Vienna & Budapest
Thursday, June 4
Thursday we left Prague and drove to Vienna, Austria. We had a sightseeing tour in the afternoon with a local guide. She showed us tons of amazingly immense buildings related to Austrian history. This guide was much easier to understand; she didn't have such an accent, talked slower, and just generally talked about things that I found more interesting. We learned a lot about the Hapsburg Empire, which ruled a lot of this area for about 700 years, starting in about 1300. We saw their summer "house"... really it was a gigantic palace which covered about 15 city blocks. We also saw Parliament and other government-related buildings, as well as the Opera House. Vienna is known for famous composers and it's a very musical culture; Amila, our regular tour guide, told us that Viennese people go to concerts about twice a week. We also went into St. Stephen's Cathedral on the square. I don't think I ever get tired of cathedrals!
Yesterday morning we had free time in Vienna. We started the day with a short tour of one of the largest Swarovski stores in the world. Swarovski crystals are manufactured in Austria. I bought the cheapest item there--a pair of earrings for 13 Euro (which is about $15). I'm not a huge crystal/diamond/blingy type of person, but I wanted something just because Swarovski is Austrian! The store was very impressive.
In the afternoon, we drove to Budapest, which was about a 4 hour drive. The scenery on the way there was more of the same... but I will say that poppies and lavender grow wild here, so that makes for pretty red and purple fields!
Last night we had our "Hungarian night," which was also optional (meaning it costs more money to attend). It was so fun. We drove about 25 minutes into the forest and, upon our arrival, were given a cheese pastry and a small ceramic cup in the shape of a mustached man in a green suit. It was filled with palinka, which is the traditional Hungarian spirit. It is typically 40-60% alcohol and was very much what I would imagine moonshine to be like. I could barely swallow one tiny sip at a time and even that burned in my throat! After three small sips, I ended up pouring the remaining contents of my cup into my neighbor's cup haha. He seemed to like the palinka a lot!
The dinner was delicious. We had true Hungarian goulash, which is nothing like the goulash at home. It's actually like a meat stew--beef, potatoes, and veggies. It was really good. We were given a huge plate of turkey, pork, mashed potatoes, rice, and veggies as our main course. Dessert was a yummy chocolate bread pudding kind of concoction.
This morning we had a city sightseeing tour of Budapest. Most of it was from the bus, which always kind of sucks. We saw a lot of things, but it's a lot of information with not a lot of context. We got out of the bus at the Matthias Coronation Church, which is where the Hungarian royalty are coronated. This is probably the most beautifully ornate cathedral I've ever seen inside. Every surface was painted in some sort of design. Throughout history it's also been used as a mosque, depending on who was ruling the region at the time. (Hungary has been fought over throughout the centuries and sometimes they were occupied by the Turks, who are Muslim.)
We also got out of the bus at Heroes' Square, which commemorates important figures from military history. Our group happened to be there at the right time today! The Hungarian prime minister and the Egyptian president were at Heroes' Square to leave flowers at the tomb of the unknown soldier. We saw the huge line of security vehicles usher them in and the military personnel perform. It was pretty cool!
After that we had free time in Budapest... actually, technically it was Pest. Did you know that Budapest is actually two cities, Buda and Pest, which are separated by the Danube River? Well, now you do! I didn't do much during this time. I found a magnet and bought a Coke Light from McDonald's and walked around. It was pretty warm today, so walking was taking a lot of energy.
I just got back from climbing 242 stairs (yes--I counted!) to get a good view of Buda. My original goal was to do it tonight so that I could have the night view, but I'm glad I did it now, as it was pretty isolated up there. There is an optional excursion tonight on the river, but it was expensive, so I decided to pass on that. I think I'll be kind of bored the rest of the night, but that's okay.
Tomorrow we drive to Salzburg, Austria. It's a long drive--all day long!
Thursday we left Prague and drove to Vienna, Austria. We had a sightseeing tour in the afternoon with a local guide. She showed us tons of amazingly immense buildings related to Austrian history. This guide was much easier to understand; she didn't have such an accent, talked slower, and just generally talked about things that I found more interesting. We learned a lot about the Hapsburg Empire, which ruled a lot of this area for about 700 years, starting in about 1300. We saw their summer "house"... really it was a gigantic palace which covered about 15 city blocks. We also saw Parliament and other government-related buildings, as well as the Opera House. Vienna is known for famous composers and it's a very musical culture; Amila, our regular tour guide, told us that Viennese people go to concerts about twice a week. We also went into St. Stephen's Cathedral on the square. I don't think I ever get tired of cathedrals!
Thursday night we had our optional "Viennese evening," which was a concert and show. There was a small orchestra (maybe about 8 men?) and every other song had some sort of dance or opera singing with it. It was really nice. Champagne during intermission! Oh and it was held in an old palace--no big deal. The only thing that I wished for this event was that it was more of an authentic concert. Clearly we were all tourists and I wished we would've gone to a concert that local people would attend.
We had dinner on our own before the concert and I was in search of wiener schnitzel. I feel like I didn't get any authentic regional cuisine while in Prague, so I needed something in Austria that was local! Luckily, right down the street from our hotel there was a restaurant who had their menu posted outside and there it was--wiener schnitzel--so I sat down and ordered!
It is delicious. Traditionally it is veal, but I'm fairly certain what I had was pork. It tasted like a tenderloin and it was so good. The side dish is potato salad--this potato salad was da bomb. The contrast between the warm tenderloin and the cold potato salad was awesome.
I had also found a bakery and bought some sort of chocolate pastry. Austria is famous for its pastries!
Friday, June 5
It is delicious. Traditionally it is veal, but I'm fairly certain what I had was pork. It tasted like a tenderloin and it was so good. The side dish is potato salad--this potato salad was da bomb. The contrast between the warm tenderloin and the cold potato salad was awesome.
I had also found a bakery and bought some sort of chocolate pastry. Austria is famous for its pastries!
Friday, June 5
Yesterday morning we had free time in Vienna. We started the day with a short tour of one of the largest Swarovski stores in the world. Swarovski crystals are manufactured in Austria. I bought the cheapest item there--a pair of earrings for 13 Euro (which is about $15). I'm not a huge crystal/diamond/blingy type of person, but I wanted something just because Swarovski is Austrian! The store was very impressive.
The rest of the time I just meandered through the streets of the city square, shopped a little and took it all in. I stopped by a café and had a cappuccino and a croissant. It was delightful. Vienna has been my favorite so far.
In the afternoon, we drove to Budapest, which was about a 4 hour drive. The scenery on the way there was more of the same... but I will say that poppies and lavender grow wild here, so that makes for pretty red and purple fields!
Last night we had our "Hungarian night," which was also optional (meaning it costs more money to attend). It was so fun. We drove about 25 minutes into the forest and, upon our arrival, were given a cheese pastry and a small ceramic cup in the shape of a mustached man in a green suit. It was filled with palinka, which is the traditional Hungarian spirit. It is typically 40-60% alcohol and was very much what I would imagine moonshine to be like. I could barely swallow one tiny sip at a time and even that burned in my throat! After three small sips, I ended up pouring the remaining contents of my cup into my neighbor's cup haha. He seemed to like the palinka a lot!
The dinner was delicious. We had true Hungarian goulash, which is nothing like the goulash at home. It's actually like a meat stew--beef, potatoes, and veggies. It was really good. We were given a huge plate of turkey, pork, mashed potatoes, rice, and veggies as our main course. Dessert was a yummy chocolate bread pudding kind of concoction.
 |
| This is a terrible picture of me with the chocolate bread pudding. The British guy from Oxford zoomed in way too much. |
All throughout dinner, one of the waiters would come around and refill our wine glasses--I wish I could describe the contraption he used to do it. It was like the container rested on his shoulder and there was a long spout that ended at his finger tip. His finger tip held the wine in, and when he moved his finger, the wine would spray out. He could fill our wine glasses from three feet behind us; it was like he was spraying the wine into our glasses! Pretty cool.
The entertainment was live music and professional dancers. We were told beforehand that the dancers are interactive, meaning that they choose people from the audience to get up on stage with them. I was immediately terrified because I just had a feeling I'd be chosen... and of course I was! Of course. I declined his invitation, though, and felt silly afterwards for saying no--but I hate being the center of attention, even though I'm not that bad of a dancer!
At one point, everyone from our tour was up dancing. Now that I will take part in! The Australian couple were the ringleaders and talked us all into dancing. It was really a blast!
Saturday, June 6
The entertainment was live music and professional dancers. We were told beforehand that the dancers are interactive, meaning that they choose people from the audience to get up on stage with them. I was immediately terrified because I just had a feeling I'd be chosen... and of course I was! Of course. I declined his invitation, though, and felt silly afterwards for saying no--but I hate being the center of attention, even though I'm not that bad of a dancer!
At one point, everyone from our tour was up dancing. Now that I will take part in! The Australian couple were the ringleaders and talked us all into dancing. It was really a blast!
Saturday, June 6
This morning we had a city sightseeing tour of Budapest. Most of it was from the bus, which always kind of sucks. We saw a lot of things, but it's a lot of information with not a lot of context. We got out of the bus at the Matthias Coronation Church, which is where the Hungarian royalty are coronated. This is probably the most beautifully ornate cathedral I've ever seen inside. Every surface was painted in some sort of design. Throughout history it's also been used as a mosque, depending on who was ruling the region at the time. (Hungary has been fought over throughout the centuries and sometimes they were occupied by the Turks, who are Muslim.)
We also got out of the bus at Heroes' Square, which commemorates important figures from military history. Our group happened to be there at the right time today! The Hungarian prime minister and the Egyptian president were at Heroes' Square to leave flowers at the tomb of the unknown soldier. We saw the huge line of security vehicles usher them in and the military personnel perform. It was pretty cool!
After that we had free time in Budapest... actually, technically it was Pest. Did you know that Budapest is actually two cities, Buda and Pest, which are separated by the Danube River? Well, now you do! I didn't do much during this time. I found a magnet and bought a Coke Light from McDonald's and walked around. It was pretty warm today, so walking was taking a lot of energy.
I just got back from climbing 242 stairs (yes--I counted!) to get a good view of Buda. My original goal was to do it tonight so that I could have the night view, but I'm glad I did it now, as it was pretty isolated up there. There is an optional excursion tonight on the river, but it was expensive, so I decided to pass on that. I think I'll be kind of bored the rest of the night, but that's okay.
Tomorrow we drive to Salzburg, Austria. It's a long drive--all day long!