European Adventure Part 3: Vienna

European Adventure Part 3: Vienna

Hello Friends,

This is the third, and final stop of our 16 day holiday.  While this is business travel for the World Traveler, I join him a few times a year and we find time for mini holidays.

Part I: Montreaux, Switzerland
Part II: Budapest, Hungary

We drove from Budapest to Vienna, via the autobahn.  A quick trip, just a few hour drive.

Vienna, Budapest, and Montreux in one holiday - these are three different places!  Vienna is pristine.  I immediately noticed that you only find grass in parks. We discussed that in ye old days the rain must have bathed the city.  Today this can happen with power spray.

With about three days to explore, we selected a hotel in a walking distance of many sights. This is a city I would like to visit again. Planned similar to Paris, Vienna has 23 districts. Mozart, Beethoven, Freud, and Marie Antoinette are just a few people that call Vienna home. 

Highlights and Observations
- We arrived Saturday afternoon. After settling in, I ran to a castle... again! Purely by accident... I found one of the most famous places in Vienna. The Belvedere Palace.

- On Sunday we were too close not to visit Marie Antoinette's childhood home.  Getting there requires a few transfers on the train and a mile walk.

The grounds are like visiting a state fair.  What I mean by this is that Schonbrunn Palace offers SO much to do an see.  Days are needed, not hours.

- We traveled back to Inner Stadt for coffee, to find Gustav Klimt's 'The Kiss', and walk through Hundertwasser House and Village.  Take a few minutes to research The Kiss and Hundertwasser online.  You won't regret it.

This wraps up this European adventure.  Thanks for traveling with us!
With love and gratitude, Mari

The Belvedere Palace






Schonbrunn Palace: Marie Antoinette's childhood home

Train Station, Pretzels at the Easter Markt, our first glance at the Palace



Easter Merkt - Hundertwasser - St Stephen's Cathedral

Doesn't it remind you of Alice in Wonderland?

The perfect ending to our adventure - a stroll, coffee, a date.

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European Adventure Part 2: Budapest

European Adventure Part 2: Budapest

Hello Friends,

Add Budapest to your must travel / bucket list today!  I may not find the right words to express the feeling of this beautiful city but know it's historically somber with fantastic energy and style.

This is my first time visiting an eastern European country; this old town has been beautifully cared for, and I'm happy to report... it's a walking city.

Blessed with a week to explore while the World Traveler and his colleagues were hosting a conference, I had time to learn and walked miles every day.  I had to be out, on the streets, absorbing.

On day one we settled into our room, met a group for dinner, and found ourselves at a concert in the basement of a hot spot. The locals were dancing and singing to a Jackson Five cover band. This was going to be a great adventure!

Click here to read Part I: Montreux, Switzerland
Click here to view our travel journal

Highlights and Observations
- I have a Pinterest board for Budapest listing must sees and lesser known places.  I tend to go out of my way to find places tourists don't know to see.

- We both have motorcycle licenses which lets us rent scooters while traveling.  Budapest is a perfect city to explore on a scooter since Budapest is expansive.  The Turkish Bathe Houses are a few miles out of the tourist district.  During this trip, we had the scooters for two days.  We saw so much, it's a forced technology break, and we made a date out of our time together.  Lunch and exploring, stopping to walk through parks, take in the monuments/sights, etc.. Did you know Buda is hilly, and Pest is flat?

- You must find the Shoes Memorial which honors the Jews killed in Budapest: ordered to take off their shoes, and shot, so their bodies fell into the river and were carried away.

- Walk across the River Danube via the Yellow Bridge, and cross back to Pest on the Chain Bridge. You will walk by Parliament and a lovely boardwalk.

- In Buda, you must see the Freedom Monument ( a tribute to the end of Nazi occupation) and the Castle.  Back in Pest, find the Thousand Notes Pub, shop The Great Market (it's one of the best markets I have visited),

- All of the communist statues have been removed from the streets, gathered up and placed in one central location.

- Enjoy a Transylvanian Chimney Cake... Delish!

Budapest is on my top five list of places I have been lucky enough to see.  I could go on and on talking about this city, but now it's time to pack up and depart for our last destination.

Enjoy the photos below; now we are off to Vienna!

Thousand Notes Pub

Gellert hill overlooks Budapest. The climb takes about 15 minutes and is well worth it to see all the statues of men being manly (plus some nice views).

Szimpla Kertmozi - If you are lucky enough to find this car free... you have sit for a drink/lunch!

Ruins Pub

I did not care for the fish pedicure!

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