Last winter, when we signed up for Germany/Austria, the tour itinerary listed an optional “Yodeling and Tyrolean Slap Dance” event. Never having sharpened our taste for yodeling and certainly not knowing much about the Tyroleans, we did not sign up. Once we arrived in the country though, we were immersed into the Teutonic sensibility of Austria and figured, “why not.”
On the appointed evening, we finished supper overlooking Innsbruck’s Olympic Ski Jump and our tour driver Walter picked us up in the big Gate1 Tour bus. We were transported through the quiet evening streets the across the River “Inn” to a small venue overwhelmed by a couple dozen other tour buses from all across Europe.
Once inside, we were met by ladies wearing what I understood to be dirndl outfits and men in leather lederhosen. With Fanta Orange drink in hand, we were treated to considerable thigh and butt slapping, some serious leaping and jumping, yodeling maidens, guys with chicken feathers in their hats, harps, trombones, accordions, alpen-horns and the most soul-satisfying yelp that ever there was. “Yah-hooie!!!” was used to punctuate the beginning and end of a yodel or slap dance, and for about every “yah-hooie” uttered, I found myself answering in kind. Marcy is usually not one for such yelping foolishness, but in this case, she was well into the spirit of the event.
I wanted to record parts of the show for the folks back home, but alas, a sign cautioned “no video or pictures.” I complied, but I did find a recording on YouTube of almost the very same show we attended complete with the yelps and yodeling. I hope you can appreciate it, but it is probably another one of those, “you really had to be there” moments.
The evening ended with the cast singing songs of many of the countries of the world. Being good Austrians, they left nothing to chance and we found ourselves listening to songs of more countries than I knew there were. When they started the chosen song of our country, we were asked to stand and sing along. For the States, they chose “The Stars and Stripes Forever” (Does that even have words?) The Americans just sat there. Meanwhile, the Spaniards were all in with the songs of every Latin country on the planet. When “Y Viva España” cranked up, the place erupted in wild exuberance. A good time was had by all, but I have decided that the Spanish have more fun. Yah-Hooie!!
The video below goes for over an hour, but hey, this is far better than watching the evening news and getting depressed. Go ahead click, you know you want to…
