A word of explanation: I am having problems uploading any video on the Blog. Facebook remains good though, so I am posting video for the blog on Facebook. I'll make it so it is open to anyone. Theoretically (if we aren't friends on FB, or you don't do it) you should be able to search for me and the video will be there. Anyway, here are some pics and text about our week in the mountains. The link for the video on facebook is: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=764000642
On one of our first days in the Salzkammergut we were taken by Marisa's relatives to the Gamsjagertage ("gams hunters days"). The Gams is a small ram-like animal that is loved by hunters in the Alps. It has no North American equivalent, but is called the "chamois" in English. The hunters craw all over the steep mountains to shoot them. They use their skin for very nice leather, the meat for food, and the "beards", the long tufty growth under their muzzles, for decorations on their hats. The more accomplished the hunter, the bigger his gams beard it on his hat!
The festival we went to was in Bad Goisern, a small village at the foot of the mountains, and on the shore of a lake, like most villages in the Salzkammergut.. The musicians you hopefully can see on Facebook are called "Die Musi" in the local dialect, and each villages traditions are different. Here you hear the clappers accompany the players. It is not random. They know when to come in...
The valleys at one time were isolated for 7-8 months a year due to snow. The modern locals have kept their musical traditions and styles of dressing. The clothing you see is for special occasions, but, in walking around for a week in the area, I can tell you you see it every day.
Marisa's "cousin-in-law" Rudi, works as maker of deluxe Lederhosen. He told us that a pair of pants, for example, takes about 90 hours of stitching, and requires a 7 year wait, AND goes for about a 5,000 Euro... yikes. Everything is done by hand and each has it's own unique decorations. They are passed down from one generation to the next.
Ben and Lucas loved being able to shoot the little crossbows. They both did quite well!
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