was nice and purchased one.

I bought this shot glass! It is shaped like the upside down top of their whiskey bottles.

20180612_113742

The Bourbon Heritage Center was interesting. It provided background about how bourbon was developed in Kentucky.

This sign in the Heritage Center made me laugh!

I almost bought this t-shirt in the Heritage Center gift shop.

I liked this t-shirt! It seemed like it applied to me!

Louisville Slugger and Evan Williams

June 14, 2018 / Ed Armstrong

I loved seeing all the baseball bats! This bat outside was HUGE!!

In the midst of a big rainstorm, I drove to the Louisville Slugger baseball factory! I am not a huge baseball fan, but it was fun to see such a famous and favorite American item. Many, many famous baseball players have used Louisville Slugger baseball bats. All kinds of bats were available for purchase. I discovered a special treat that they would make bats with specific inscriptions. I bought each of my grandsons a small baseball bat with their names and birthdates!

Evan Williams had very high quality whiskey!

After buying the baseball bats, I walked down to the Evan Williams distillery store. I was able to join two other people in having a taste test of various Evan Williams products. I especially like tasting whiskeys that are not commonly available. I especially liked the Single Barrel vintage flavor of the Evan Williams, so I bought a bottle.

This was not the most expensive Evan Williams whiskey I tasted, but I thought it was the best flavor!