Early Spring in Central Europe -- Budapest, Vienna, Bratislava, and Prague

BUDAPEST

After lunch at a ski resort in Slovakia, our next stop was the beautiful city of Budapest. Our city tour covered both Buda and Pest. It included the main square, cathedrals, and the Royal Palace. We heard some musical pieces on the organ at Matthias Church at the palace and enjoyed the panoramic views of the city from the Fisherman's Bastion.

In the afternoon, we went to the Parliament and then on to St. Stephen's Cathedral. The red star was installed above the Parliament building by the communists instead of the Hungarian flag. It was removed after the communists left and is in a place of honor in the basement of the building.

That night we had a lovely dinner cruise and were able to see all of Budapest lit up. It really is a magical sight.

VIENNA

When we arrived in Vienna, we were treated to a panoramic city tour of all the main sights. Vienna is another of the beautiful cities in Central Europe. In the afternoon we went to Schonbrunn Palace, the monument to Empress Maria Theresa. Only exterior photos of the palace are permitted. Our hotel entrance was down a narrow alley that was decorated with umbrellas. Very festive.

BRATISLAVA

One of the best excursions of this tour was the half-day in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. It is a charming city of pedestrian streets, courtyards, and some really interesting art. Will and I spent some quality time at a cafe partaking of world-class people watching. We would definitely like to go back to spend a full day some time. It is an easy trip from Vienna.

BACK IN VIENNA

After our visit to Bratislava, Will and I went back to central Vienna to take a tour of the Vienna Opera House. We had really enjoyed our tour of La Fenice in Venice. While the Vienna Opera House did not disappoint, we agreed that it did not hold a candle to La Fenice.

PRAGUE

What a beautiful city! Will and I broke away from our tour and enjoyed a city tour on our own. We were very proud of ourselves for taking the tram from our hotel to the Old Town Square. From there, we had a small bus drive around some of the main sights in the city and then gave us some time at the Prague Castle where we saw the changing of the guard and enjoyed a panoramic view of the city. We then went to the Old Town Square for lunch (goulash for me) at a cafe. More excellent people watching on a beautiful day. We saw the requisite astrological clock and I was able to snap a quick picture of the "Dancing House" in New Town Prague. It is meant to depict Fred and Ginger. I loved it. Evidently, most Czech people do not.

Our final day, we took another city tour in a 1938 Alfa Romeo and went by more Prague landmarks. The streets are so narrow that it is impossible to go many places other than in a car or on foot. We visited the grounds of St. Vitus Cathedral, dating from the 11th century. The adjoining cemetery was very interesting with many famous people buried there, including Karel Zich who was known as the Czech Elvis. One the church grounds is a sculpture. Legend says that if you embrace it, it will cure all your ills. Will gave it a shot but the jury is still out on the veracity of the legend. We saw the smallest road in the world (40 cm) and some amusing sculptures of two men peeing near the Franz Kafka museum. There is a lovely area with canals that also gives a beautiful view of the Charles Bridge.

Our last activity was a boat ride on the Vltava River. I particularly love the huge metronome overlooking the river. It was erected on the sight of a huge statue of Stalin that was demolished in 1962. Now, it is meant to count the seconds since the communist rule of the Czech Republic. When we visited, it was flying a huge Ukrainian flag.

Will took another great picture of the bridges over the Vltava.

We are using our multi-city tours to determine places to go back to for a deeper dive. From this one, we add Krakow, Vienna, Bratislava, and Prague to the list.