Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life-and travel-leaves marks on you.
We had 2 ports of call left. In Bratislava, we had another walking tour through the Old Town. The things that stick out in my mind about this city are the curvy streets and the details on the buildings.
Laurinc's Gate was one of 3 gates leading into the city in the 14th century. This area of the city is known for its restaurants.
The Leering Man
A piece of the city's defensive walls.
The UFO Restaurant
We walked around Bratislava Castle but did not go inside. St. Elizabeth of Hungary is believed to have been born in this castle. Even though we didn't tour the castle, the view of the city from the castle was spectacular.
Bratislava from the castle
Bratislava from the castle
Roland's Fountain (also called Maximillian's Fountain) can be found in the town center. On the top of the fountain is either King Maximillian II (who donated the funds for its construction) or the knight Roland. It is said that at midnight as the new year arrives, he turns from looking at the town center and bows. However, only those who are born and bred citizens of Bratislava are able to witness this event.
Brussels doesn't have anything on Bratislava. On this fountain, there is not 1 "Manequin Pis" but 4!
During our free time, I wanted to find an honest-to-goodness kolache but had no luck. We did, however, find a Bajgel shop. I thought it tasted a little dry until I got to the almond filling.
St. Micheal's Gate is one of the other 3 gates that led into the city. It is truly magnificent.
We stumbled upon Čumil, the Sewer Worker. Apparently, the poor guy lost his head a couple of times by drivers who didn't know he was there. Really quirky, but I thought it was pretty cool.
St. Martin bending down to a beggar to give him part of his coat
St. Martin's Cathedral
Budapest
I feel like we had more free time in Budapest than anywhere else since we celebrated Mass on the ship while we were floating down the Danube. That was quite the experience! As we made our way to dock, we were invited to the deck so we could see this absolutely beautiful city as we entered. Instead of a walking tour, we were thankfully given a bus tour around Buda and Pest. The downside is that it was extremely difficult to take pictures.
Our free time was on the Pest side with the gathering space at St. Stephen's Basilica. There was a choir from Northern Ireland performing when we entered.
St. Stephen's Basilica is named after Hungary's first king
The organ
The High Altar
The dome collapsed following the death of the architect and had to be rebuilt
The right hand of St. Stephen was very neatly severed when moving his body from the center of the basilica to under it
A friend and I went on a hunt for pastries. After using Google Maps and taking several wrong turns, we ended up at a cute little shop. It's on a side street so there was very little traffic.
I love how the outside tables had blankets for those chilly evenings
One thing I learned from my first time in Copenhagen: Don't sit at outside tables unless you are ordering from the eating establishment that they belong to. There was a couple sitting at a table, and a lady from the pastry shop came out to tell them to move. The ladies inside the shop were very delightful and friendly. I would highly recommend this little spot for dessert & coffee, or lunch.
After having such a hard time finding the confectionery, we were a little concerned about our ability to find our way back to the basilica. But it turns out that we were just around the corner. We were back at the meeting place in about 3-5 minutes. Then we realized we forgot something that our guide told us about: Gelarto Rosa.
We stopped this man and asked if we could take a picture of his ice cream; we weren't sure we were going to have the time to get our own
But we did! You just walk up to the counter, tell the girl what flavors you want, and voila!
The highlight of Budapest was being able to see the city from the river at night. It was just absolutely breathtaking. One word of caution: Don't wait to take pictures after the ship turns around because you may miss the buildings being lit up. My roommate said she didn't get any pictures because she was waiting for the ride back to port, and the lights went out.
Buda at night
Buda Castle
Gellért Hill
Hungarian Parliament Building
Budapest University of Technology and Economics on the left with Gellért Hotel on the right.
Inner City Parish of the Blessed Virgin Mary
St. Matthias Church
The Calvinist Church
Vigado Concert Hall
What a perfect ending to the river cruise portion of the trip! The next day, we boarded the buses to make our way to Krakow, Poland. In other words, there's more to come...
The architecture of St. Florian's Monastery blew me away, even though it is Baroque (not my favorite). Founded in the 9th century, the Augustinian Rule of Order has operated the monastery since the 11th century.
I looked up a lot while visiting St. Florian's. The ceilings were magnificent:
The Exhibit Hall: The pegasus appears to be following you as you move across the room.
The Exhibit Hall
The Basilica
The Library boasts over 140,000 books
The Bruckner Organ is housed in the Basilica. This is the organ that Anton Bruckner (Austrian Composer) learned to play on. We had the privilege of listening to a short recital. I could feel the organ all throughout my body; it was so powerful.
Bruckner's tomb is directly under the organ loft
Bones of over 6000 people dating back to the 4th century. St. Florian's bones are believed to be included.
Anton Bruckner's guest room
Linz
I had lunch with some new friends at a restaurant that used to be a monastery. There were definite signs: a crucifix on the wall and an Epiphany blessing over the men's bathroom door:
After Mass in the Cathedral, we took a walking tour. Following World War II, the city was divided along the Danube, with the US controlling the old town/city center, and Russia controlling the other side.
Planet Fountain. The lion heads and the coats of arms are the only original features from the fountain created in 1581
Marian and Holy Trinity Column
Instead of Stolpersteine, Austria has these monuments to those Holocaust victims. Looking like the buzzers in an apartment, each has the information as the Stolpersteine. The idea is that you ring the buzzer, but no one answers.
Amadeus Riva
Melk Abbey
First look at Melk Abbey from my cabin window
Pictures aren't allowed inside, so you'll just have to believe me when I say that this place was magnificent.
View from the Abbey
The ceiling of a portico that is before we entered the Abbey
I feel like I have to address this: We were told "no pictures" once inside, and it was extremely hard to not be a rebel and snap a few shots. Once we were in the church, some people in our group were taking pictures like crazy; they weren't even hiding the fact that they were taking pictures. It was so tempting, but I knew if I took one, I'd be the one carted off to the security office. That being said, I did manage to take a picture of a postcard in the gift shop without getting in trouble. In hindsight, I should have just bought it, but I didn't.
Apparently, the gardens are amazing, but I didn't have time to take them all in. I was just able to scratch the surface.
Dürnstein
Out of the places we stopped in Austria, this is the place I'd love to come back to and hang out. Sailing into the Wachau area, the scenery was beautiful. This was the first day we sailed during the day, so we were able to see where we were going.
Ruins of the Hinterhaus Castle; Richard the Lionhearted was held here in 1192
Wine Vineyards
St. Michael, Wachau Region of Austria
Dürnstein Abbey
Once we were in port, we made our way toward the Abbey. The walk was just lovely, and the surprise at the end was spectacular.
High water mark showing how high the Danube flooded over the years
A wedding! Someone made the comment that he looked like Capt. Von Trapp!
It took some digging, but I found out that these instruments are called parforcehorns
Our guide told us about a dessert called Mohnzelten: potato dough with a poppyseed filling. I found some and bought a couple of them. But I waited until I was back home in the States to try it. It was interesting; it definitely would have been better if it had been eaten when it was still fresh, and with some coffee.
Mohnzelten
Apricots are a huge crop every year, with everything being made from them. Unfortunately, we weren't there for apricot season, so we didn't get to fully take it in.
View of Krems, Austria, as we sailed down the Danube
Kahlenberg
This hill overlooking Vienna was the site of a battle in 1683. During the Second Ottoman Siege, Jan III Sobieski (King of Poland) saved Vienna. Since this was a pilgrimage, the tour focused on the Polish National Shrine on Kahlenberg, also known as St. Joseph's Church. It was very foggy when we reached the top of the hill, so we didn't get to witness the view that we would have seen on a different day.
St. Joseph's Church in the fog
Monument to the Poles who were prisoners of Nazi Concentration Camps during WWII
The Wish Well
Vienna
I've always heard wonderful things about Vienna. I went on a walking tour but didn't learn anything major. The architecture was stupendous, and it was very cool to see the Lipizzaner horses in their stalls.
Albertinaplatz
Statue of Franz Josef I and "Sisi"
Hofburgkapelle: Chapel that served the Habsburg Dynasty
Lippizaner Horses: The Habsburg Empire is credited with developing this breed in the 1500's.
The Plague Monument: Built in 1679 to ward off the plague; it was originally made out of wood
I popped into St. Stephen's Cathedral, which was breathtaking:
Our guide pointed out the Sacher Hotel, famous for its tortes. There are 2 doors leading to the cafe; she told us which one to go in that seemed to have the shorter line. So, a new friend and I headed there when we had free time. The wait wasn't too long (maybe 15 minutes at that time of day); we spent the time chatting with each other and some lovely people from England. We were led upstairs to our table. It was definitely worth the wait.
The highlight of Vienna was definitely the visit to Schönbrunn Palace, the Habsburgs' summer palace.
Maria Theresia and family
Great Gallery
Round Chinese Cabinet
Hall of Ceremonies
Vieux Laque Room
Original floor
The Porcelain Room, Maria Theresia's office. Only the heater and the chandelier are porcelain.
As beautiful as it was, nothing could top the end of the evening. We were treated to a private concert in the ballroom. The music was by Austrian composers and included a couple of opera singers.I could not believe that I was sitting in the ballroom of the palace where Maria Theresia planned and held balls, listening to this beautiful music. I sat and closed my eyes, imagining the grand balls that had taken place on that very same spot where I was sitting. I could feel Robert smiling!
Just as we were making our way to the exit, one of our tour guides came rushing towards me and said he had something to show me. We spoke at dinner about my family coming from the Silesia Region. He found this in a fresco on the ceiling of the ballroom:
That was just about the most perfect night I have had in a very long time. I had to say goodbye to Austria, with the thought in my mind to definitely come back to this lovely country.
