We were taken by bus to Budapest. Had to drive through Slovakia and over the Capuchin mountains. There was even a ski area. On the way our guide spoke about the economies of Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The median salaries in these countries is about 25% of that in Germany yet people… Read More From Krakow to Budapest
On our first day in Budapest we went to see the National Theater and National Performing Arts buildings. The pathway leading up to the theater had statues of actors. The woman sitting on the bench is Hilda Gobbi, an award winning actress who was instrumental in the creation of the National Theater building. The following… Read More Dedicated to Linda, my co-mother-in-law
The Synagogue, located on Dohány street, is two blocks from the hotel. The Synagogue was build in the 1850’s and is the largest in Europe. It seats about 3000. When the Russians liberated Budapest, they found thousands of bodies in the Jewish ghetto. Not able to identify the remains, they buried them in mass graves… Read More Great Synagogue of Budapest
This post will have discussion followed by pictures multiple times. We started our first day in Budapest by visiting City Park and Heroes Square. Hungary unlike her neighbors was settled by Magyar tribes, supposedly seven in all. Though archeological evidence indicates the presence of Jews before the arrival of the Magyars. Pictures are of area… Read More Budapest
On the morning of the second day we visited the Metropolitan Szabo Ervin Library. The building is a mix of an older palace and a more modern wing. In the collection was some 15th century books. It turned out to be a very interesting experience. When we went to the National Gallery at the Royal… Read More More of Budapest
One evening we went to a concert in St. Stephen’s Basilica, the largest church in Budapest. We heard music of Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Liszt, Schubert and Mozart. The performers were an organist, a violinist, a trumpet player, s soprano and a tenor. Here are some pictures of the church and performance. One day for lunch,… Read More Budapest again
Our first stop was St. Stephens Cathedral in the Old Town. The Cathedral was completed in 1160 CE and was built in the romanesque style. It is known for its tile roof. It had some pretty funny figures in the church. After the Church we walked around the Old Town. Vienna has incredible buildings and… Read More First day in Vienna
With the group we went to the Schonbrunn Palace. After lunch Reggie and I went to the Upper Belvedere Palace to look at some Gustav Klimt paintings. Takes look at Klimt’s rendition of Judith. By the way we are pros at riding the trams and subway of Vienna.
We started the day with a music lecture given by Julia and Walter Ayer. He is the principal flutist in the Vienna Orchestra. They played some delightful duets by Mozart and others. We then went to the Jugendsil Steinhof Church, an example of arte nouveau, built on the grounds of a huge mental health facility.… Read More Third day in Vienna
