europe slideshow

Paisies’ Excellent Adventure

Vienna and Budapest2011

A belated 30th anniversary trip finally got underway: Vienna for 5 nights

Hotel key, very

heavy and very

big. We left it

at the hotel

during the day!

5th floor meant we took the (tiny) elevator, but what a staircase!

Cozy, no AC, but big windows, and conveniently located!

Lots of exploring by foot

Old streets And new streets

The Belvedere (Upper)A huge art collection in what was once

a royal palace “The Kiss” from the

Gustav Klimt collection

St. Stephan’s Cathedral (Stephansdom)

The colored glass panels create rainbows inside the church.

And to think this was BADLY damaged by bombs in WWII

On to the Hofburg, winter palace of the Austrian Imperial family

There are many buildings in the “museums quarter”

One museum held just china, silver, and candelabras!

These people had wealth.Spanish Riding School is here, home of the

Lipizzaners (look at sign )

Marine acquaintances were also in Vienna at that time! They were on a Danube cruise and we arranged to meet for dinner.

Rachel & George Gibbs, Sr. We enjoyed an “original” Bud.

You, too, can speak German!

Statues abound

The Schonbrunn. The summer imperial palace. We took a self-guided audio tour

Gardens and a café stop (that would be guglhopf and coffee melange )

Our favorite Vienna tour:The Third Man (drittemanntour.at)

Someday, watch this movie. It’s an oldie: Joseph Cotten, Orson Wells

Getting around on trains and trams

Dogs & beer are ok. But no food.

Leash & muzzle expected

We took a ride to Grinzing, to the “heuriger” area (wine-garden eateries)

Very tasty, in any language!

Fun times at the “Zwolf-Apostelkeller

Part dates to the 1300s A happy man, ready to eat.

More of the “12 Apostles”

New “friends” from Germany, celebrating a birthday.

Vienna has much to offer…

For kids and adults: The Prater

The Kunsthistoriche (art history)

Time to see what Budapest is like!

We’re not in Kansas anymore

Hotel Kalvin HouseGuests ring to be let in the front door. Walk up to the reception level.

Our room deserves a look !

It was a bit noisy, but close to metro and restaurants

Out and about in BudapestLooking up at

St. Stephen’s Basilica Now we’re up, looking down

This church has a ‘special attraction’

Wow.

The Castle District & St. Matyas (Matthias)

Fisherman’s Bastion

A zither player near the Hungarian National Museum

Down from one hill and up to another

See that monument wayyyy up there?

We walked up, and up.

And up.

Half(?)way, with a nice view

St. Gerard (Gellert), a martyr The Elizabeth bridge over the Danube

A Soviet monument (there are many in Budapest) is what we saw from so far away.

There are 3 subways (so far). This is the oldest one. (“Heroes

Square” stop)

not a great pic. of Heroes Square

But the statues are very cool.

Hungarian rulers and kings

Winding our way back down Andrassy ut.

Oh look, a café! This was one recommended in Fodor’s guide book, whose advice and paths we followed quite often. While Joe enjoyed his beer, I ordered a latte and “palacsinta” which are like crepes, several stacked and spread with jam, chocolate, and fruit.

There is a rich, and sad, Jewish history here.

People were kept captive in this synagogue in WW2.

Those who died had to buried there (against Jewish law).

Courtyards connect with apts and a few shops. In WWII, this was the Jewish ghetto.

The fascist Arrow Cross party led their gov’t in the mid-1940s.

Thousands of Jews were murdered, as much as Raoul Wallenberg tried to save them all.

Cast iron shoes make a memorial to those who were shot facing the river so they would fall into the Danube.

Let’s move to a lighter topic…

Hair color, streaks, highlights… while “older” women avoid the gray

There are enclosed markets and many friendly dogs.

200 forints per kg ~ 50 cents/lb.

More interesting architectureThis is the Hungarian Parliament.

To save money, fake marble was invented. You’d never know!

The cigar holder. How short the cigar became was a gauge of how long/good the speech was.

Free evening music performances

Riding the tram around Buda on our last day

Spray paint graffiti is all over.

A final toast with our Hungarian “Two-buck Chuck”

After Budapest, we catch the train back to Vienna for

1 night.

Mozart’s requiem, performed in St. Stephen’s cathedral, is

a beautiful end to our trip.

The end.