A 10-day tour of Vienna and Budapest condensed into 60 slides.

1. Paisies’ Excellent Adventure Vienna and Budapest 2011

2. A belated 30th anniversary trip finally got underway: Vienna for 5 nights Hotel key, very heavy and very big. We left it at the hotel during the day!

3. 5th floor meant we took the (tiny) elevator, but what a staircase!

4. Cozy, no AC, but big windows, and conveniently located!

5. Lots of exploring by foot Old streets And new streets

6. The Belvedere (Upper) A huge art collection in what was once a royal palace “The Kiss” from the Gustav Klimt collection

7. St. Stephan’s Cathedral (Stephansdom)

8. The colored glass panels create rainbows inside the church.

9. And to think this was BADLY damaged by bombs in WWII

10. On to the Hofburg, winter palace of the Austrian Imperial family There are many buildings in the “museums quarter” One museum held just china, silver, and candelabras!

11. These people had wealth. Spanish Riding School is here, home of the Lipizzaners (look at sign )

12. Marine acquaintances were also in Vienna at that time! They were on a Danube cruise and we arranged to meet for dinner. Rachel & George Gibbs, Sr. We enjoyed an “original” Bud.

13. You, too, can speak German!

14. Statues abound

15. The Schonbrunn. The summer imperial palace. We took a self-guided audio tour

16. Gardens and a café stop (that would be guglhopf and coffee melange)

17. Our favorite Vienna tour:The Third Man (drittemanntour.at)

18. Someday, watch this movie. It’s an oldie: Joseph Cotten, Orson Wells

19. Getting around on trains and trams

20. Dogs & beer are ok. But no food. Leash & muzzle expected

21. We took a ride to Grinzing, to the “heuriger” area (wine-garden eateries)

22. Very tasty, in any language!

23. Fun times at the “Zwolf-Apostelkeller Part dates to the 1300s A happy man, ready to eat.

24. More of the “12 Apostles” New “friends” from Germany, celebrating a birthday.

25. Vienna has much to offer…

26. For kids and adults: The Prater

27. The Kunsthistoriche (art history)

28. Time to see what Budapest is like!

29. We’re not in Kansas anymore

30. Hotel Kalvin House Guests ring to be let in the front door. Walk up to the reception level.

31. Our room deserves a look ! It was a bit noisy, but close to metro and restaurants

32. Out and about in Budapest Looking up at St. Stephen’s Basilica Now we’re up, looking down

33. This church has a ‘special attraction’

34. Wow.

35. The Castle District & St. Matyas (Matthias)

36. Fisherman’s Bastion

37. A zither player near the Hungarian National Museum

38. Down from one hill and up to another

39. See that monument wayyyy up there?

40. We walked up, and up.

41. And up.

42. Half(?)way, with a nice view St. Gerard (Gellert), a martyr The Elizabeth bridge over the Danube

43. A Soviet monument (there are many in Budapest) is what we saw from so far away.

44. There are 3 subways (so far). This is the oldest one. (“Heroes Square” stop)

45. not a great pic. of Heroes Square

46. But the statues are very cool. Hungarian rulers and kings

47. Winding our way back down Andrassy ut. Oh look, a café! This was one recommended in Fodor’s guide book, whose advice and paths we followed quite often. While Joe enjoyed his beer, I ordered a latte and “palacsinta” which are like crepes, several stacked and spread with jam, chocolate, and fruit.

48. There is a rich, and sad, Jewish history here. People were kept captive in this synagogue in WW2. Those who died had to buried there (against Jewish law).

49. Courtyards connect with apts and a few shops. In WWII, this was the Jewish ghetto.

50. The fascist Arrow Cross party led their gov’t in the mid-1940s. Thousands of Jews were murdered, as much as Raoul Wallenberg tried to save them all. Cast iron shoes make a memorial to those who were shot facing the river so they would fall into the Danube.

51. Let’s move to a lighter topic… Hair color, streaks, highlights… while “older” women avoid the gray 

52. There are enclosed markets and many friendly dogs. 200 forints per kg ~ 50 cents/lb.

53. More interesting architectureThis is the Hungarian Parliament.

54. To save money, fake marble was invented. You’d never know! The cigar holder. How short the cigar became was a gauge of how long/good the speech was.

55. Free evening music performances

56. Riding the tram around Buda on our last day Spray paint graffiti is all over.

57. A final toast with our Hungarian “Two-buck Chuck”

58. After Budapest, we catch the train back to Vienna for 1 night.

59. Mozart’s requiem, performed in St. Stephen’s cathedral, is abeautiful end to our trip.

60. The end.