Buda + Pest = Fantastic

June 7, 2012

While in Vienna, Devin and I decided a day trip to Budapest was in order.  

Why?  

Because.  That's why.

Buda                                                                                                                  Pest

The name Budapest is a combination of the city names "Buda" and "Pest" - Buda on the West side of the Danube River and Pest across the bridges to the East.  They joined forces back in 1873.  

We took a bus from Vienna to Budapest and used public transportation once there.

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The Great Synagogue...

...is the largest Jewish house of worship in the world outside New York City and can seat 3,000!

The Holocaust Memorial - stands over the mass graves of people killed by the Nazis in 1944-45.

On the leaves of the metal tree are the family names of some of the 400,000 victims.  

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We did a lot of walking around the city, but realized we'd never be able to see as much as we wanted to by foot.  So, we decided to grab a "hop on hop off" tour bus to get to the sites we were interested in.

View of "Pest" from Castle Hill

"You know where we are? Really Devin?  Really?"

The Trabant - an East German car that made it's way to Hungary.  I think it's cute.

That said, it's on the TIME list of the 50 worst cars of all time:

This is the car that gave Communism a bad name. Powered by a two-stroke pollution generator that maxed out at an ear-splitting 18 hp, the Trabant was a hollow lie of a car constructed of recycled worthlessness (actually, the body was made of a fiberglass-like Duroplast, reinforced with recycled fibers like cotton and wood). A virtual antique when it was designed in the 1950s, the Trabant was East Germany's answer to the VW Beetle — a "people's car," as if the people didn't have enough to worry about. Trabants smoked like an Iraqi oil fire, when they ran at all, and often lacked even the most basic of amenities, like brake lights or turn signals. But history has been kind to the Trabi. Thousands of East Germans drove their Trabants over the border when the Wall fell, which made it a kind of automotive liberator. Once across the border, the none-too-sentimental Ostdeutschlanders immediately abandoned their cars. Ich bin Junk!

- Time.com

At a cafe along the wall of Castle Hill. 

We enjoyed the most expensive espresso we've ever had - but the view more than made up for it!

Parliament

Me and Matthias Church

Budapest and the Danube from Gellert Hill - a 235m-high rocky hill just south of the Castle District. 

Hungarian Natioanl Gallery within the Royal Palace

Parliament - again.

I loved this sculpture/statue.

-Gerbeaud-

According to Lonely Planet:  This is the most famous of the famous cafes in Budapest - bar none.  Founded in 1858, it has been a fashionable meeting place for the city's elite on the northern side of Pest's busiest square since 1870.  A visit is mandatory.

So we went.

This McLaren MP4-12C was parked outside a posh hotel we walked by on our way to the subway.  

Awesome.

And that ended our day in Hungary!  The next morning we left for Paris...

We had such a lovely day in Budapest!  We didn't have time to see half of what we wanted, but it was enough to get a taste and to know that we'll have to go back.  Who's coming with us?!?  

We Go To Wein

June 5 - June 6

VIENNA, AUSTRIA

The morning we were set to leave Czech Republic, Kamila made a delicious breakfast - as she had every morning - we loaded up our bags into Petr's car, said tearful goodbyes to Kamila and Tomas, and Devin, Petr, George, and I hit the road.

Our first task upon our arrival into Vienna was to check into our guesthouse.  From the outside, the building looked a bit sketchy - George asked if we were sure this was the right place.  But it was fabulous!  I'd stay there again!

Sweet dreams with Maria Theresia Habsburg watching over us.

Our room at Pension Shermin in Vienna - we highly recommend it.

The second task was to feed the boys.  Third task: take Emily to a palace.

Last lunch with our buddies.  Devin had wiener schnitzel for the first, and probably last, time.

(Because it's breaded veal.)

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- Schonbrunn Palace -

Schloss Schonbrunn and its adjoining garden are second only to Versailles in a show of imperial wealth and might, but that wasn't the idea; this baroque palace is a much-diminished version of the grandiose imperial centerpiece that was originally planned.  

The name comes from the Schoner Brunnen (Beautiful Fountain), which was built around a spring that Emperor Matthias (1557-1619) found while hunting.  A pleasure palace was built here by Ferdinand II in 1637, but this was razed by Turks in 1683.  Soon after, Leopold I commissioned Fischer von Erlach to build a more luxurious summer palace.  [He] came up with hugely ambitious plans for a palace that would dwarf Versailles....  The imperial purse felt the venture unworthy and a 'less elaborate' building was constructed.  It was finished in 1700.  - Lonely Planet

The 'less elaborate' palace... 

The Habsburgs lived here, as well as Napoleon, for a few years.

We took an audio-guided tour through a section of the palace and I loved it!

Its fascinating to see the rooms set up the way they had been hundreds of years ago.

No pictures allowed from inside the palace.

We were unable to check out the gardens due to rain.

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After the Schonbrunn, George and Petr headed back to Olomouc after goodbyes and promises to see each other again soon.  Devin and I decided to do a little walking around our neighborhood...

Devin couldn't get enough of the word einfahrt, which is entry in German.

He's such a boy.

Pub Klemo - our dinner consisted of wine, cheese, and olives.  Delicious!

After dinner we kept right on wandering...

I'm pretty sure this is the Opera House.  Or maybe a theatre?

Watch out for falling trees in stormy weather??

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The next day we did more walking.  A lot of walking.  Vienna is an AMAZING city!  The architecture is just incredible!  I'd love to include a lot of what the LP has to say about these buildings, but I'll spare you most of it.  The history of this city (and Europe in general) is tragic and inspiring - it's overwhelming to try to keep the timelines straight in my head, but I love to learn about it!

Stephansdom, in central Vienna

A church has stood on this site since the 12th century, but little remains of the original structure aside from the Riesentor (Giant's Gate) and the Heidenturme (Towers of the Heathens).  - Lonely Planet

Devin and I had been inside more churches in the past two weeks that we'd ever seen in our 30+ years, but we had to see what the inside of this one looked like.  We were in for a surprise...

Despite what you may think, there was not a rave going on.  For whatever reason, the church decision-makers had decided to hang colored film over the windows to give the place some crazy light. I doubt that their intention was 'crazy light' but that's what they got.  Regardless, we had a very distorted view of the church's interior.  I asked at an information desk about the film over the windows and the man there told me it was an 'exhibition'.  Huh.

After coming out into the sunlight, we did more walking and riding.

the Danube River

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- The Ringstrasse -

Revolution in 1848 rocked the empire and set in motion a building boom.  Franz Josef I, the newly crowned emperor, was at the peak of his power; when he took it into his head to overhaul the city, the city was overhauled.  His ambition to one-up Napoleon's makeover of Paris led him to planning what would become one of Europe's most homogeneous inner-city designs.  In the mid-19th century, Vienna was still essentially a medieval city in layout, with an inner area surrounded by fortifications.  Franz Josef's plan called for the fortifications to be demolished and replaced with a ring road lined with magnificent imperial buildings....  Work on the Ringstrasse and associated buildings comprised on the biggest building booms in the history of Europe.  - Lonely Planet

Parlament

Me, and the Athena Fountain

Archduke Karl

Me, and Archduke Karl (Charles of Austria) on his horse.

the Hofburg

I love the trees on the roof!

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After a day spent walking around the city, we sat and enjoyed Mozart in a charming little theatre not far from our pension.  I was expecting 'tachy tourist' but it was really quite nice and the music was wonderful!  Our seats were above and behind the orchestra - we didn't see much but the point was to listen.

A closed cafe on our walk home from the theatre.

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Vienna was fabulous!  We only spent two full days there but had a great time and we plan to return.  Before we left for Paris we did a day trip to Budapest, Hungary...