San Francisco

Lovely San Francisco!!! Brad and I met up with my parents and their friends from New York in "The City by the Bay." We managed to stop by Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39 and "the world's most crooked street," Lombard Street.

Danube River Cruise

Tonight we enjoyed an evening cruise along the Danube. It was a perfect way to appreciate the beauty of Budapest. We took in the stunning views of the illuminated city, whilst enjoying dinner and drinks.

Budapest

St. Stephen's Basilica

This is the largest church in Budapest. We were able to see St. Stephen's hand, which was mummified and has been kept enclosed since around 1035!

St. Stephen's Hand

Overlooking the city from Gellert Hill
Buda, Pest and the Danube River

A Day in Budapest

Our morning sightseeing tour included the Royal Palace, Chain Bridge, Gellert Hill, Heroes' Square, and St. Stephen's Basilica. We learned that Budapest is divided into two sections, Buda and Pest. Pest is the industrial and commercial side and where all the shopping is done. Buda is residential and it is very expensive and exlcusive to reside.

Matthias Church

This church is located on Castle Hill and is considered to be Budapest's most beautiful
View from Castle Hill. The Parliament building is in the background.

Parliament
Chain Bridge

Vienna to Budapest

This morning a short drive took us to the Slovakian capital of Bratislava for some free time to explore. Not a particularly pretty city, but now we check it off on our list of places we've been!! We then traveled to the Hungarian capital, Budapest--our stop for two nights. We took the chance to explore the fashionable bars of the city.

Entrance to Bratislava Castle
We are in Bratislava!!

Waltzing through Vienna

Vienna is a city of classical beauty, classical music and classical Schnitzels! We had a full day of sightseeing in this amazing city. Time to visit the Palace of the Habsburgs, St. Stephen's Cathedral and snack on Manner wafers and apple strudel. Yummy! Vienna is a delightfully comfortable city and a destination for music, art and culture. The city lies in the Danube Valley and has been inhabited for thousands of years.

Hofburg Imperial Palace

This was the official residence of the Habsburgs and is now home to a plethora of museums as well as the office of the President of Austria.

St. Stephen's Cathedral

This cathedral is in the center of the city and is identified by its spires and mosaic tiled roof. It is a 13th century gothic masterpiece.

Old Vienna Schnaps Museum

Founded in 1875 by the Fischer family, this distillery still uses traditional methods when producing schnaps, brandies and liqueurs. The owners explained methods of schnaps making and the variety of ingredients they use. They didn't give away any secrets though! We finished up by sampling their wonderful creations.

Getting attacked by a ferocious lion at the Natural History Museum

Tonight we were able to experience Austrian grandeur and complete our Austrian visit. We enjoyed a traditional Viennese meal in a restaurant on the grounds of the Schonbrunn Palace. This was the impressive summer residence of hte Habsburgs. Then on to the Orangerie, where a young Mozart performed for Maria Theresa, where we listened to an Orchestra performing timeless music of Mozart and Strauss.

Prague to Vienna

This morning we visited the UNESCO listed town of Kutna Hora for a chance to see its impressive medieval sights. We stopped at the Ossuary, which is a church decorated with human bones. Just a little creepy!! The unique decoration of the interior from 1870 is said to speak about the substance and sense of human life.

Posing with all the bones!
This chandelier is made out of all 206 bones in the adult human body!
Skulls and Bones...
and more Skulls and Bones.

We then traveled south to Vienna, the majestic capital of Austria. Along the way we had a little detour with the bus because the highway was closed. It worked in our favor because we were able to see so much of the Bohemian countryside!!

More from Prague...

On the Charles Bridge
Old Town Hall
Brad with Jan Hus statue, in Old Town Square

A centrally located restaurant was the venue for tonight's traditional Czech experience. We dined on a "Bohemian Plate," sipped local wines and watched folklore dancers with live music!! A great way to end our visit to Prague!

Prague-Day 3

We started the day off with a guided bike tour of Prague. We were able to do much more in 3 hours on a bike that we ever would on foot. We rode through the enchanting streets in the town center, along the lovely River Vltava, and out into Prague's vast and uncharted parks. We heard great stories and had many photo opportunities-a fantastic way to explore Prague!

One of the things we saw on our bike tour-a wall dedicated to John Lennon. A 3-D sculpture of his head is to the left of "Imagine."
Then we had a terrific lunch a the Hotel U Prince in Old Town Square. We had beautiful views and fabulous weather.
Old Town Square is magical with beautiful buildings that tell the tale of Prague's history. The Astronomical Clock on the Old Town Hall dates from 1490 and is like a giant storybook with a procession of Apostles, a crowing rooster, a skeleton that rings the bell and the centerpiece of seasonal and zodiac dials show the movement of the Earth. It is well worth waiting until the top of the hour to watch.
One of Prague's architectural gems is the Tyn Church with beautiful gothic spires.

Prague-Day 2

Sharka, our local guide, took us on a sightseeing tour of Prague today. We started at the Prague Castle. This 9th century building is located on the hilltop area of Hradcany overlooking the river. It is the official residence of the President of the Czech Republic. After spending some time at the castle we headed down the hill to the Charles Bridge. This is the most famous bridge in the city, covered with statues and built in 1357. Then we headed down to the Jewish Quarter, a historic and very interesting part of town to visit. Then we were able to see Prague from a different angle by going on a cruise along the River Vltava for lunch. We loved the scenery and delicious lunch buffet.

Brad posing with the guard of the Prague Castle

Overlooking the city from the castle
View from our river cruise
The Charles Bridge

Berlin to Prague

Heading south through Germany we stopped for lunch in Dresden. It was bitterly cold, but we tried to see as much of the city as we could. :) There were some beautiful buildings and a quaint town square.

We crossed the border and arrived in the Czech Republic for 3 nights!! Praue is known as the golden city built on Seven Hills across the River Vltava. Without a doubt, Prague is one of Europe's most attractive cities. According to legend, Princess Libuse stood above the River Vltava and proclaimed "I see a city whose glory will touch the stars. It shall be called Praha." And the beautiful city of Prague was born. It was the only major city in Eastern Europe to escape large scale bombing during WWII and still has a magical feel about it. The city has many things to offer, including beautiful castles and museums and as Brad would attest, very tasty beer!!Our first glimpse of Prague was through a guided night walking tour. We were able to see the Hradcany Castle (Prague Castle), Charles Bridge and Wenceslas Square. It was absolutely magical at night!

We ended the night at The Beer Factory in Wenceslas Square. This was without a doubt Brad's highlight of evening! There were about 15 tables througout the bar complete with their beer taps! No waiting at the bar and no waiters! Great concept, huh??!! All we had to do was grab a mug and find a table. The best part was that there was a computerized tally table board that could be seen throughout the bar. This kept track of how many liters of beer each table was drinking. Of course a competition between the tables ensued. The Beer Factory had great music and everyone was danced the night away!