Venice, Italy

Farewelled Budapest and after a wasted 3/4 of a day travelling we arrived in Venice.  We had a water taxi from the airport to our hotel and as it was a beautiful sunny day we enjoyed the ride.

We arrived at our 'hotel' to discover that it is a historic house which has been converted to a B&B style establishment.  Not what we were expecting but as we were happy to experience Venice we entered with an open mind.  The open mind quickly disappeared when we discovered we had a rather small room at the back of the hotel overlooking multiple clotheslines and 2 very small and narrow single beds and a fridge that didn't work.   This style of place did present us with some problems as there were no staff around and no lobby etc to hang around after we had to check out.

The next morning we were further disappointed to find that breakfast consisted of stale bread and croissants.  The day was very wet but as we only had 2 days we decided to brave the weather and ventured off to Murano Island (as I wanted to buy some venetian glass jewelry).  We soon discovered that our rain jackets were not waterproofed and after 3 hours of walking around (slightly lost) in the pouring rain and lashing wind we eventually found the Vaporetto stop and headed cold and wet back to the hotel.  After a nice hot shower we took advantage of a break in the rain to run to the nearest cafe for lunch.  Unfortunately our experience of Italian food in Venice left a lot to be desired but with full tummies, even if it wasn't the tastiest meal, we spent the rest of the afternoon in our room.

Friday being our last day we pottered around in the morning, still trying to dry out our wet clothes and shoes (with the hairdryer) from the previous day so we could pack.  We left all our luggage in the stairwell (as directed) and checked out.  Luckily the weather had improved to showers and no wind so we ventured to Murano again where I finally found the jewelry I wanted. We had a very nice lunch in a little cafe on the island which we stretched out for a few hours to fill in time and then spent the rest of the day cruising the canals and walking the alleyways between showers.

Eventually back to the hotel to collect the luggage and made our way to the airport for the 9.30pm flight home.  We were looking forward to our time in Venice after being there last year but the horrid weather and bad accommodation left us feeling very 'over Italy'.

Budapest Pt2

13 May

Up reasonably early to drop our laundry off.  Unfortunately its cold today and the only clean clothes are summer ones so I have to wear a slightly smelly tracksuit again.  It will be nice to get some clean clothes back.  The weather forecast for the rest of our trip is cool winds/rain etc so the coat has to come out again.

Today we have booked a Wine Tasting and Lunch so wandered to the meeting point - the main market - to make sure we knew where to go and how long it would take us to get there.  Wandered back to the hotel via as many side streets and alleys as we could then chilled out for an hour or so.

Back to the Market Hall for our tour.  It was interesting to see the many bits of animals that they eat (in fact nothing goes to waste), bit offputting at times.  The fruit and veges were the same as us and there were lots of paprika stores.  From here we caught a tram to a restaurant for lunch.

Again a bit disappointing as it seemed to be a 'special tourist' lunch of broth with carrots and dumplings (our guide couldn't even tell us what the dumplings were made of), a goulash with pasta (all meat and no veges) and a nice cake for desert.  From here we walked the streets and ended up at the same place we did the segway tour from (their office) where we would have our wine tasting.

Down into the cellar we went where there were a few bottles of wine to taste with a little spiel on each one.  They may think they have nice wines but I couldn' handle any of them - tasted like petrol to me.

All in all it was a very expensive tour and certainly not worth even half of what we paid.  Big disappointment.

We walked back to the hotel, again just strolling along and taking in the scenery and collecting the laundry.  Spent a couple of hours reading whilst Alan caught up on his photos and had a nap.  We wern't too hungry so wandered down the street and found an Irish pub where Alan had a wonderful meal of rabbit (he enjoyed it as the only rabbit allowed in our house has been the live fluffy pet kind).  Walked off  bit of the dinner back to the hotel and then watched some Hungarian TV - well it was about 50% ads which were rather funny.

Tuesday 14 May

Nothing planned for today so had a lazy start as nothing opens before 10am.  We found a metro station and caught the metro to the House of Terror.  The metro was a little more difficult than other European countries as Hungarian is a stand alone language, it doesn't have any similarities with other languages, therefore very difficult to understand.  We could always manage to read the French and German stuff on our travels but Hungarian is a world unto itself and there were no English translations anywhere in the Metro.  We eventually worked out where we were going and got onto the right line and right train and got off at the right station.

We paid to get into the House of Terror, which was the headqarters of the Hungarian Nazis.  Then between 1945 and 1956 the notorious communist terror organisaations the AVO and its successor, the AVH, took up residence here.  The museum commemorates the victims of terror and hundreds were tortured and killed in the basement of this building.

Unfortunately nothing was in English so it was very hard to follow the movies and pictures etc on the walls.  There were notes in English in each room with told the story of those years but didn't necessarily relate to the room you were in.  Became very frustrating after a while but we continued through the building looking at the office of the head badguy and down into the basement where the torture room, execution room and cells were.  Altogether a very depressing place but would be very powerful if you understood what was going on.

From here we decided not to get the metro back but to walk and explore some more of the city.  We stopped for lunch at a cafe where we ate bad things again then walked some more (I think I will have to spend the next month on the treadmill to even make a start on shifting the extra weight).

Alan has gone off for a massage as the hotel beds are like sleeping on lumpy concrete and I'm updating the blog, then going to spend some time sorting the suitcases before dinner tonight.

Update post-dinner. We walked down to the riverfront to get our dinner cruise.  This is another excursion which will get a very bad review in Trip Adviser.  It was shocking.  The boat was basic, the seats uncomfortable (mind you I don't think Hungarians understand the concept of cushions on seats) the food was dreadful.  It was cold and tasteless.  Needless to say it was a long 1.5hrs.  We had booked it in Australia as we wanted to see the lights of budapest, unfortunately we didn't do our homework very well as the cruise ended at 8.30 and the sun doesn't set till 9pm.  So no lights.
Less said about this trip the better.

Now all packed and we are off to Venice in the morning.

Bratislava, Slovakia

Second last day of the cruise and again it promises to be a beautiful day.

Slovakia is the other half of the former Czechoslovakia and Bratislava is the Capital City.  It is located 6kms from Austria and 11klms from Hungry. Slovakia was little more than a battlefield for the ambitions of Hungary, Austria and the Turkish Empire for many centuries, and as its largest city it was frequently at the interface of conflicting interests.  A phase of posperity as the capital of Hungary is reflected in the lovely Baroque and Rococo houses in the Old City.  In 1918 Slovakia became part of Czechoslovakia with Prague as the Capital.  The communist rule post WWII was not kind to the area and like most communist countries it was left to slowly crumble.  After the fall of the Iron Curtain, in 1993 Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.  Czech Republic had all the industry and it has taken some time for Slovakia to find its feet.  It now has 5 major car manufacturers here and is starting to tap into the tourism market.

Today we started with a bus tour around the city and followed this with a long walk thru the Old City.  Bit over churches now so can't rave about Cathedral of St Martin.  Its a bit of a hodge podge of eras, starting out as the coronation church of the kings of Hungary and has bits added in all sorts of styles.

Unfortunately under communism a lot of monuments etc were destroyed as they considered putting a bridge in or widening a street more imporant than preserving the old city.  The former Jewish Quarter was a casualty of this time with nothing left now.

Today is the last day of high school and the local tradition is for the children to walk thru the streets making as much noise as possible and you donate money to them to shut them up.  The money is used to get very drunk tonight.  Glad that hasn't caught on is Aust.

After a quick lunch stop we boarded the bus to Schlosshof Palace which is located back in Austria.  Fortunately the border crossing is no longer a problem, all fences etc having been pulled down and you only know you have crossed when you spot the signs at the old guard post.'

Schlosshof Palace is one of the greatest castles of Austria.  It is a fully functioning and largely self-sustainable Baroque castle of monumental proportions.

I was quite blown away by this place.  I was not looking forward to it as we have become quite 'Palaced Out'.  But this place was incredible, it was smaller than previous palaces but has been partially restored to its original condition.  The fabrics on the walls and furniture have been manufactured to exactly match the originals and the rooms are set up as they were whcn used as a Palace. The art work, mainly portraits of the Royal family really added to the tour - it was nice to put faces to the names and the rooms they occupied.  There were a lot of interesting bits and pieces like the height of the bed - apparently it was an honour to have an audience with the Queen if she was still in her bed so the bed was built very high as everyone had to be below her.  It was even a bigger honour to be granted an audience with her if she was using the chamberpot (yuk) but Marie Christine didn't like this and had an extra little room built next to her bedchamber for her chamberpot.  It is considered to be the first seperate toilet in existence in a palace.  The ladies of the time used a chamberpot in the shape of a gravy boat which could be placed under the dress so they didn't even have to leave the room.  Never using my gravy boat again!.

Stepping outside the Palace and I was blown away by the grounds.  This Palace was and still is a working farm so besides the manicured garden beds and trees and lawn areas there is the stable block full of horses, goats, chickens, donkeys etc.  The walled kitchen garden was an absolute delight and I could have sat in there all day.  The herb garden was magnificent and you wouldn't think that herbs and veges could look so good!  The orangery was magnificent and the range of plants was incredible.  We eventually tired and sat under a lovely arbor of trees with a fountain in the middle and soaked up the beautiful gardens before having to return to the ship.

Altogther a lovely day

Budapest, Hungary

Our last full day on the ship and we sailed into Budapest just before breakfast, and what a beautiful sight it was.

Budapest is the Hungarian capital and is on both sides on the Danube.  One side is ancient Buda with its magnificent hill setting topped by an enormous palace complex which is now the National Gallery and nearby is the magnificent Matthias Church and Fisherman's Bastion.  We visited the church and Bastion on our morning bus/walking tour and were suitably impressed.  The whole complex/fort type town ws very pretty but we didn't have too much time to linger.  The only down side was the very poorly maintained cobblestones.  At times they were quite difficult to walk over.

Rest of our tour was on the Pest side which has grandiose public buildings and Parisian-style boulevards.  Since the fall of the Iron Curtain, Budapest has emerged as one of the most desirable destinations of Eastern Europe.  We were surprised at how beautiful the city is and how Paris like the buildings are, although they are built much closer together.  The most spectacular is the Parliament House which is huge (more like a grand castle/palace) and ornate, and they have just finished cleaning it so its very beautiful.  A lot of the buildings are black from the exhaust fumes and acid raid so seeing one cleaned to its rightful colour was a real treat.

After our tour it was back to the ship for our last lunch and then we were off on a tour of the countryside and the little village of St Andrews.  Unfortunately must have eaten too much so slept all the way to St Andrews.  Was very disappointed as it wasn't what we were expecting.  Yes it was a quaint village but every building has been turned into a souvenier shop.  Most of the shops had the beautiful embroidered tablecloths etc but nothing that I was interested in so I didn't do any damage to the credit card.

Started to feel a bit off, a bit too much sun I think and our bus trip back was a nightmare for me as I had an hour of trying not to throw up.  Managed to get back to the ship before I let loose and there I stayed for the night.  Was sorry I missed to last dinner and a chance to say goodbye to every one but at least whatever bug I got it waited till the last day.

Day 2

Woke up feeling quiet lethargic and lots of aches and pains but no vomiting so that was a bonus.  We had to be out of our cabins by 8.30 so we packed the bags - I really don't understand why I couldn't fit everything as I haven't really bought anything.  Anyway we made it to the hotel and thankfully they had a room ready so we could dump everything.  Our first job was to find a laundromat which we accomplished within a couple of streets, unfortunately they were not open today but thats the first job tomorrow as neither of us has anything clean.

We spent the moring walking around and getting our bearings and after a lunch stop of goulash soup I needed a little rest.  Post rest we had a bit of a hike to find our Segway tour.  I was a bit anxious about being able to do the Segway as I have really bad balance and not feeling 100% really wasn't too enthused.

We had a 5 minute practice and I wasn't too bad except going up and down gutters, I found them a bit freaky.  Alan of course just took off like a hoon.  We eventually all set off, 2 Irish chaps, and a young Russian mum and her early teens son (who was a pain in the butt and they were obviously rich as he has his own Segway).  We set  off around the monuments with a guide and had an absolute blast, the further we went the more confidence I got and was soon flying along quite happily and even managing the gutters and people.  I only had one little accident where I stopped too suddenly and stepped off the back and right onto a car, this of course happened right outside the 4 seasons hotel and the doorman was very quick to come and inspect the very expensive car I hit.  Luckily there was no damage to the car, the segway or me.  We covered a lot of the same territory we did the previous day but didn't matter as we were just having a ball hooning around on the segways.  They are usually speed locked but becuase of the Russians being so good on them they took the locks off so we really got some speed up.  Definitely will be doing them in any city we can, the most fun in 2 hours we have had.

Finished the day with dinner in a building dating to 1725 which has been a continuous restaurant, minus times of war, since then.   The meal was a delicious selection of hungarian food starting with a chicken crepe with a wonderful sauce, I then had porkmedallions with bacon and veges in a coloured pepper sauce, Alan had steak hungarian style (minus the goose liver) and dessert was a hazelnut cream crepe with dark chocolate sauce.  We did share entree and desert and even then we were stuffed.

Now very tired and off to bed

Vienna, Austria

Vienna, Austria

Another glorious day with a promise of 27 degrees.

Vienna is one of the great cultural and historic capitals of Europe and was once the home of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert.

We started our day with a visit to Schloss Schonbrunn (Schonbrunn Palace) which was completed in 1749 under the Empress Maria Tereasa as her summer palace.  This palace has 1,140 rooms in the main structure and lord only knows how many outbuildings.  The whole outer wall has been converted to modern apartments.  I didn’t even see where this block started and finished.

We didn’t find out how large the gardens were but they have a zoo etc and we walked for ½ hr and didn’t even reach the first level of multiple levels we could see.  The gardens did not have any flowers out but were the typical sculptured greenery with lots of paths/roads leading everywhere.  There were also extensive woodlands and we had a brief walk up one trail to check out the squirrels.

It was then time to do the tour of the Palace.  This Palace has been partially restored/preserved (it only had one bomb in the war, which was a dud so escaped major damage) and we walked thru one opulent room after another.  The difference here was that they were furnished and had the original artworks and tapestries so you could see how each room was used.  Marie Tereasa had 16 children so they needed a big space to keep them and one room was decorated solely with the paintings done by her daughters.  They were very talented!  It was also interesting to see massive wall sized paintings done of special events, one showed that  people paid to have their faces painted into the crowd.  Also interesting was at a banquet the royal family (and maybe one or two special guests) would sit down to a 14 course dinner and everyone else (ie hundreds) would pay to be invited to the banquet but they could not eat, they paid for the privilege of standing and watching the royals eat.

I really enjoyed the visit and could have spent a lot more time there.  Alan is not good at looking at interiors of buildings.

After a ‘grill’ (BBQ) on the sundeck for lunch we set off on a walking tour of Vienna City.  We went past losts of museums, cathedrals etc but had really had enough so just ventured off on our own up and down the many streets and alleyways.  Unfortunately it was a public holiday today so no shops were open (good thing as I couldn’t even afford to window shop in this place).  We eventually stopped at a coffee house and decided to have a hot chocolate as we had been told they were a local speciality.  This was a real treat as it arrived on a silver tray with a large mug with 2 bars of real chocolate in the mug, a jug of hot frothy milk, some cream and a whisk.  You pour the milk over the chocolate and whisk till its melted then add the side dish of whipped cream and a strawberry.  Decidedly wicked and delicious.

We continued wandering the streets until time to return to the ship.  We had an early buffet dinner tonight as there was a Mozart concert on offer (which we opted out of) and 75% of the ship drifted off around 7pm.  We did a stroll up the boardwalk and decided we had done enough for the day.

Tomorrow we have a full program in Bratislava in the Slovak Republic. 

The blog won’t be updated until we reach Budapest as the ship cannot get internet connections in Bratislava.

Melk, Wachau Valley & Durnstein, Austria

We had another early start today and woke up a little weary from yesterday’s tours.

Today we had 2 stops the first was Melk in Austria.  The first sight of Melk from the river is of this awesome Melk Abbey.  It is vast and monumental and it’s hard to believe that this was designed as a retreat for Benedictine monks who were sworn to poverty and a simple life.  The Abbey epitomizes the ebullient confidence and extravagance of the Baroque style. 

We were starting to get the ABC syndrome (not Another Bloody Church) but on arrival at the Abbey we were completely awestruck.  The sheer size of the place is unbelievable and as we toured thru the royal visitors chambers which had been converted to a museum we were very impressed with the renovations/restorations.  The marble room which was used as a dining room for VIPs was absolutely incredible – the frescoes giving the 3D effect to the vaulted ceiling, the marble and the most interesting the fancy irongrate in the middle of the floor where a stove was underneath to send up warm air for Royal who sat at the table.  Fascinating!!!

The Library is still a functioning library and I was even more awestruck by the thousands and thousands of leatherbound ancient books, covering all science and history of the times.  They are all beautifully preserved in a magnificent setting and historians and scholars can apply to come to the library to study the books.

From the Library it was onto the Church itself.  Once again I thought I had seen it all but every one seems to offer something different.  This one was spectacular without being OTT as some others have been.

The whole complex is huge and now houses the monastery, a primary school for 900 students, a museum and admin offices and many other buildings which I have no idea what they are used for.

From the Abbey we walked down to the town (naturally all the Abbey and Palaces etc are on top of huge hills) and wandered the streets where I managed to do a little retail therapy again.  From the small town we wandered over the bridge, thru the forest and back to the ship.

The ship sailed just before lunch and we sailed the Wachau-Paradise Valley.  This is the highlight of the Danube cruise with a valley 30 miles long and is known for its unique combination of rugged wildness and more homely features.  It’s a landscape where vineyards and orchards are picturesquely set below steep, craggy hillsides jutting out above verdant forests.  Add a few adroitly placed ruined castles, romantic chapels and quaint villages, and the picture becomes irrestibly charming.

After cruising and another huge lunch we stopped at Durnstein.  Durnstein is a picturesque village at the foot of craggy mountain with castle ruins (Kuenringerburg)at the top. The castle was built in the late 12th century and was seriously damaged by Swedish troops in 1645 during the Thirty Years’ War and then allowed to crumble into complete disrepair. This castle was where Richard the Lionheart was imprisoned in 1192-93 after being captured during his return from the Third Crusade.

Alan walked/climbed to the castle and I elected to wander the cobblestoned streets and visited the many little stores where they sell apricot schnapps, apricot liquer and everything you could possibly make out of apricots, with lots of samples.   I arrived back at the boat feeling rather mellow after all that alcohol and Alan arrived back all hot and sweaty but said the view was worth it and the walk back had lots of markers with the historical data on them so we both enjoyed our time in Durnstein. Magnificent views from the castle of the town and the valley with the Danube meandering through it.

A nice hot shower and a cold wine and Alan was fully recovered.

Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic

We woke to rain this morning but with the promise of 20degrees so it was  a bit of a problem deciding what to wear as we were on an all day excursion to Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic (former part of Czechoslovakia). Happy to report the sun came out and it was a glorious day.

We boarded the bus and had a quick tour of Passau (our docking port and last port in Germany). We bussed up the hill to the Castle and enjoyed a spectacular view of the city.  This would have been a lovely town to explore but we were only stopped for a couple of hours and then the boat was cruising to Linz in Austria.  Therefore we were offered a choice of 3 day trips – one to the Sound of Music sights (which Alan flatly refused to even think about), one bus tour of Austria landscapes (but it was a bus only tour)  and the one we chose to Cesky Krumlov, which promised (and delivered) fantastic sights and plenty of exercise.

Cesky Krumlov offers authentic insights to the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque culture during the 14 – 17 centuries.  This is an old town with a great deal of history of founding families, Prince Bishops, wars etc but the most recent history is what I’ll talk about.

This city was lived in by Germans and Austrians who of course supported Hitler in WWII.  After the war all the Germans and Austrians were expelled from the then Czechoslovakia and the country became a communist state.  During this time, and the Russian occupation, there was no money or interest from the government in the upkeep of this town.  The occupants were to poor to do anything and by all accounts it was a pretty miserable place to live, with building falling apart and no modernisation.  In the 70’s UNESCO moved in to try and save this important historical site and with the decline in communism it was decided to allow the Germans and Austrians to return to their homes.  Other homes were offered for sale at a very cheap rate (like $100) on the condition that renovations must be started within 5 years and completed in 15 years.  This wasn’t as easy as it sounds as the houses had to be restored to their exact original condition.  Unfortunately I can’t put a photo up to show what was required but this unique town had 3D frescoes painted on the outside of each building, which had to be exactly matched, but most were missing roofs and in such a condition you think they needed to be bulldozed.

The renovations were a massive undertaking but today all 1300 buildings have been restored.  The most outstanding is the Castle with 300 rooms gathered around 5 courtyards.  It is a truly incredible building and like nothing we have seen before.

We had an fascinating walking tour around this town with lots of information.  After the tour we stopped at a little café and had a great meal then spent the afternoon exploring the Castle, its gardens and the fabulous alleyways and streets of Cesky Krumlov.  I did some retail therapy in one of the many jewelry stores and thoroughtly enjoyed all the quirky little shops and alleyways.

20mins before we were due to depart it poured with rain but didn’t really mind as we made our foot weary back to the bus.  The trip back thru Czech Republic had the requisite fabulous scenery (I will admit I may have dozed off for a little bit) and we crossed the border into Austria, with more spectacular scenery and eventually arrived happy but tired in Linz, Austria.

It was a bit of speed tourism thru 3 countries in one day but well worth the effort.