Budapest, Vienna and Prague

The next day we walked to the train station in Zagreb and bought tickets to Budapest.  After a six hour train ride with 22 stops we arrived in Budapest just in time for Friday afternoon rush hour.  Our hotel was just a few blocks down from the main train station so we decided to walk.  A very nice lady we had met on the train set us off in the right direction so we formed a line and rolled our suitcases down the busy sidewalk, dodging commuters who were puffing their cigarettes as they charged around us.  Chaos!  

We reached the final intersection before our hotel and discovered that we had to go into an underground metro station in order to cross under the intersection.  There was no choice but to pick up our suitcases and maneuver our way down the stairs.  Things quickly became confusing because there were a number of exits radiating from the central section.  More chaos! It was a very disturbing place.  There were people with all their meagre belongings camped out in corners of this filthy cavity and there were beggars sitting at every exit. We had been warned about organized gangs of pickpockets and all sorts of unsavoury possibilities.  So of course while we were in this nasty underground hole we imagined all sorts of evil lurking everywhere.  We managed to figure out which exit lead to fresh air and to our hotel.   What a relief.

The hotel was not very well marked but we did manage to find the locked glass door with a security person on guard who let us in.  We checked in, settled into our rooms and walked a short distance to a recommended restaurant for our introduction to Hungarian cuisine.  As we were leaving the restaurant we bumped into a group of Canadians waiting to go in.  It turned out that one of the men is the brother to a school principal in Whitehorse who of course Jean knew.  Small world!

Our two days and three night in Budapest were spent on and off the Hop On Hop Off buses, a day time river cruise and a night time cruise, walking and walking some more, and lots of shopping.  The street food vendors were very tempting but when we saw the pools of fat the sausages were frying in we moved on.  It was nice to see a marathon taking place on Sunday morning - I suspect the participants don't eat the street food.  There is so much to see and do, and so much that we missed.  It is just impossible to do justice to this city in such a short time.  I feel though that I got a very good sense of the architectural beauty of this city.  There are some amazing examples of Art Deco design.

A friend recommended seeing the city at night and that proved to be excellent advice.  Besides the night time river cruise we spent an evening walking the busy shopping pedestrian area and enjoying the variety of shops.  

We also witnessed a dark and desperate side to the city.  Just a few streets away from the glamour of "the jewel of the Danube' many homeless people have built makeshift beds in the alcoves and doorways of abandoned buildings.   The metro stations are not the only place to see the economically challenged. 

Monday morning found us once again in rush hour traffic dragging our luggage back to the train station.  This time we were familiar enough with the area that we took a detour around a couple of blocks to avoid the sad state that is the subway.   

We left the hotel feeling a bit miffed.  Their credit card machine was not working so we had to come with cash to settle our bill.  This is becoming more and more common it seems.  Is it a way to beat the taxman?  I think so!  My review of the hotel on Booking.com was scathing, there were a couple of other things that were just not right so I let them have it!  

Generally we found the Hungarian people that we met in Budapest to be less than friendly and not at all service oriented.  I don't want to generalize for the whole population but it was my impression.  Another example - on the way to the train station we stopped in at Macdonald's (I know, I know but one of our group insisted and it was the only place we could find breakfast).  We made our purchases and sat at a table, a woman came by and cleared our trays with our receipts on them.  A few minutes later I went downstairs to use the toilet and was not allowed to enter until I produced a receipt.  I tried to explain that my receipt was taken away but there was no way that the bathroom attendant would let me use the toilet without a receipt.  No flexibility at all - just rules!

Good-bye Budapest!

Our next train journey took us to beautiful, amazing Vienna!   An expensive cab ride later we arrived at the lovely Carlton Opera Hotel, an Art Deco hotel from the 1920's.  Don't let the name Carlton fool you - this was not a high end swanky hotel but it was extremely well located, the rooms were clean and comfortable and breakfast was excellent!  What more could you ask for?  

The first place we headed for was the Vienna Opera House.  This was not my first choice but a couple of the others were very interested in taking in a performance.  There were a number of people in front of the Opera House dressed in period clothing who were selling (scalping) tickets for that evening's sold out performance of Toscana.  It was a stressful time trying to sort through the rush of sellers and figure out who had tickets at a somewhat reasonable price.  I felt very uncomfortable especially when I read a warning sign that said to not buy tickets from street sellers.  Jean and I chose to not buy tickets and spent a quiet evening back at the hotel.  The group that went enjoyed the performance and felt the extortionate prices they paid were worth it.  

Vienna Opera House

My priorities for Vienna were realized over the next couple of days.  Once again we bought passes for the Hop On Hop Off Bus.  After a bit of planning Jean and I headed to the Schoenbrunn Castle and walked around the beautiful gardens and grounds.   We found a nice little cafe on the grounds where we enjoyed a delicious lunch before hopping on the bus again.  

Our next stop was the Belvedere Palace to see the amazing art housed there, in particular the Klimt exhibit.  I was overwhelmed by the many works in the collection but I have to say my eyes filled with tears when I stood in front of "The Kiss".  It actually shines as though it is illuminated.  There's another check on my bucket list!  We could not photograph the original but there is a true size copy in the lobby that I had to stand beside.  

We had arranged to meet the rest of group for dinner at the pink rabbit at 5:30.  Jean and I were early so we took a walk around the area and found a quiet little bar where I introduced my sister to Prosecco.   I was a bit disappointed because the sparkle was missing from our wine but we drank it anyway and didn't say anything until we were paying.  The bartender insisted that he open another bottle and serve us each a fresh glass!  That is customer service!  

The next day Jean took some excess clothes to Mail Boxes Etc to send home because she was feeling over loaded.  To her shock and dismay they wanted 359 euros to send a relatively small box to Canada.  

She and I took the package back to the hotel and were pleased to see that Naschmarkt - Vienna's largest street market just a block from our hotel, was open for the day.  Not only was there a fine selection of foods from around the world there were vendors selling many marvellous things.  We picked up a few souvenirs and I bought a beautiful coat from Italy that saw me through the cooler weather to come.  

Back to the hotel with our treasures before heading to the Sachre Hotel to satisfy another of my bucket list items.  We were shown to our seats in the resplendent Cafe Sachre and enjoyed fabulous coffee and even more fabulous desserts.  Jean resisted the chocolate decadence of the torte and opted for apple strudel.  I was very happy indulging in the rich deliciousness of the famous cake named for the magnificent hotel in which the coffee shop is located.  

With happy tummies we headed off to walk the busy pedestrian shopping area on our way to the Cathedral.  Rain threatened as we walked past an interesting mix of modern stores and small exclusive shops tucked away on narrow laneways leading off of the main street.  The Cathedral spectacular but very busy with tourists as well as worshipers there for the noon mass so we didn't linger.  We eventually found our way down a very narrow street to a tiny restaurant for a bowl of soup to warm our chilled bodies.  I enjoyed a bowl of garlic cream soup.  Wow!  Delicious!  I must try to recreate this soup.

Inside the Vienna Cathedral

We had some time before meeting up with the rest of our group at the pink rabbit and it was raining so we decided to hop on a bus and take a round trip tour to get see more of Vienna.  It was a great idea for we saw parts of the city that we would never have seen plus it made me realize that I must return someday with Robert and spend some quality time enjoying this magnificent place.

Leaving the next morning was interesting - we had decided to go to our next destination by bus and to take the subway to the bus station.  I won't go into all the gory details.  Let's just say we managed to make it there with just enough time to buy tickets and board the bus before heading to Prague!

If you are keeping track - that's planes, boats, trains and now the bus!  

Actually the bus ride from Vienna to Prague was great.  We saw the wine growing regions of both countries and quaint villages along the way.  I was very impressed by how clean and orderly the Czech Republic countryside is.  The farm fields were well tended and it looked like large crops of either turnips or sugar beats were still in the ground. There was lots of road works going on which did hold us up a bit and we arrived 45 minutes late so our hotel shuttle had left without us.  They finally returned and took us to Hotel William, yet another well located hotel!  It's like I knew what I was doing when I booked these hotels.  This one was a few centuries old so there were some interesting quirks.  For instance the elevator stopped on the landings between floors.  So you had to carry your luggage up a flight of stairs from the street and then up to the first landing and then either up or down to your floor depending on your choice.  This is how you stay fit when you travel.  

We were just a few blocks from the old town and the Charles Bridge so of course as soon as we could we headed down the cobble stone street to see the sights.  Prague is an magical medieval place with so many towers and spires.  There is sense of excitement - almost carnival like.  I think it comes from the store windows filled with sparkling garnet jewelry and bohemian crystal.  Some shops actually hurt your eyes to look at as there is so much glitter!  The streets are absolutely thronging with people day and night.  There were probably more people on the bridge that night than in my little city of Vernon!  

Statue Charles IV

On the streets of Prague you can have a Tai massage, you can have your feet cleared of callouses by fish, you can buy handmade puppets, there are a multitude of souvenir shops, restaurants abound, ice cream shops are on every street, and there is beer available everywhere!  The Czech Republic is famous for its beer.  I only had a couple with meals and I must say they were very good.  It seems to help with the digestion of the enormous portions of meat that is served along with the ever present dumplings.  Not a vegetable in sight!  We relied on the breakfast buffet for our fruit and veg because the rest of the day was strictly meat!

A car for touring Prague

We took the street car up to the castle the next day - once again throngs of people!  Personally, I was starting to feel overwhelmed by the crowds and only stayed long enough to see yet another cathedral and to catch a glimpse of the gardens before heading back to the old town with Jean.  We wandered into an antique store and found a selection of beautiful little Christmas trees that were made in the early 1900's from Bohemian crystals.  They ranged in size from about 4 cm to about 18 cm.  Jean was really taken by these and purchased a few as gifts for herself and family.  I bought a small one that can be worn as a brooch - it is so sparkly! 

Magnificent windows in the Prague Cathedral

Our next stop was a little restaurant that advertised wild boar as a lunch special.  We shared an order and were very glad that we did, it was delicious and more than enough for the two of us.  Once again we entered the busy streets and walked towards the bridge to see it in the day light.  It was a wee bit less busy with tourists but heavily lined with vendors and buskers.  We later met up with the rest of our group in a square by the Town Hall Clock.  The clock draws huge crowds because when it strikes the hour there is a procession of the 12 Apostles.  It is a sight to see!  

In an adjoining square there was also a light display on the wall of one of the buildings for about 5 minutes every hour after dark.  We watched the light show before braving the crowds as we searched for a suitable spot for dinner all the while checking out the many shops.

My cousin Alison left early the next morning to return to her home in Iowa.  Then we were Five.  

The next day Jean needed some solo shopping time so I agreed to meet her back at the hotel at 3:00 and went off with the rest of the group by tram to the new town.  Once again we were saved by a kind person - a expat American came to our rescue before we travelled too far in the wrong direction.  Back on the right track we found ourselves in a modern shopping district with all the usual stores.  Vivian was searching for the perfect purse to go with the shoes she bought in Zagreb so we hit every store that had purses in the windows!  Finally, I was free to find my way back to the hotel to meet up with Jean.  My path took me through new town and into the maze of streets of old town on the way to the bridge that would take me to the hotel.  I had the general direction correct but once in the crowds and the narrow streets I wasn't so sure if I was on the right track.  It turns out I was only a couple of streets off course, thankfully I found a young person who spoke enough English to set me straight.

  

I was about 20 minutes late which I thought was pretty good considering I had to literally push my way through and mobs of people out enjoying the Saturday afternoon sun on the Charles Bridge!  We did not venture too far for dinner that evening, there was a little Spanish place tucked away down an alley a block from the hotel that turned out to be just perfect!

On onward journey was a real treat.  I arranged for a shuttle to pick us up at the hotel in the morning to drive us to Cesky Krumlov.  Cesky Krumlov is a city in the South Bohemia region of the Czech Republic. It’s bisected by the Vltava River, and dominated by its 13th-century castle. The castle has Gothic, Renaissance and baroque elements, an 11-hectare garden and an original 17th-century baroque theater. There are panoramic views of the old town and the river from the top of its round belltower.  It is an Unesco World Heritage village and came highly recommended by my friends who had been there.  It is truly lovely.

 

I had looked into taking a day trip from Prague but it was a 10 hour outing and since we only had two days in Prague I decided against it.  So when I found this shuttle service I was thrilled because not only where we driven to Cesky Krumlov we were given the option of spending 4 hours there before continuing on our way to Salzburg in Austria.  The whole excursion cost the same as the day trip from Prague, we didn't have to wrangle our ever increasing luggage and we were dropped right at our hotel in Salzburg!