Does this deserve a new thread? Some may disagree but here it is. 
This was a much longer vacation (24 days total) than I had anticipated 3 months earlier. Combining two tours (one was just a 4-day tour; the other 10 days) and visits to two friends in Germany at each end made it delightful but very tiring (particularly the trip back home).
I visited Mainz, Heidelberg, Munich and Geretsried) in Germany. All were good but upon arrival Frankfurt airport was a mess. No toilets, no directions in immigration. The train we were on to go to Mainz stopped and canceled in the middle. No announcements. If my German speaking friend had not been with me, it could have been much more difficult. Loved Mainz and the walk by the Rhine river though.
Heidelberg to Mainz- more late trains, a cancellation, but we made it eventually. Heidelberg is a charming little college town, where my friend worked as a visiting professor. I had a great time shopping and touring the tiny city.
The Train from Heidelberg to Munich was very nice. I loved the green and yellow fields, houses. Very picturesque. I took a hop on hop off tour of Munich before others on the tour arrived.
My 10-day tour of Central Europe started in Munich. We made a stop at Regensberg, then to Prague. Did a tour of the palace and town square. Enjoyed the shopping, especially buying Swarovsky jewelry. Prague is pretty and I enjoyed a lunch cruise. I was thrilled when they played Moldeau by Smetana and the New world symphony (partial) by Dvorak.
Next was a brief stop in Bratislava, Slovakia. It was a lunch stop but I saw some great embroidery at the small stalls. The shops were too expensive.
We arrived in Budapest, and took a dinner cruise. One of the best ever. The lights were incredible. Food was great. The parliament building was visible from my hotel. It is so beautiful that it feels almost unreal, like a fairy tale. We made an excursion to the small town Szentendre, where we watched a Goulash cooking demo, had lunch and did lots of shopping. The embroidery on various items was great.
Our next stop was Vienna. A bit of a disappointment, because there was not enough time to visit the museums. The city is difficult if you are walking. I wasted a lot of time doing that. The Schunbrun palace was interesting, with its history. Thus year it will be Empress Maria Theresa's 300th anniversary. So a lot of excitement. I bought a scarf with the Klimt painting on it (the movie 'Woman in gold' was about this painting).
I did enjoy the dinner before the concert in Vienna but I was surprised that there was no conductor. The first violinist was the announcer. There was also opera singing and a couple of dances, which seemed odd. The quality was good though I didn't care for the dances and the comic opera. I enjoyed Radetzky March, with everyi e clapping along (also remembering B&S's SP in 2000) and the Blue Danube the most. They played mostly Strauss and Mozart but played Hungarian dance no. 5 in the encore but attributed it to Strauss. I was sure it was by Brahms.
Next we went to Salzburg. On the way we listened to the songs from The Sound of Music. We visited some of the places where the movie was filmed, although many original venues were replaced by others by Hollywood, like the chapel where the captain and Maria were married, the lake behind the house was not really there, etc. we stayed in a charming small hotel near Salzburg. We did a walk through the town, and arrived at the Mozart square.
Next morning we visited the Eagle's nest, where Hitler met with his advisers many times. Amazing story about how it was built in the mountains in those days. We were surrounded by the snow covered peaks of the Alps, with the fog rolling in and out.
We returned to Munich and had a really good farewell dinner at a local restaurant. It was a great trip (by Trafalgar), with a great trip director and friendly co-travelers.
The rest in the next post.
This was a much longer vacation (24 days total) than I had anticipated 3 months earlier. Combining two tours (one was just a 4-day tour; the other 10 days) and visits to two friends in Germany at each end made it delightful but very tiring (particularly the trip back home).
I visited Mainz, Heidelberg, Munich and Geretsried) in Germany. All were good but upon arrival Frankfurt airport was a mess. No toilets, no directions in immigration. The train we were on to go to Mainz stopped and canceled in the middle. No announcements. If my German speaking friend had not been with me, it could have been much more difficult. Loved Mainz and the walk by the Rhine river though.
Heidelberg to Mainz- more late trains, a cancellation, but we made it eventually. Heidelberg is a charming little college town, where my friend worked as a visiting professor. I had a great time shopping and touring the tiny city.
The Train from Heidelberg to Munich was very nice. I loved the green and yellow fields, houses. Very picturesque. I took a hop on hop off tour of Munich before others on the tour arrived.
My 10-day tour of Central Europe started in Munich. We made a stop at Regensberg, then to Prague. Did a tour of the palace and town square. Enjoyed the shopping, especially buying Swarovsky jewelry. Prague is pretty and I enjoyed a lunch cruise. I was thrilled when they played Moldeau by Smetana and the New world symphony (partial) by Dvorak.
Next was a brief stop in Bratislava, Slovakia. It was a lunch stop but I saw some great embroidery at the small stalls. The shops were too expensive.
We arrived in Budapest, and took a dinner cruise. One of the best ever. The lights were incredible. Food was great. The parliament building was visible from my hotel. It is so beautiful that it feels almost unreal, like a fairy tale. We made an excursion to the small town Szentendre, where we watched a Goulash cooking demo, had lunch and did lots of shopping. The embroidery on various items was great.
Our next stop was Vienna. A bit of a disappointment, because there was not enough time to visit the museums. The city is difficult if you are walking. I wasted a lot of time doing that. The Schunbrun palace was interesting, with its history. Thus year it will be Empress Maria Theresa's 300th anniversary. So a lot of excitement. I bought a scarf with the Klimt painting on it (the movie 'Woman in gold' was about this painting).
I did enjoy the dinner before the concert in Vienna but I was surprised that there was no conductor. The first violinist was the announcer. There was also opera singing and a couple of dances, which seemed odd. The quality was good though I didn't care for the dances and the comic opera. I enjoyed Radetzky March, with everyi e clapping along (also remembering B&S's SP in 2000) and the Blue Danube the most. They played mostly Strauss and Mozart but played Hungarian dance no. 5 in the encore but attributed it to Strauss. I was sure it was by Brahms.
Next we went to Salzburg. On the way we listened to the songs from The Sound of Music. We visited some of the places where the movie was filmed, although many original venues were replaced by others by Hollywood, like the chapel where the captain and Maria were married, the lake behind the house was not really there, etc. we stayed in a charming small hotel near Salzburg. We did a walk through the town, and arrived at the Mozart square.
Next morning we visited the Eagle's nest, where Hitler met with his advisers many times. Amazing story about how it was built in the mountains in those days. We were surrounded by the snow covered peaks of the Alps, with the fog rolling in and out.
We returned to Munich and had a really good farewell dinner at a local restaurant. It was a great trip (by Trafalgar), with a great trip director and friendly co-travelers.
The rest in the next post.
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