Day 8 - Traveling to Prague (Praha)

On our last morning in Vienna we still wanted to stop by the Nasch market we had been told about, so after packing everything up and storing it with the hotel we walked a short distance to a huge open air market area.  There must have been hundreds of vendors for several city blocks displaying their wares in the form of fresh vegetables, spices, candy and sweets, fresh fish, meats, pastries and baked goods, souvenirs, restaurants, ethnic specialties like Turkish or Russian food, etc. We had some Russian Pirogki's for breakfast, I had mushroom and Carol had potato & bacon filled. A Pirogki is simply a small baked good with a flaky crust with the desired filling. One man was selling regular and organic sauerkraut right out of wooden barrels. Carol found some nice Cashmere scarves that were selling for 5 Euros and bought one.

We then went back to the hotel to retrieve our luggage and catch the #62 tram to the Wien Meidling train station, just as we had done the morning earlier. We arrived at the train station in plenty of time and this time had first class tickets. To pass the time, I pulled out my guitar and harmonica rack and posed for a picture as if I was busking (street musician playing for money).  I seeded my guitar case with all the loose change I've collected all week and got a lot of nice head nods and eye contact from the people as they got off the arriving trains when I started playing from my repertoire and 12-bar blues, etc. Carol was so embarrassed and eventually picked up my case....I had not made any extra money on my own anyway.

The train was a little late, but we eventually departed and found some open seats in the first class car. I was wearing my Aggie jacket for warmth as it was cooler yesterday AM, I got comments from two sets of couples that were on the train in our section from the US and knew of the Aggies. One group were K-State fans and I talked with them a while. Another couple had been in Europe for a couple weeks and live in San Antonio, TX. Had good visits with each of them and it was good to be able to speak to anyone in English.  The train ride across the Austrian and then Czech countryside was beautiful. Everything was very lush and green, so they must not have a drought here. Saw a lot of fields planted with wheat and this yellow plant called Rape, that they use for Bio-fuel production extensively in this part of Central Europe.  Also, there are quite a few wind turbines, just as we'd seen in Hungary, Austria and now Czech Republic. The train wound through some small hills and rockhewn tunnels with diverse forests and small creeks and rivers alongside. We stopped at the Czech border for a few minutes as new conductors and waitstaff got on the train at each border. Our tickets and passports are always checked too. I almost finished up the leftovers from that huge pork hock I had ordered the night before and had refrigerated. It was delicious the second day as well. Breclav below is the town where we crossed the border into the Czech Republic. It was about a 5 hour train ride from Vienna to Prague.

We were kind of lost when we got to the train station in Prague and it usually takes a few minutes to find ticket machines with an English button, view a subway map, and get some smaller currency to buy tickets, etc. Plus it was right at rush hour and it was crowded and people were going in everywhich direction. After a few connections, and getting off a standing room only subway car that had to be placed out of service, we found our stop and emerged from the subway system and tried to get our bearings.  Fortunately Prague sits on the Vltava River so we were able to track along the river and we stumbled upon our hotel after a few blocks. Carol had booked us on Priceline into this place that had been a former palace of an Earl that was a close friend of Mozart in the day. The reception people surprised us by upgrading our room to a suite that was two stories, about 2,000 square feet and they said is where Mozart stayed when he visited his friend in Prague. The ceilings are about 12 feet and are made of exposed dark wooden beams, all eight inch square, and they are held together with wooden or steel 1 inch pegs. In this suite which looks directly into a beautiful courtyard, there are two bedrooms, an entry and sitting foyer, living room with two chandeliers,  a kitchen, two bathrooms, and antique furnishings and decor throughout. Carol said the rack rate for this room is $850 a night, fortunately she only paid $150 on Priceline, but we are only staying here one night and moving across the river to another historical hotel named The Green Lobster for the next two nights. It was built in the 14th century Carol says.

When checked into our hotel we freshened up a bit and then took off to explore part of the Jewish Quarter, explored the Charles Bridge, and ate a nice meal of Goulash and Beef Stroganoff and then retired for the night. It's interesting that almost none of the streets are paved here. They are all cobblestone and very rough and the sidewalks are made in decorative patterns using rock pieces as well. Today we will explore the castle, look closer at the famous Astronomical clock/calendar/horoscope (see pic below) and things to see in the Jewish Quarter. Prague is where Antonin Dvorak died in 1904 and they had this statue in front of a concert hall in town.

Day 7 - Budapest & Back

We got up at 5:15AM with early anticipation of heading over to Budapest for a day trip from Vienna. We were unable to procure a ticket the day before cause it was Saturday and the OBB ticket offices were closed and we could not print them on-line per their system. We were assured by the hotel front desk that it would be "no problem" to get one at the station and there would be people there to help us early Sunday AM. So we arrived at the Wien Meidling train station by about 6AM and then tried to purchase one at the automated machine. We, along with some people trying to go to Russia, played around with the machines and could not get one to our destination, despite using the English language icon on the machine. The train was to leave at 7:03AM and by 6:55AM we had no ticket and there was no one available to help or assist. It was looking bad, so I began to lobby for us just jumping on the train and hoping we could buy one onboard. Carol's eyes began to tear up as she thought the worst, that she would spend Mother's Day in an Austrian jail for unlawful train hopping. Just before the train was to pull away I ran up to a conductor at the very end of the train and asked if onboard purchase was a possibility and he said, "sure, no problem". So we hopped on, not knowing our eventual fate or how we were going to get back later in the day. All I knew was that we were on the train heading in the right direction. Sure enough the Train Auditor came along and we used our credit card to purchase two tickets only to the Hungarian border. At the border, we had to buy two more tickets for the rest of the way upon entering Hungary. No passports were check at the Hungarian border.  

We arrived at the Budapest Keleti train station right on time (9:50AM). It was a scenic ride across the countryside and we saw lots of farmland, villages, small cars and wind turbines. The weather was so much nicer in Budapest than Vienna that day so we were so glad we went for that reason alone. Budapest was like entering a whole new world. Much less developed infrastructure and it was pretty worn down around the train station, but a building and growing city in many respects. We had difficulty locating any maps, or currency exchange initially, but kind of followed the crowd and soon found ourselves in the subway and purchased a day ticket that would enable hop on / hop off all around town.

We initially jumped on a subway taking us across the river where we walked around and saw a cave church, some famous Budapest baths (picture above), and took scenic pics across the Duna (Danube River).  We were getting hungry in Hungary and had no money so walked across the bridge and found a currency exchange and a tourist area with lots of restaurants and souvenir shops, so we were in our element at that point. After lunch we went to the Harley Davidson shop and then went back across the river on a tram and ended up at the castle area where a huge Palinka Festival (some kind of fruity alcoholic drink) was taking place. We rode the Funicular (tram that goes up the side of a hill) up to the castle and there was lots of food, sweets, pastries, traditional Hungarian dancers in costume, some Hungarian pastries just like my grandmother, mother and sister make, and much to see and do, along with plenty of souvenirs.

We then went back across the Duna River and rode the #2 tram up and down a few times and felt like we had seem all we wanted to see so made plans to head back to Vienna on the 5:10 train. Again we had no ticket and purchased one onboard. There was less certainty this time though as the train was very crowded and we didn't know how much the return trip might cost. Sure enough, we had to pay a premium on the Hungary side, but the Austrian side was the same fare as in the AM.  We talked a lot of the way with a young Hungarian gal that was an Anesthesiologist that worked in Germany and was going back to work.

We got back to our Vienna hotel before dark and asked at the front desk what was good going on in Vienna that night. A gal from Prague asked if we'd been to Schweitzerhouse and we got directions. It apparently is a Vienna standard and had authentic Austrian food. The restaurant was cash only and sells the world's biggest pork hock. I ordered one.  It has a weight of 1 kilogram or 2.2 pounds and was so much more that I could eat.  The marinated coleslaw was delicious also. Carol ordered some sausage which came to her as white sausage floating in water. She could not eat it so requested something more pleasant to look at. She did sample my pork hock and agreed it was tasty. The pork hock is deep fried and is like eating the bet pork rinds you've ever tasted.  Also, it's the size of about three of my fists (see photo). 

Monday AM we have plans to go to one open air market we haven't seen yet in Vienna and then catch the 12:10 train to Prague (Praha). This time we have first class tickets, but no seat assignment. Hope things work out.

Day 6 - Last Full Day in Vienna, Imperial Jewels, Das Musikhaus & Opera

After a leisurely time in the morning we made it out to the palace grounds to view the Austrian Monarchy's Crown Jewels. It was a very extensive collection of jewels from all over the world and included both secular and many religious pieces.

It was cooler and rainy day so we tried to find places inside to do things. We were going to try McDonalds, but ended up eating a sausage sandwich, kebab salad, and some noodles from a kiosk. We also tried a large pastry that looked better than it tasted.

We went back to the hotel for a bit and then set out again for another interactive music museum which featured Vienna's favorite musicians, Mozart, Haydn, Strauss, Mahler, etc. They had an interactive video thing where one could actually try conducting the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra via video and a moving score with a digital conducting wand.  I foolishly picked the Blue Danube and tried to feel the song and watch the musicians rather than watching the bouncing yellow dot and gave up after the video stopped and the virtual orchestra actually began insulting me. I was hoping to get a certificate of accomplishment, but picked too hard of a song. I should have picked The Can Can or some Polka.

After that we walked down a crowded street with a lot of people and shoppers out on a Saturday afternoon. Even saw some protesters for or against Iran, I really couldn't tell. I was going to start chanting U-S-A  U-S-A, but Carol advised against it. Just before dark we were treated to Giuseppe Verdi's Opera La traviata that was broadcast live on big screen just outside of the Vienna State Opera House. We sat through several movements, taking in all the singing in Italian with German sub-titles we could stand.

We then stopped off at Mama's Kitchen restaurant just before going back to the hotel where they were offering a special of wiener schnitzel, potatoes, beef soup, and apple strudel all for 11.90 Euro, we thought that was a good deal and made a dinner of it.

Our big plans for Sunday are to wake up early and catch the 7AM train from Vienna to Budapest for a day trip to see some more sights. It's about a 3 hr. train ride over there.

Day 5 - Vienna & Schonbrunn

Got up Friday AM and checked out the fitness center at the hotel. It was up to American standards for a nice hotel. We stopped at a pastry shop for some breakfast on the go as we caught two connecting subway trains out to the palatial Schonbrunn palace grounds. Unfortunately the auto-ticket dispensers weren't working so we had to wait in line quite a while, but got our ticket for a delayed entrance to the palace building just after noon.

Schonbrunn was the "summer residence" for the Habsburg dynasty and is "over the top" in terms of opulence. No picture taking was allowed inside, but I got one. It has 1,500 rooms and was in use until the end of Imperial rule of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, in conjunction with the end of WWII. It is located only a few miles from their regular also "over the top" palace in the heart of Vienna.



We spent several hours touring 40 rooms at Schonbrunn and then got back to Vienna city center for lunch and then went to tour three museums that are housed inside buildings which used to be the palace of the Imperial family. The museums toured were the Musical Instrument Museum, Museum of Antiquities - Ephesus, and the Weapons & Armor Museum.

 Tired from the day, we went back to the hotel and took a quick nap and then woke up just in time to get ready to go see the Mozart Orchestra performance at Musikverein - Brahms Saal for which we purchased some tickets during the day. They played excerpts from some of Mozart's greatest works, such as The Marriage of Figaro, The Magic Flute, Don Giovanni, The Barber of Seville. They ended the evening of course with Strauss' Blue Danube Waltz.

On Saturday we intend to view the Imperial Treasury where the crown jewels are stored. It is a bit cooler and cloudy today, so that will make for an enjoyable day without further sunburn!  We're thinking about taking a day trip to Budapest on Sunday....

Day 4 - Mozart Birthplace / Salzach River Cruise / Around Town and on to Vienna

On our last day in Salzburg we had just a few things we wanted to get done. First we walked over to W.A. Mozart's birthplace, which was about a block from our hotel.  It was very interesting to hear about the birth and family life of this musical prodigy.  It is amazing to me back in that time that a 5 year old could master piano and violin at such a young age that he was in high demand all over Europe with the elite and royalty and ended up spending about 1/3 of his life traveling. He was quite eccentric and profited from his hard work in the music business, but also incurred a lot of debt too. Mortality was very high among the newborn and young, but he had a good family life in general. He ended up leaving Salzburg over disputes with local leaders and spent most of his life in Vienna with the many other well-known composers and performers of the day.

With the beautiful weather in Salzburg the streets were beginning to fill up with tourists. It was about 77 degrees and sunny in Salzburg on Thursday. Carol and I participated in the local custom of attaching a small lock with our initials on it on the footbridge across the Salzach river and then tossing the keys into the river to signify our devotion to one another. A music festival was starting up that was to run all weekend. It was "oompah" music as the locals described it and they played a lot of traditional waltzes, polkas, gallops and classical music.  An amazing number of locals in the area we were in still wear traditional leiderhosen with the women wearing the traditional long dresses that tie in front to designate their marital status. We toured the Salzburg museum and further understood the history of Salzburg, which was largely controlled by the prince archbishops, who had jurisdiction over both religious and political life for many many years.  

Yesterday afternoon we spent a little while touring the Residence State Rooms which were right near our hotel where throughout the years the Prince Archbishops entertained, accepted royalty and the elite and where performances of all types were given. These halls were much like the grand halls say in Versailles outside of Paris.

Finally, still in Salzburg, we went on a waterjet boat river cruise, about 40 minutes in length, and because the river current was so strong it took 30 minutes to go upstream and only 10 minutes to get back. The grass and fauna along the river was all very green and lush due to recent rains and snowmelt and many locals were out in the afternoon lying along the banks of the river enjoying the sunshine.

We then took a bus to the train station and caught the 5:02 train to Vienna. The high speed train ride across the countryside was very enjoyable and we snacked and played cards on the table between us. The train reached a max speed of 200 KM/H which is 124 miles per hour. We got to our hotel in Vienna after a few connecting subway rides and got settled in. The hotel Le Meridien is very modern and you can see a picture of our room below. Included daily in our mini-fridge is free beer, soft drinks and water and also they have a nice indoor pool and fitness center.  Now we're off to see all there is to see in Vienna.

Day 3 - Sound of Music Tour, Cable Car & More

Today is our last day in Salzburg as we will catch a 5:02 PM train to Vienna (Wein). I began the day Wednesday with an early morning walk along the river. Discovered a footbridge where tradition has it lover's write their initials on a lock and then lock it on the chain links of the bridge. Then they throw the key into the river to demonstrate the eternal nature of their devotion. I'm looking for one of those locks in the souvenir shops. The tour guide said that in low water times, some are out there trying to find their keys to remove their locks! 

We were picked up at 9:10 AM at our hotel for the Panorama Tours "The Original Sound of Music Tour", a  4 hour tour. Our guide, Naomi, was a "most of her life" Salzburg native, extremely knowledgeable, and we were able to ride in a small cozy van vs. going onto a larger bus like expected. We were teamed up with a business owner and his wife from Missouri, a honeymooning couple from Mumbai, India and a single guy named Ali from Bahrain.  

The tour was very educational and interactive with main stops at major filming areas from The Sound of Music movie. Funny thing is that most Austrians have never seen the movie and know very little about it. You'll recognize perhaps the back of the mansion where several scenes were filmed with the children, the gazebo where Rolf the oldest daughter kissed (same one used in the movie was donated to the city), the lake district, and Monsee (town where the wedding scene was filmed).  You'll see a few pics posted today along with Carol and my re-creation of the gazebo scene where the song "I Am Sixteen Going on Seventeen" song was performed.

You'll see a picture today from our stop at the village of Monsee, where the wedding scene was filmed for the movie. It is a quaint and picturesque village and Carol got some Edelweiss (small white mountain flower) themed table settings as souvenirs. I enjoyed a delicious piece of fresh apple strudel with sauce at the outdoor cafe while Carol shopped. It was so beautiful driving over the lush green and flowered countryside with the soundtrack to the movie playing. I found out the tour guide had a collection of yodeling and polka CD's and she needed very little encouragement to play them as well.

Whe we arrived back in Salzburg we spent a few minutes walking around the beautiful Mirabell garden/park area downtown. We then caught a bus out of town to the cable car ride at the 6,000 ft. summit at Untersberg. The cable car ride put us up even with the clouds and gave some scenic views all around as the summit straddles the Austria / Germany border and the weather was beautiful.

Dinner in the evening was at the oldest restaurant in Europe, the St. Peter Stiftskeller Restaurant, which has been in operation since 803AD.  The restaurant is located at the base of the mountain beneath the Hohensalzburg Fortress and is one-half embedded in the porous rock mountain, adjacent to a Benedictine Monastery. 1,210 years is a long time for a restaurant to be in operation in the same spot.  I see them come and go inside of 6 months sometimes in Lake Highlands. The reason we know this restaurant has been in continuous operation on that spot is because this eating establishment, just to the right of the Catacombs, was mentioned in a journal kept by Charlemagne when he was in town back in 803.

Thursday we plan to walk around the hotel area and visit Mozart's birthplace and family residence, take a quick river cruise, and enjoy the start of a large "Oompa" music festival that begins today in town, before we catch the train to Vienna.

Day 1 and 2 Traveling and first day in Salzburg

Monday & Tuesday, May 6-7: We left DFW a little behind schedule, but made our connection in Chicago with just enough time to spare. In fact, I was able to stop at one of the many restarurants at O'Hare that sell Chicago Style Hot Dogs and get a good one, plus two large bags of that famous Garrett popcorn, both cheese and caramel. The stewardesses on the plane were agreeing how addicting that popcorn is. After about an 8 hour overnight flight, with Carol sandwiched between a rather rotund guy and me, we arrived in Dusselldorf right on time and then had a 4 hour layover at the

airport.  Carol caught up on her sleep a bit and I practiced tunes on guitar until our mid-day flight to Salzburg. Besides the small Cessna 172's that I fly, it was the smallest plane Carol had ever been on. See attached photo of the Air Berlin plane. We arrived in Salzburg mid-afternoon and decided to take the bus rather than spend 35 Euro's to travel 2.5 miles from the airport. It tested the limits of our ability to navigate and converse with anyone that seemed like they spoke English, because we don't speak a bit of German. We did make it though and got off at a stop about a block from our hotel. We are staying for two nights at the Allstadt Radisson, which is right next to the fast moving, clean, and cold, Salzach River that flows through town. Our hotel is a converted residence originally build in 1377.  Determined to maximize our sightseeing time, we then freshened up a bit and then began walking the area right near our hotel which is right at Mozart Square, where a huge statute of Mozart is located. In addition we took a cable car up to famous Hohensalzburg Castle that is built on a rock mountain overlooking the city. It's amazing to see the dates of on things like the castle and churches ranging from 774 AD, 1077AD to the present. We may stop in for dessert Wednesday night at a little restaurant (St. Peter Stiftskeller)  literally carved out of the rock mountain base that is supposed to be Europe's oldest restaurant, serving since the 800 AD time period. Course we also saw a McDonald's and Starbucks too.  Very interesting are the catacombs and nearby above ground cemetary also carved out of the mountain rock base. We had dinner at a traditional Austrian restaurant near our hotel where I had pork sausage, sauerkraut and potato slices. Carol had a very delicious Caesar salad with a huge pice of Pike Perch on it.

The weather is so comfortable we were sleeping with the windows opened and we were awakened about 4:15 AM to what sounded like a man speaking in German, I suppose, and then we heard two gunshots.  Then I heard what sounded like a woman yell and then more gun shots were heard further away. We were staying up on the fourth floor and weren't in any danger. I went down and spoke to the Indian man at the front desk and he said he was not aware of any shooting and said the area is safe.

On Wednesday we are being picked up early in the AM to catch a charter bus for the Sound of Music tour for about 4 hours and then going to explore closer to the hotel Mozart's birthplace and family residence, and maybe take a short river cruise.  There is such a rich heritage of music here, with both Joseph and Michael Haydn and the prodigious Mozart brother's being from here.  More adventures await us on Wednesday, I'm sure.