Just a heads up: this will be a picture heavy post since Vermont is just so gorgeous and my camera traveled everywhere with me, but hopefully you will find that excusable.
For the third year in a row, the Feldman family hopped on a plane to head back to what has quickly become one of our favorite vacation spots: Stowe, Vermont. Originally this trip was created as our Christmas present since I am so into the family history of the Von Trapp Family and Austria was just too far away. Little did I know at that time that I would get to visit their actual home in Salzburg just five months later. But at the time, just even getting to go to Vermont was the biggest deal ever.
The family came over to the United States after escaping the Nazi occupation of Austria during the early stages of World War One. They made their living by touring as the Trapp Family Singers. While they toured the country, they were looking for the perfect place to settle down and plant their roots. That's when they discovered Vermont, whose scenery and mountain peaks reminded them of their beloved Austria. Maria Von Trapp was once quoted saying to her husband "We can build a house and a barn, but we cannot build a view." So the family settled on the property that is still being operated as the Trapp Family Lodge. The youngest, Johannes Trapp is still alive and helps manage the property with the help of his son, Sam.
The Lodge offers a variety of things that relate back to the roots of this Austrian family such as history talks, traditional cuisine, cross country skiing, maple syrup harvesting, and many other activities. Although many family is up there primarily to go skiing, we always try to fit in a few of those activities whenever possible. Like this year, for the first time ever we attempted snowshoeing. My parents went as a date the day prior and enjoyed it a lot. So on our final day in Vermont, the four of us set out to go explore the chapel that the Von Trapps had built up on the mountain and where they would have Sunday Mass with Fr. Franz Wasner who had accompanied the family over from Austria and acted as their manager in away. (known better by by the character, Uncle Max, in the movie)
And of course some of the most gorgeous views are from the first run of the day on the slopes when the sun is still rising over the freshly fallen snow. My family has been extremely lucky the past few years as it has always snowed while we are there. The first year we received over two feet in the four days we were there. This year it was only about three or four inches but it was still so nice to wake up and look out your window and still icicles hanging from the roof and snow falling.
I am not an advanced skier but I can hold my own on the difficult runs of Stowe, though I almost always avoid the black diamonds. Not because I can ski them but rather people are always flying down without a care and it scares them that someone will hit me and cause an accident. Unlike my brother, I am the cautious skier of the family and tend to get down the mountain at my own pace. But hey, I didn't wipe out once during the trip and he can not say the same.
Every year I marvel at the view from the top of the mountain and have to be reminded that I need to actual ski to the bottom and not focus on taking pictures at the beginning of every single run. But next year we shall have to take a break from our annual trip to Stowe. But I guess you could say it is a good break because instead of spending the first week after New Years in Vermont, my mom and I will be in the real Austria, exploring the original roots of the family. I am starting my semester abroad early by going to Austria with my mom to show her some of my favorite spots from my trip after graduating high school and discovering some new favorites I am sure! And then I will get the chance to go spend time with my grandparents in London before starting my studies in Rome. I can't wait. In typical Nicole-fashion, I have already started planning and I have assembled a basic itinerary, well at least for the Austria and Prague part of our trip!
But we had an amazing time in our cabin for our last family outing until Easter, playing lots of card games, watching movies and of course Falcons football! With the craziness of my dad's company, it is usually hard to get all four of us in the same room for more than a few hours at a time so we always look forward to this trip and having very little cell reception. I miss them already!
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