The Sound of Mozart

The hills are alive, with the sound of music…

One of my all-time fave movies – I even took the DVD with me to Afghanistan.  And now we’re in (were in) Salzburg, Austria.

Salzburg.  You can’t say it lazily.  Has to be done with punch.  Attitude.  Like General Chang – er, I mean Captain Von Trapp says it in the movie.

But Salzburg itself is not really a Sound of Music extravaganza, even though much of the film was shot here.  Turns out, most Austrians have not seen the movie, and the Von Trapp’s didn’t make any money off of it (they had sold the rights to their story years before the film was made, for a mere $10,000).  I read somewhere that the descendants of the Von Trapp family currently run a B&B in Vermont…

What you see everywhere you turn in Salzburg is some mention or picture or image related to the brief but vivid life of their favorite son and famous composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.  And that was fine with us as well, Mozart’s Horn Concertos being some of our favorite pieces of music.  The yellow building in the photo above is the house in which Mozart was born.  Justin and I had breakfast one morning in a cafe situated in an ancient building which was the Mozart family residence for many years.  Every day (and/or night) of the year, there is a concert or opera or some sort of musical event featuring Mozart’s work.  This place is Mozart crazy.

Street musicians abounded.  The guy in the photo below was playing an amazingly beautiful rendition of Ave Maria on that little guitar thing.

The city itself truly is beautiful, particular the old sections…

I loved the horse fountain below – it is huge, with more horse murals and a huge horse-and-man statue in the center.  It had no water in it this time of year, but back in the day the nobility and others could lead or ride their horses right down the ramps into the water for drinking and washing.  Gotta love a king who cares for his horses.  Bonus that it was constructed over 300 years ago at the very base of the Monchsberg cliff which dominates the city.  Today the “horse wash” has no specific use other than being a beautiful relic of the glorious days of the local royalty and a testimony of the importance of horses in the Baroque period.

But try as I might to focus on Salzburg and the things it is famous for today (like Mozart or the castle on the hill or the wonderfully quaint old shopping area of Getriedegasse seen below, where even the McDonald’s has a lovely wrought iron sign announcing its location), everywhere we went I saw hints of that movie.

I mean, when you come across the majestic Schloss Leopoldskron (the first one below, but not open to the public), or Schloss Hellbrunn (the second one, open to the public but not in the winter) – how can you not be reminded of The Sound of Music?

The magnificent grounds of the Hellbrunn Castle are extensive and wonderful – pools, fountains, statues, forested paths and gardens.  I will have to come back here in the summer when all is green and blooming – it must be amazing then.  And my personal favorite Sound of Music sight at Hellbrunn?  The glass pavilion below.  Remember the song and dance scene  – “I am sixteen, going on seventeen…” with Liesl and Rolf?  Oh yeah.  I think it has been moved from wherever it was when the movie was made, but still beautiful with the mountains in the background.  I just love the Alps.

I’ll leave you with my duck pic below – just a couple of the many waterfowl that call Hellbrunn home.

The Autobahn

One last farewell and one last story involving our new friend Jake and his company, All Things Garmisch:  The Autobahn.

Not exactly sure how the subject came up – probably Jake and Justin were gabbing about things Justin wanted to see and do while in Germany.  Justin mentioned that he had ‘gone really fast’ with his Uncle Brian on a trip in England years ago (also in a BMW), and would love to go out on the German Autobahn, speed demon that he is…

Guess what – the Autobahn was very near and Jake was more than happy to oblige.

So, once again (for Justin) he found himself on a long stretch of road, no real speed limit, in a snazzy BMW and going way too fast.  We have proof.  See below.

I believe our top speed was actually around 230 kph, which equates to over 142.9 mph and the fastest we’ve ever been on land.  (My wonderful old 1964 Olds Dynamic 88, the first car I ever owned, would fly down the interstate.  Its speedometer pegged out at over 125 mph so I’ve never known how fast I was really going.)  Ummm, perhaps Justin and I have something in common?  Don’t tell him!

Much thanks to Jake for creating such a wonderful day for us, and with only thirty minutes prior notice.  At a very affordable rate for all the informed guidance and fun.  Justin and I both agree that Bavaria is a new favorite spot on the planet for us.

We’ll be back.

Ettal’s Chapel

Chapel?  No, another fabulous church.

Ettal is a Benedictine abbey or monastery in Alpine Bavaria near Oberammergau (not far from Garmisch and Neuschwanstein) with a gorgeous baroque church erected in the early 1700’s.  The abbey itself was founded in 1330, dissolved in 1803 (for the same reason the Wieskirsche was almost lost), and restored to the order in 1900.

Although once again Jake and All Things Garmisch got us here, Ettal was already on the list of must-see items from my Army Major brother who was stationed in the area for a time (along with Zugspitze and Neuschwanstein).

The photo above was taken standing directly under the center of the domed ceiling and chandelier of the twelve-sided church seen below – positively stunning and incredibly beautiful!

The beautiful Ettal Abbey, nestled in the little village of Ettal in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps, is close to Garmisch-Partenkirchen as well Oberammergau (famous for magnificent wood-carvers). As the abbey is still an active monastery and school, most of it is not open to the public. But it is worth stopping while you are in the area to view the exterior from an impressive approach, and to step inside the beautiful church sanctuary.

Beer lovers will find another reason to visit  – the Ettaler Klosterbiere (Ettal Brewery).  In the 16th century, Benedictine monks carefully brewed beer using locally-grown malt and hops, and clear pure water from the Bavian Alps.  Though the beer production was held by secular hands for centuries, in 1900 the brewery was returned to the Benedictine order.  Ettaler beer is quite popular and is available for purchase in the village.  According to Jake they also make a form of Schnapps, but apparently it doesn’t hold a candle to their strong beer.

Ettal Abbey was founded on 28 April 1330, Saint Vitalis of Milan’s day, by Emperor Ludwig the Bavarian in the Graswang valley, in fulfilment of an oath on his return from Italy, on a site of strategic importance on the primary trade route between Italy and Augsburg.  The legend is that Ludwig’s horse genuflected three times on the site of the original church building, where a statuette of the Virgin Mary of the Pisano School now stands, a gift from Ludwig to his new foundation. This statue soon became an object of pilgrimage, and the church is dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin.

The photo below shows the pipe organ, as well as Justin doing the same thing I did to get the first picture above.

The famous 14th century image of the Ettal Madonna with an honored place on the high altar was brought from Italy by the emperor, said to be of miraculous nature and the source of the German emperor’s claim to holy status.  You can get a glimpse of it in the photos below.

I love ye ol’ collection box shown next and wonder how old it is, but they also had a more modern one that Justin thought was hilarious – it is automated and takes credit cards.  The inscription above this box – Bruederlich teilen – translates to Brothers share.  We dropped a few coins in just to hear the satisfying thunk as they hit the heavy wood.  I did not try the other.

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The past few days I’ve been in a hotel with NO internet!  OMG, right? 🙂 More on that later but I am so far behind in posting.  Justin is back home now (I sure miss my traveling companion) and I’m nearing the end of my lovely holiday…

Many more posts to come!  One more involving the Great Jake Adventure and then Salzburg is next in the queue.  The stop following is in neither Austria or Germany – can you guess where in the world is this Warner?

Wieskirsche

Or, the Church at Wies.

This is a beautiful edifice in Bavaria and an impromptu stop on our tour following the unforgettable visit to Neuschwanstein castle.  Courtesy of Jake and All Things Garmisch.

We had left the castles back a few miles when Jake wheeled into the parking lot of the huge Wies church essentially in the middle of nowhere.  I think every old church in Germany must be gorgeous, because every one entered has been completely amazing and awe-inspiring.  This one is no exception…

The Wieskirche is considered one of the most beautiful rococo churches in southern Germany.  Its architecture reaches such a high point that works of art history frequently speak of the “spacial miracle” of the Wies.  But there is a second miracle in this church to observe – although mainly provincial artists took part, a work of the highest quality was achieved.  Pictures do not do justice.

But beautiful as it is, Wies is a pilgrimage church and that’s where the first and original miracle comes in.  The life-size wooden statue of the Scourged Saviour, seen above, had fallen into disrepair and as it didn’t seem proper to be on display, it was stored in the monastery’s attic, and then in a local farmhouse.  One summer day on 14 June in 1738, the Frau Marie Lori and her husband saw the statue weeping real human tears.  From that time forward people came from everywhere to pray to the Scourged Saviour, and many prayers were answered.  A small chapel was built for the statue, but the local monks at near-by Steingaden felt a loftier structure was warranted to handle the large crowds of pilgrims coming to pay homage to the miracle, and to lift their requests before the miracle of the weeping statue.

Many people even today make their pilgrimage to Wies, and their prayer requests, rosaries, plaques and other expressions or icons of need are left near the statue or attached to iron latticework which is on either side of the image (see the example below).  An amazing sight to see – bits of papers with pleas in many languages, ribbons, trinkets, drawings.  Many have been preserved in frames but still hang within view of the Saviour.

The church construction was completed in 1754.  In the early 1800’s because of secularization, this church was actually scheduled for auction and subsequent demolition!  Thank God that through petitions and personal sacrifice of the locals and those close to the church, those plans were changed.

Next stop?  Ettal…

Fairytale Castle

Day Two – Garmisch

There’s a fairytale castle very near here, and it looked like we were going to have to miss it.

Towards the end of Day One – Garmisch I slipped, almost fell but didn’t, yet injured a couple of my toes, one to the point where I believe it’s broken.  So, instead of making plans for Day Two – Garmisch, we decided to wait and see how the foot felt in the morning.  Took it very slowly the next day and although still sore and painful in certain positions, we decided to try for the castle.

However, when I called the bus tour company I was informed that the only tour for the day had already left.  Didn’t want to rent a car so was at a loss until I remembered a brochure we had picked up the day before in the Hotel Zugspitze lobby.

All Things Garmisch is a company offering private custom tours of the area.  Small groups, large groups, lots of advice on the best and funnest and coolest things to do, the best places to eat (drink and be merry), the best spa to visit.  All Things is headed by the upbeat, personable and very accommodating Jake, a guy from the States who has spent most of his adult life in Europe.  He has carved himself out a little slice of Bavarian heaven, and wants to share it with you.

So picture this – it’s well after 10am by now and I try calling the number on the brochure but get a machine.  I hang up and send an email to All Things Garmisch asking if there’s any way on such short notice to do a tour over to the famous Neuschwanstein castle.  Almost instantly I get a reply back from someone’s iPhone and we arranged essentially a “sure, why not – be there in thirty minutes”.  In less time than that Jake himself showed up at the hotel in a shiny white BMW, and our adventures began.

We didn’t time the trip but I’m thinking it was about a 45-minute drive from Garmisch (through Austria) to the wee town of Schwangau in Bavaria near the southern border of Germany (and Fussen), home of two awesome castles.  And what a lovely drive it was, filled with gorgeous Alpine scenery and the animated local info provided by Jake.  He graciously answered all questions and was a wealth of interesting and sometimes humorous knowledge about the area we passed through.  Justin sat in the front seat and really hit it off with Jake.

The Neuschwanstein Castle is everything it was expected to be, and much much more.  No wonder that it is the most visited site in Germany, if not Europe.  Lucky for us that on this particular Monday in March the crowds were elsewhere!  I love visiting the wonders of the world in the off season.  Jake handled our tickets and hailed a carriage for the steep ride up the hill, then went off to do his own thing while we did the schloss.

Neuschwanstein (and several other castles) was built by King Ludwig – he loved the look of ancient medieval castles and the gorgeous and romantic beauty of the Alps.  He combined these here in a fantastic castle, which is said to have been the inspiration for Walt Disney’s trademark castle.  Some called Ludwig ‘mad’ and it seems as if the rest of the royal family at the time went out of their way to have him declared insane.  He (and his psychiatrist – who would not declare him insane but the victim of a painful malady) drowned under mysterious circumstances.

King Ludwig had only occupied Neuschwanstein for about six months before his death, and so the castle was never finished.  Shortly thereafter the castle was opened up to the public, as-is/was.  This was something that appealed to me because everything in the castle is original.  No restorations or reproductions.  And it is truly gorgeous inside – opulent furnishings, intricate mosaic work, beautiful stained glass windows, huge chandeliers, numerous murals depicting scenes from many of Wagner’s operas (Ludwig was a huge fan).

Interior photography is banned completely, but we snuck one or two then bought a souvenir book which shows the best stuff.  But mercy, the steps we climbed in exploring the castle!  Hundreds and hundreds of steep spiraled stairs up level after level.  Buy the time we made it back down to the bottom of the hill my arthritic knees were screaming more than my toes. 😛

The other castle lower down the hill, Schloss Hohenschwangau (shown below), was built by King Ludwig’s father – a young Ludwig spent much of his youth here.  It is another large castle, but in the Alps it is dwarfed by the mountain peaks – you can see that this castle is in both of the pictures below.  Unfortunately we did not have time to tour this castle, rich in history though it is.

The first of the two Hohenschwangau shots was taken from down in Schwangau, which you can see below the castle in the second picture.  This second photo was taken from the Neuschwanstein balconies on its massive back wall, captured in this next pic below:

You can get one more glimpse of Hohenschwangau in the photo below – ’tis just off Justin’s right elbow.

On our way back down the hill I captured this view across the countryside below the castle, and a picturesque church.  Once heading away from Schwangau and the magical castles, we came across the same church.  And in the background you can still see Neuschwanstein in its idyllic setting amid the snowy Alps.

I believe I like real fairytale castles better than sand ones…

Stay tuned for Part Two of our Adventures with Jake, coming soon to a blog near you.

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What a clever, modern world we live in…

I live and work in Kentucky.
I’m deployed to Afghanistan.
I’m currently on R&R in Europe.
While visiting the Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany,
I had a job interview via iPhone for a position in Puerto Rico.

Technology rocks. 🙂

The Top of Germany

Zugspitze.  The majesty of God in all its glory.  The highest mountain peak in all of Germany.

Stunning.  Breath-taking.  Incredible.

Today after a short rail journey from Munich, we are in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a small but beautiful town set in a valley below some of the most gorgeous Alpine scenery imaginable.  And surprisingly, in a hotel room which is probably my favorite hotel room anywhere, ever.

The Hotel Zugspitze in Garmisch.  Not a cheap place to stay but with more amenities than I’ve ever had anywhere, even compared to much more expensive places.  The furniture is high quality but simple and Alpine in construction, and solid oak.  Free wired internet.  Justin loved the cup-at-a-time coffee machine in the room.  The bathroom was huge, light and airy, and the tile floor was heated – heavenly.  We had a third floor room with nice balcony and fantastic view of the tallest mountains in Germany.  An awesome restaurant and breakfast buffet which was included.  The hotel has a gorgeous indoor pool and hot tub also with magnificent views of the Alps, and a nice spa area of which we did not take advantage.

Church bells ringing across the valley.  Crisp, clean mountain air.  What a beautiful and wonderful place!

There are a couple of ways to get to the top of Zugspitze and none of them involve vehicles with wheels – no way to drive up.  We took the Zugspitzbahn (a combination railed/cog-wheeled train) as far as the town of Eibsee (already fairly high up from the Garmisch valley), then transferred to a cable car.  Looking at the view above, just follow the line of the cables and go straight up to the top of the mountain.  Amazing gains in height in just a few short minutes!

The views from up there are truly indescribable – the photos do not do it justice at all.  You feel as if you’re on top of the world, and very, very small.  This view over to the cross gives a good idea of the massive steep and rugged Alps, and the high elevation you really are experiencing.  The lone gold cross is mounted at the very highest spot in Germany, at somewhere over 2,960 meters.

While nice and balmy below in the valley – nearly shirt-sleeve weather – up here at the summit it was well below zero with the stiff and biting wind chill.  But we did not want to leave!  There is a restaurant up here, a gift shop of course, a bier garten (beer garden) in the summer months, a sun deck for catching the rays on top of the world and other interesting features like crosses and statues and carved stones dating back over a century.

Nearly frozen but very happy, we finally had to come down off the mountain but took a different route down.  This time a short cable car ride to the high snow-filled ‘bowl’ just below Zugspitze (I can only imagine the spectacularity of the skiing here).  Here we discovered the mountain church above, as well as another restaurant and other ski-related areas, and the train station.  The cog-wheel train comes all the way up to this level, but when the last one leaves (at 16:30 this time of year) you had better be on it.

Safely ensconced in the train, we headed back down the mountain.  And I hadn’t realized (although I knew there was a tunnel) that the first 20 – 25 minutes of the decent from the mountain would all be in a tiny tunnel barely larger than the train, descending at a very steep (and very slow) incline the whole time.  The photo below was taken just after emerging from the tunnel – the camera was held level (according to the iPhone) so it shows a bit of the steepness of the ride.

Such an engineering marvel, as these cog-wheel and rails and tunnel have been here for a loong time.  But eventually we emerged from the tunnel and continued the decent to and through Eibsee until reaching the end of the line once more at Garmisch.  The trip of a lifetime.

I’ll leave you with the stunning photo below – the summit of Zugspitze is a must-see in Bavaria.  Is it on your Bucket List?

Muenchen

Yes, we’re in the capital of Bavaria, the beautiful old (and new) city of Munich.  But it’s the old stuff that I like the best and the plaza above is my favorite spot – Marianplatz.  The famous glockenspiel is here, and all the beautiful old buildings and churches.  And also?  The open air markets!

Hundreds of vendors with delicious meats, over 400 kinds of cheese, aromatic spices, fresh fruits and vegetables, gorgeous flowers, local crafts…

I love the flower stands the best – unbelievable rainbow of colors in a place where spring hasn’t quite sprung as yet, so the trees are still bare (although in my ramblings I saw some crocus starting to bloom.  So difficult not to come away with an armload or two of something.  It was hard passing up all the craft items as well, but I am traveling with limited space (one backpack for three weeks in Europe!) so have to be very selective about what I want to carry around.

But the food – oh my!  Such an array of cheeses that who could know where to start?  I stood bewildered as to what to select, and the Frau took pity and helped me choose two different mild to medium Bavaria specialties.  Don’t know the names.  Then I walked into one little shop, drawn by the smell of sizzling brats and many other sausages and hunks of roasted wonders.  Again bewildered by the mouth-watering selection, and knowing I had already sampled a fabulous brat from a vendor at the main train station earlier, I watched as a sandwich was prepared for the young lady in line in front of me.  It looked wonderful so I indicated the same.  The stout German lady behind the counter grabbed a large and freshly baked roll, cut it quickly, then carved a slab of what resembled ham but tasted not like any ham I’ve ever had.  She slapped the slab between the roll halves, wrapped it in paper and handed it over.  Only 1.67 euro, danke.  I stopped long enough to throw a thick slice of my mild Bavarian cheese on it, then – oh my it was good!

I also bought a honey-crunch apple and some sweet white grapes.  Did I mention the baked goods?  Holy cow.  I’m a sucker for the fresh pretzels but had to pass at this point after the sandwich and all.  Enough about the food!

Walked and rode a double-decker tour bus all over the city, and here are a very few of the sights we saw…

The first photo below is Schloss (Castle) Nymphenburg, just west of the city center, and built beginning in the late 1660’s to celebrate the birth of a male heir to the throne.  But all the different street musicians, artists and vendors were more my speed.

This is just one of the multitudes of statues which grace the city, and depicts Ludwig I, Koenig von Bayern (King of Bavaria).

These final fours shots are all taken in the same area of the city – the Olympic Park (site of the 1972 games) and the BMW Welt (factory, museum, showrooms, etc) just across the street.  We spent a couple of hours in and around these attractions, and were glad to hop back on the bus to rest our weary feet and just sit and ride/sightsee afterwards.

There is so much to do and see around Munich – I’m afraid we missed many things but plan on catching a few more sights and sounds and eats on our way back through later.  Next stop?  Several dozen kilometers south (1.5 hours by rail) to the Alps!

Crash Central

This facility is located just off the runway here, and the monstrous crash trucks are ready to head out if there is ever an emergency need anywhere along the flightline.

The ‘building’ is a huge tent called a clamshell due to its shape – you can get an idea of scale by checking out the soldiers on the lower right.

Just another site to see in Shindand…

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By the time this post hits the ‘net I will have left Shindand, and Kandahar, and probably Dubai, and be out and about outside of Afghanistan in R&R status!  Not heading to the States this time though – Justin and I will be meeting in Europe for a totally brill holiday.  Stay tuned for more tales from afar…

MiG Graveyard

Never saw such sights as these at Bagram.  No, the MiG Graveyard seems to be peculiar only to Shindand, and what an interesting and scenic peculiarity it is…

I know next to nothing about the hows and whys of these old Russian MiGs piled up in this corner of Afghanistan, and even less of the details about the relics pictured here.  Speculation abounds.  Of course the Russians helped build up and occupy this base a couple of decades ago.  I know that the views here at the graveyard have changed greatly in just the past year or so – it is slowly getting cleaned up.  I’ve seen pictures of soldiers with wrenches straddling the silent war birds and working on removing salvageable or interesting parts.  I’ve seen heavy equipment towing the rumpled hulk of a helo body out of the pile.

Were these planes damaged while parked on the flightline decades ago, strafed by their enemies before they could scramble up and away?  Did they limp home to Shindand after being bullet-riddled and injured during a sortie?  Did mechanical issues keep them grounded when the Russians bailed out?  Probably some of all of the above…

At least they are not completely useless, as the next picture below shows an old bird being utilized as a bird sanctuary – I count at least five pigeons on this one. 

      

There are other things in this bone yard as well – truck bodies, shells of tankers, tank tracks minus the tank, old-c-wire and many other miscellaneous metal scraps.  Of course, it is not safe to really poke around in here without expert guidance (all of my pics came from around the edges).  All sorts of sharp and jagged metal edges, lots of hiding places for snakes and other critters, the possibility of unexploded ordnance, and so forth.

      

Oh the tales they could tell…

Requiem de Altimus

18 June 2009 – 14 February 2011

2006 Nissan Altima, “Nissy”

You were a Good Car – Be Parted Out in Peace

A moment of silence, please…

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This was my car.

On the morning of Valentine’s Day my son was involved in a four-car pile-up on I-71 while heading in to UofL.  Justin escaped injury, for which I greatly thank the Lord!

Nissy however, did not.  She lingered for over two weeks in an automotive coma at Hall’s Collusion while waiting for attention from the insurance company doctors.  Nissy wavered on the brink.  Totaled?  Repairable?  The experts could not agree.  Finally, a decision was made.  There was no longer any hope.  Sadly, we had to let her go…

Any idea how scary, how frustrating, how helpless you can feel when you’re stuck on the other side of the planet from loved ones in crisis?  I just wanted to be home. 

Then trying to deal with local and main office insurance companies, appraisers and adjusters secondhand and over the phone coordinating time zone differences – we are currently plus 10.5 hous from the central time zone (where my local insurance office is) and plus 9.5 hours from the eastern time zone (where the wreck occurred).  It took over two weeks for the insurance company to declare Nissy as totaled.  And we’re still trying to get the settlement worked out and the paperwork processed.  No end in sight.

In the meantime?  Rental car.  And remember, Justin is only 20.6 years old.  Car rental places will not rent a car to someone less than 21.0 years old (some even have a minimum age of 25.)  So my dear mother, who with my son has had to deal with all this crapola in my place, had to rent a car for herself and let my son drive her car in the interim.  Will the insurance company reimburse this?  Still open for debate.

And the latest poisoned dart in this exercise of aggravation and bureaucracy?  Attempting to purchase a new (used) car in the United States from Afghanistan.  My son and mother went to test drive a possible candidate at the local CarMax lot yesterday morning (the Altima was obtained from and financed through CarMax as well).  Mom had one of my checks for the down payment and her fully and legally executed everything-but-real-estate Power of Attorney in hand.  She is ready to hand the guy the down payment when he discovers that neither CarMax nor any other lender will accept a POA for the purchase of a car. 

And yet, CarMax (and every bank in the country) is more than happy to accept monthly checks signed by my mother, POA for me.  “Thank you for your service to our country.  Now go away.”

And so, the reason and purpose for a POA is, exactly?  You’ll have to tell me.  Because I know for a fact that some low-life ex-con can sign my checks and the banks and other vendors will merrily cash them.  But that’s another story.

So, we are exploring other options…

But as to the Altima, she was a great car that never gave us a lick of trouble and most importantly, she handled the crash is such a way as to keep her inhabitants from harm.  The air bag deployed as required.  The impact was apparently confined to the ‘dog house’ and engine compartment.  There was no window glass broken or shattered, and all of the doors still opened freely without jamming.  The only indication of interior damage was found later, when Justin went back to retrieve the rest of our personal items from the car.  They rigged up a power source so Justin could eject his CDs from the dash stereo.  But although the CD player noisily tried to eject the disks, all six of them remained jammed inside.

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Req·ui·em [rek-wee-uhm] –noun

– a mass celebrated for the repose of the souls of the dead; any musical service, hymn, or dirge for the repose of the dead.

I tried to attach an appropriate requiem audio clip by Mozart to enhance the reading of this post, to no avail.  Between file types acceptable and file sizes in general, this frazzled engineer couldn’t figure it out.