Here and There Blog

When you're really rich, you too can have a a palace like this with hundreds of rooms.  You can even build a breakfast room like this one.  It must have been good to be the Habsburgs, at least up until their reign ended after WWI.  The gardens couldn't just be gardens, fake Roman ruins had to be built.  All fake. The rage at the time wasn't enough to have a beautiful Roman fountain but also your very own ruins.

The Christmas lights were all going up on our last night in Vienna. As the air chilled down to 31F and the sky darkened with clouds that were bringing the first snowfall, we wandered around and looked up.  The streets were decked out with lights.  And bows on the major shopping promenade!  The row of trees. This looked better in person than it photographs.  And baskets of light with stars.

The Christmas Market was happening up until the rain hit and then everyone hid in coffee shops until the next burst of sun.  When we arrived it was cold and sunny. Didn't see history right away but did find the yellow sculpture and a few tourists looking at maps.  Lunch was at The Dubliner pub. Local beer - cheers!  The OB's.  Homer's photo is on his camera.  The church above the Christmas Market.

The Blue Church is listed as a "must see" and we almost missed it. The rain had finally moved in and we were cold and ready to return to Vienna but the map indicated we were close so off we went.  The church is blue. Lots of blue.  The tile work was limited and enhanced the blue, rather than distracting from the overall design.  This church takes their blue seriously. Evidently, it had just been retouched as seen by blue paint splatters.  Sadly, the church was closed and we weren't able to go in but it was still a fun stop!  If you get to Bratislava and want a fun detour with no history, just blue, go for the Blue Church!

The tiled wall of the church stood out from way down the road.  Inside a different church, stained glass caught one of the few rays of sunlight.  Evening sky as the light fades.  City lights start to flicker on right before nightfall.  And darkness at 4:30 pm.

The bus ride in was mostly farm fields and empty land. As we arrived closer to Budapest, small farm houses started to dot the landscape.  Us,  in the wind. The photo below was taken around 1:30 pm and the light was already fading from the day.  Local beer! The normal yellow fizzy beer but good enough to ward off the cold wind outside.  Mr. & Mrs. OB salute with Coke or Pepsi.  From the bus ride - the farm houses gave way to larger homes outside the city limits. In the city, on the Buda side.

 Everyone has to stop and take in the Danube and the sights from atop the walls on the Buda side. These three were almost in sync as the cameras panned from left to right.  Lorie, Brad, Keith. The wind must have hit right at this moment and it was cold!  The view is grand, the best we've seen on this trip.  The columns are equally fascinating and rival the view for attention.

From the base of St. Stephen's, it looks bleak, gray, and uninspiring. But it was cold outside and we had a mission to exercise so in we went.  The sun peaked out for a moment to light up the stained glass.  Then after climbing 444+ stairs or so on the south tower, I could look out the window and see that the mosaic was full of color which appeared washed out at street level.  And the view was pretty good.  You wouldn't think that I has just climbed the tower. Time to go back down!

Looking towards the main walking promenade in the city center. This area is fun to stroll but so expensive the guards have to buzz people in and out of some the shops. No city wall here.  Wait, sometimes you have to look down to centuries past to find the city wall...  Here it is!  Home, Mr. & Mrs. OB happy to have discovered the city wall.  Time to move on to the next stop.

The Christmas Market was an unexpected treat. We were wandering around the hotel area to find the train station, the underground, and get our general bearings. The hotel desk clerk had recommended a place for beer and we found it but it was still too early to go in so we wandered through a park and saw a giant Christmas tree.  Lured by the lights we had to go in and found the Christmas Market.  Lots of craft stalls (we're going back), food (have to try the creme puffs tonight!) and drinks. The band played all the usual Christmas songs and even here in Austria, Feliz Navidad was played. It was funny to hear the band explain the Spanish words so the audience could sign along. Aside from the band, Keith & I were probably the only two other people who knew the song.  That tree really is huge. Look at how small the band looks next to it. Not quite Glogg, this was straight hot wine out of a steaming pot. Several add-in options exist  but on the first night out, I wa...