Where People Still Smoke

Onward, Eastward

Well, we were just planning on doing a trip to Germany and Burgundy but the airfares were horrible and incensed me. So I started looking around and found a package where we could get 3 nights in Budapest and 4 nights in Prague including airfare to/from Europe, hotel, and train between the two cities for $150 more than just the airfare into and out of Frankfort.  I jiggled around with them and added several weeks onto our return from Prague and --voila!-- it was done.  Of course, now we would be gone for a month and any savings I got from the package we'd more than spend on the added days but that kind of reasoning is for the rational person and has no possibility of entering into my decision making matrix.

Buda and Pest

As a child, well, actually until I was about 37, I thought that Budapest was one city which it is kind of, but it is in two equally interesting sections which you can infer from the title.  Hungary is a VERY intriguing country.  First of all, nobody knows where they or their language came from. They are linguistically most closely affiliated with Finnish and Basque and their DNA is also a little unknowable.  There's something about India in there somewhere.  So, their alphabet and everything associated with it was unfathomable-- at least to us.

Also, in a recent NY Times article which graphically displayed how strong right wing nationalistic parties were in various European countries Hungary outscored (this in NOT a good thing) everybody else.  Which is strange in that it is very unclear where THEY came from.  We really liked Budapest because we thought it had the most magnificent buildings we had ever seen. And a river (we love rivers) and a castle.  That was before we became jaded about castles. We met some really interesting people, as we always do, but I won't bore you with them.   Now here is the thing about our title --EVERYBODY smokes.  So, like who cares?  If you want to smoke, smoke.  But even Ireland doesn't smoke anymore and they LOVED it.  To be completely honest, I don't remember all that much about Budapest because we had been flying seemingly for days (left from Dallas) and we were a bit lagged for maybe 36 hours of our 72 hours there.  But Michel, bless his heart, recorded it all for you and the photos may jog my memory.

It was in Budapest that we first encountered these colorfully tiled roofs. We were to see many more of these in our travels.

These bronze shoes were left as a memorial to all of the Jews who were murdered there on the river bank and thrown into the river by the Nazis during World War II.

There were memorials relating to war....

and to the continual human struggle.

There were also vivid reminders of the failed struggle for independence from communism in October of 1956, as can be seen in these two photos.

In the first photo the bullet holes are very visible. To even further delineate all of the bullet holes, this one is marked with steel balls showing each site of impact.

Fortunately Budapest was saved from some of the worst ravages of the WWII and many fine buildings with statues such as this one and the following ones are still evident throughout the city.

The buildings were impressive...

as were the bridges...

the fountains...

and the statues.

Another example of the very creatively colored tile roofs,...

as well as a colorful creative balcony...

and a very creative door.

We encountered these beer bikes sponsored by local pubs that were powered via pedaling by the patrons as they toured the streets of Buda drinking beer. This one broke down in front of us and the patrons were forced to get out and push rather than pedal.

A very ornate public building...

followed by a picture of an even more ornate Hungarian parliament building.

In the United States many cities have the "duck" boats which tour the cities on land and in the water. They have gone even more upscale in Budapest with an ordinary bus designed for transporting tourists on water and land.

A memorial for the holocaust victims at the Jewish synagogue. Each leaf on this tree is inscribed with the name of a victim.

Another example of the very ornate architecture.

Ajijic is not alone in its colorful murals.

Prague and Prague

This is the city that you really MUST visit.  I know, we only ended up there because I got a deal (it WAS on the bucket list -- really) but this one took our hearts.  If we thought the buildings in Budapest were gorgeous, they were nothing next to Prague.  The Old Town is exquisite and features things like Kafka's house (see photo) and Charles Bridge and just wonderful cafe/people watching opportunities. And they have a river too but they don't call themselves Pra and Gue.  There is only one drawback and that is the vertical climbs.  Across the river it is all uphill (well, one way).  I was fighting a raging sinus thing and we were looking for a restaurant that I had picked out for dinner.  We began an ascent and I started whining.   Michael said, "How far can it be?"  Very...far... I knew we were in trouble when I saw that the road was blocked because they had cordoned it off for the World Mountain Bike Championships.  Think about it... MOUNTAIN BIKE CHAMPIONSHIPS.  Oh, it was steep.  We had to sprint across the mountain bike course to reach the restaurant.  I'm sure Michael has photos.  We were the only people in the restaurant  (the others had died on the ascent or been run over by mountain bikes) but it was delicious and the return to the hotel was all down hill -- literally  and figuratively

We also had one of the best meals of our lives in Prague.  It was on a fabulous terrace overlooking Prague (yes, we had scaled another cliff).  It lasted three hours. We are not "fancy" people.  We are not gourmets or even gourmands.  But there is something about sitting in a really nice place with a great view and eating a leisurely paced, beautifully prepared meal that makes a day or a trip memorable.  Let me know if you want the name of the place.

We were immediately taken with the buildings in Prague upon our arrival.

Especially this one known as the Powder Tower or Powder Gate, which dates back to the 11th century, and is one of the original city gates.

One of the most interesting parts of traveling is spotting anomalies like this. The woman is in full burqa & hajib while talking on her cell phone carrying her Michael Kors bag.

The Basilica of Saint George and the Basilica of St. Vitus are located within the

 Prague Castle complex. The history of the castle
complex dates back to 870.

Chalking the door, as shown here, is an Epiphany blessing which we encountered in other areas in our travels. The C,M and B have two meanings. The initials of the three magi (kudos to those who remember their names) and also the abbreviation of the Latin words Christus mansionem benedictat, "May Christ bless this house". The "+" sign represents the cross and 2016 is the year.

This strange looking cabinet is a portable organ,...

which seems superfluous when one has an organ with pipes like this.

An interesting drain pipe gargoyle on the Basilica of St. Vitus.

In Austria we noticed all of these brides & grooms posing for wedding photos --- pre-wedding. So much for the superstition about seeing the bride in her wedding gown before the ceremony. This continued in Prague as you will see in this and subsequent photos. Notice the stylish shoes the bride is wearing.

The very ornate doors also attracted my attention, as con be seen here and in subsequent photos.

Is this Paris or is this Prague --- a replica of the Eiffel Tower in Prague.

Continuing the theme os statues decorated with some gold leaf.

We first encountered these elaborate "furnaces" in Innsbruck many years ago. We saw many of these on this trip.

A view of the flying buttresses of the Basilica of St. Vitus.

Obviously from the Basilica of St. George.

A view of Prague from the terrace of the restaurant where we had the best meal.

These interconnected passageways were very reminiscent of buildings in Italy.

Everywhere you looked were amazing buildings and statues. The building with the gold fence on top is the opera house.

Deirdre gave wide berth to this individual due to phobia #6...

and this one due to phobia #1.

This church's steeples had steeples.

Everywhere you looked there were fascinating buildings...

with ornate designs...

and statues such as this one.

The old clocks were so much more fascinating than our modern clocks...

such as this one where the Apostles pass by the window as it opens on each hour.

This building with the decorative exterior was the home of Franz Kafka.

This plaza was filled with giant bubbles.

And yet another wedding photo.

Theses statues of fighting giants date from 1768 and are located on the columns on the entrance to the Prague Palace.

There were raptors located in the gardens of the palace...

one of which decided it was time for a bath.

A small section of the garden of the palace.

Travel always brings its serendipitous moments --- we saw this in an exhibition of glass sculptures while walking through the garden.

The Basilica of St. Vitus.

And yet another wedding photo...

and another (after all June is the month of weddings).

This six headed hydra greets you from one direction of the Cechuv Bridge...

while this more welcoming figure greets you from the other direction.

A gondola(?) on the Vltava River in Prague with the imposing Charles Bridge in the background. Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV. This was the only connection between the Prague Castle and the old town for more than 450 years.

Getting ready to start the mountain bike race through the streets of Prague...

followed by the start...

and after one lap the field had spread out quite a bit.

Walking back from the restaurant after the mountain bike race we encountered several noteworthy things, such as these swans appearing to swim on a river laced with gold...

this very interesting statue...

and the Spanish Synagogue in Prague built in the Spanish Moorish style in the second half of the 19th century.

We signed up for a tour of this little town called Cesky Krumlov which is about two hours outside Prague.  More castle, more hills etc. but really like something out of a fairy tale.  Except for all the people taking selfies, you would have thought you were in the 1600s.  We had a tour guide named Manuel.  Odd for a Czech.  Upon inquiry, he informed us his mother was Cuban (huh?). Compounding all this, Manuel had a disturbing speech impediment which seems like the kind of thing that might steer you away from a career as a tour guide but apparently not.  So, I can't tell  you a lot about Cresky Krumlov because, basically, we didn't understand much.

The interesting part about this is the figure on the left holding the head of a Moor and the figure on the right holding the boot. This commemorates the defeat of the Ottomans.

The Vltava River flows through the town, which dates back to the 13th century.

The 13th century castle has Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque elements.

This doorway was decorated with a stags head above and two boars heads.

The castle has two bears in a moat (one of which is pictured here). Bears have been resident in the moats for hundreds of years.  There are MANY bear rugs in the Palace. PETA would not be pleased.

Another statue embellished with gold leaf.

The church is very ornate as seen in this series of photos.

A view of the town and the bell tower and castle in the background.

The support structure to support the connecting hallways of the castle.

A better view of the bell tower above the castle.

This is an example of just one of the mosaics on the castle under the eaves.

This fountain was in the 11-hectare garden of the castle complex, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Well, that's about all we can cram in this installment.  We're working on the other stops on the trip and promise to not have as many photos as we did of Prague -- but it is just SO beautiful.  Until the next one......