From July 21 to August 3, 2025, long-time Lake Highlands residents Carol and Bruce Dunai were fortunate to travel with a small group and an outstanding multi-instrumentalist (MollieB.com) to five countries in Europe, with Bruce serving as her accompanist throughout the journey. The countries included in the itinerary were Italy (Milan – where the Winter Olympics are being held), Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic.

The trip began in Milan, where we visited the large five-story Galleria shopping mall and one of the largest cathedrals in Italy, the Duomo di Milano. Leonardo da Vinci is revered there.

Each evening featured Mollie B and me performing for our travel group and hotel guests. She is an excellent vocalist and also brought her piccolo trumpet. I played guitar, harmonica, and some accordion. Together, we performed a lively mix of polkas, waltzes, standards, and country songs, which everyone enjoyed.

An interesting side note: Mollie B and her husband, Ted Lange, were invited musical guests in the movie The Mule, starring and directed by Clint Eastwood.

The group then traveled to the lake region of northern Italy and onward to the tropical-feeling Lake Lugano in Switzerland, taking in the breathtaking views from a funicular to the mountaintops. We traveled via the Bernina Express train to St. Moritz, the playground of the ultra-wealthy, seeing glaciers along the way. From there, we traveled by bus to Innsbruck, Austria, enjoying the vineyards and quaint villages of northern Italy en route.

The next day, we visited Oberammergau, Germany, the site of the Passion Play, performed every decade since 1630. The entire city participates in this production, and the Bavarian setting is beautiful.

We then returned to Austria and visited the world headquarters of Swarovski Crystal, near Salzburg. Since we were there for the 60th anniversary of The Sound of Music, we enjoyed visiting all the iconic sites from the movie: Mirabell Gardens, the Hellbrunn Gazebo, Mondsee Church, and more. Having visited Salzburg years before, we dined once again at St. Peter Stiftskulinarium, the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the world, founded in 803. Mollie even had some of us participate in a playful re-enactment of the children from the movie, hanging from trees and performing the “Do-Re-Mi” song in Mirabell Gardens.

On to the Czech Republic: we visited the original Budweiser brewery in Ceske Budejovice and then traveled to Velke Bilovice for a boat cave tour. At the Czech border, we celebrated with champagne and an impromptu concert and dance along the roadside.

Back in Austria, we explored Vienna with a city tour, visited Schönbrunn Palace and Gardens, attended an evening orchestra concert, and enjoyed a meal at the Schweizerhaus restaurant, where we had dined on a previous trip.

What a memorable journey, filled with countless sights we had never seen before, and an incredible opportunity for me to accompany the remarkable Mollie B every step of the way.