Home Sweet Home

Be it ever so humble.....  Felt incredibly good to lay our heads down in our own bed last night.   The journey home wasn't as torturous as it could have been.  Our plane from Budapest was delayed an hour.  And, as I mentioned before, if you had to be stuck, it was just fine.  At around 2:30 we went to get our last dish of Hungarian goulash soup.  Boy you just can't get a rotten meal in this town, no matter where you are.  It was fabulous.  Boarded the plane and we were told that the flights leaving Zurich were also delayed due to fog, so we wouldn't have a problem with the connection. We originally had an hour to kill at Zurich airport - so this would be cutting it close.

However, when we landed the schedule board said that our flight was boarding. Had to make a mad dash - but no - first there was immigration to get through, then finding the gate, which was a bus, tram, and several escalators, walkways, etc.  Why do they do this??!!!  Then another security check, and of course, I had water in my bottle (which I didn't want to ditch) so we had to sit there slugging it down.  The guy at the security said to calm down that they were holding the plane for us.  So since we had all this time, the gal at security decided to frisk me!!!  We were the only ones going through, and I guess she was bored.  I had absolutely nothing on me, but Geoff waltzed through with his shoes and all sorts of change jangling around in his pockets.  Felt sorry for all the folks sitting on the plane waiting for us to get on board.  Finally made it to the plane, and thanked everyone so much for waiting.  We aren't used to such treatment in the U.S.

Didn't have the exit row, but we were very comfortable in a 2 across seat.  Fortunately for me, the woman in front of me never but her seat back and I had plenty of room.  So far Swiss Air is right up there in our book.  Made it back to Boston in good time, just 10 minutes later than schedule.  Danny came to pick us up in our car.  Took him back to Cambridge and went in to chat with him and Deidre for a bit.  It was about 9pm and the kids were asleep.  Got back to Fairhaven in the fog (literally).  Opened all the windows and rushed out on the deck to see the ocean - AAAHHHHHH!!!!  Erika did a great job with the plants and even the garden tomatoes and basil made a come back from the hurricane.  All is good.

We are weary and our internal clocks have to be reset, but in retrospect,  it was one hell of an adventure.  I'm not quite sure of the total biking mileage.  It must be up around 400 miles.  I can't even begin to know how many miles we clocked walking, and no major injuries We biked, hiked, ate, and ate some more, and at times we even bitched,  but most of all we laughed, and felt grateful to be able to seize the moment to see and experience another part of this world.

A bit thanks to friends and family who tuned into the blog.  It is always nice to hear from the folks you love when you are so far off.   And  a great big thank you to all our traveling companions.  We had a fine mix of people on both biking excursions and we appreciated all the conversation, camaraderie, and, of course, the laughter.

Till next time .... Tanzania, Africa, February, 2012

The Long Road Home

Another beautiful sunny, blue sky day.  Our flight is not leaving till 2:45 (actually now that we are in the airport - it is already delayed till 3:30).  Since we had all morning, we took another walk down to the river and across the bridge to the Central Market. This wasn't open yesterday.  This is pretty much like all the other huge markets around the world only with a Hungarian flair.  The building is absolutely beautiful.  We meandered around looking at all the food and the crafts.

When we had our fill we hopped on the right tram that went directly to the hotel.  Guess it must be time to go, we have the metro system down pat now. A quick shower and we checked out of our last hotel..

Took a taxi to the airport, where we are now sitting and waiting because, guess what?  Yes, our flight is delayed.  However this place is quite comfortable - a big stretch from South America.  We have cushy seats with wifi and power.  Not to mention plenty of food options should hunger arise in Hungary.

We are looking forward to sleeping in our own bed tonight.  I will post this now, but may add more from Zurich if we get held up there.  Ciao for now.

Next time.... Home Sweet Home

The Buda and The Pest

Tried to sleep in a bit longer.  Not having much of a plan, we started out on foot to explore our final city.  The Danube divides the city in two - Buda on one side, Pest on the other.  We hiked to the bridge but before crossing over we walked up the Citadel and took a peek into the church carved into the rock.  Great photo ops from high on top.

Crossed the bridge to the Pest side and continued down to the old city. All of the bridges in this city were destroyed during WWII and they rebuilt all of them.  Quite a feat, since there are numerous bridges. The one we walked over in the morning had the locks on it like the Amsterdam bridge. We found one with our initials on it.  When G & I get home we are going to put a lock on the Fairhaven/New Bedford bridge and see what happens.

Did some exploring, heard some music and finally bought a metro ticket so we could use the public transportation instead of walking so much.  Went to the Synagogue which unfortunately was closed.  This is the second largest synagogue in the world and Europe's largest.

We really weren't into doing the tourist stuff - this place is full of tourists - so we just walked along the streets taking pictures of buildings.  We found a great coffee/shakes place that has free wifi and took full advantage.

Walking over the Chain bridge, we eventually found our way to Castle Hill taking the tram up to see the Palace and the ruins of the Buda Castle.  Lots of shopping ops up here as well.  More views, more pictures.  At the bottom is a big sculpture of a zero km - all distances from any city in Hungary are measured from this point. I have to say that either we were too tired to figure stuff out or the pubic transit system here is much more confusing than other cities.  We spent a lot of time just trying to figure stuff out and winding up in strange places.  Not always a bad thing, but when we wanted to get back to the hotel, it took one bus and 2 trams because we just weren't sure where everything was going.


Made it back and In front of the hotel, we saw them loading up the our trusty bikes to take them back to the tour company.  Probably could have used them today.

Richard was sitting in the lobby when we walked in. We exchanged stories and said we will try to hook up for dinner later but weren't sure.  Up in the room, it was time to get organize and repack.  Got back down to the lobby around 7.  Looked for the group and found most of them in the restaurant.  Mark & Gail are still MIA.  Had another wonderful meal.  I would have never guessed that Hungarian cooking would be so good.  Maybe its the paprika!  For lunch I just ordered a hamburger (which I never order).  It has to be the best hamburger I have ever tasted. I can't even explain tonights meal.  I just ordered a soup which was to die for and G had some kind of chicken thing with farmer's cheese and all kinds of stuff.  Tres yummy.

We all split up tomorrow.  Lee and Joanne are on their way to the Munich Octoberfest, Bonnie & Jim still have one more day in Budapest and get home Tuesday.  Richard leaves early tomorrow morning.  And I am not sure about Gail & Mark but I think they leave tomorrow some time as well.  We are not checking out till noon.  Don't know if we will get in any sightseeing or not.

Next time...The Long Road Home

The End of the Line

Well we did it - 385 km or 240 miles in 6 days.  I'm not quite sure how, and I'm not quite sure why.  But we are now safely in Budapest and happy to be off the saddle for a while.  Today was by far the best day of this whole Vienna trip.  We left early after a quick run to the ATM for some more forints - we had to go on several ferries and needed Hungarian currency.  The biking was great - mainly on paved bike paths.  We  crossed the Danube three times by ferry.  Fortunately, the ferry was there every time.  We had read that some of them only run once an hour.  Since the last leg of this journey was by boat into Budapest, we had to be at the ship at 4:30 for a 5:00 sailing.  We (or more likely, I) was worried that we would miss the ferries and then wind up missing the ship into the city.  But the ferry gods were with us and we cruised right along.  The scenery was exquisite and the weather pristine.  Certainly made up for all the rain, wind, and cold we had suffered through, not to mention the endless cornfields.

We really didn't have to worry about making the boat, because we got there about 2 hours early.  On route, we ran into a wine festival that was just getting underway.  That was a hoot.  Got down to the dock and bought our tickets right off and wondered around town for a bit.  The boat ride to Budapest was nice, especially since we didn't have to ride the bikes.  As you approach the city, you are greeted with the Parliment building which is absolutely stunning.  We all disembarked.  And by all, I mean us and a few dozen others all going to the same hotel.  It was now after 6pm and it felt like a fire drill biking through the city trying to find the hotel.  I had tears in my eyes by the time we pulled up to the front door.  A very strong emotional release that took 3 weeks in the making.

Checked in and parked the bikes for the last time.  Tried to go to the sauna, no luck, wrong key.  Got dressed for dinner and met the gang downstairs.  It was now around 8pm and dinner wasn't finished till around 10pm.  Of course it was another epicurean delight.

Another Hungarian feast. I have to inject this little tidbit before this blog is over.  One source of our amusement came from Jim, who cannot eat gluten products.  Ingeniously, he made up these lamentated cards in different languages that explain his situation.  We tease him endlessly because he gets very special treatment whenever anyone reads these cards.  I am thinking of coming up with some kind of disease just so that I can flash my card.  He was treated like royalty and has been able to enjoy his trip without the worry of what is really in his food.

Speaking of Jim, I have to say that he was the most concientious in terms of always waiting for people and making sure that no one was left behind.  Joanne, God bless her, managed to bike all the way from Munich to Budapest and still put up with Lee.  Although Gail and Mark do their own thing most of the time, when you do get to spend time with them, they are great fun. Bonnie is, as always, dependable and steady. Richard was unexpectedly, most supportive. And Lee, although gruff on the outside is pure pussy cat on the inside.  This was his ride and we all jumped on the train where we wanted. All in all, I have to say that all of my fears and worries were all for naught.  Except for a few cranky times, and one time when my knee decided to fall out of its socket (I did manage to pop it back in), and a very sore tush, I rode well, held my own, and am very proud of going the distance through the good and the bad.

We did it - all of it - from Amsterdam to Bruges to Paris to Vienna to Budapest - visiting Slovakia from time to time. Six countries, five cities and various towns.  I simply can't believe it is coming to an end.  Tomorrow we tour Budapest and then Monday we set for home.  No free wifi in this upscale hotel so I am not sure when or if I can post this before I get home.

Sunday morning - walking around the city and stumbled on free wifi at freshfactory.hu

Next time... The Buda and The Pest

Crossing Borders

NOTE:  Check out new photos in Vienna-Budapest Pt 2 Album

A very adventurous day, starting with a trip to the train station.  We all decided to take the train from Tata to Komaron to cut out a lot of heavy traffic and steep hills and then bike through Slovakia over the bridge to Esztergom, Hungary where our hotel is tonight.

There was a conversation with a passing bicyclist and Richard and Gail and apparently they were able to decipher the directions because off we went.  Made it to the train station through city streets at morning rush hour.  What fun!!  That was only the beginning.  There was the usual confusion about what currency (because now we all had about 3 different kinds of money)  and how much the tickets were but eventually we all got our tickets now we only had to get to the right track which was across the tracks.  We had two options - one was to climb the stairs with our bikes and walk across and carry them down.  Some folks did this.  Then this guy said that the attendant would come out and open the gate so that we could cross the tracks with out bikes - hoping a train doesn't come along.  The little man eventually came out and we scurried across as fast as we could.  Too bad we have no pics of this because Geoff was too busy helping get the bikes across.

Nice train ride. A traveling salesman sitting next to Bonnie and Lee tried to sell Lee some razors for his 4:00 shadow.  When that didn't work, he went to work on Bonnie and tried to sell her some socks.  Who knows what else he had in that bag.  Arrived in Komaron, Hungary and went over the bridge to Slovakia.  Entered this nice little town, had coffee and walked around taking pictures of the square.

It was time to head out.  We chose the river road with the scenery (or so we were told).  When we got down there, it was pretty much riding the dyke - so everyone but us and Lee and Joanne chose to ride on the road and meet us at the other end.  The four of us started down the dyke and then the road turned down towards the Danube.  G & I had a Jerry B. moment since this was yet another country for him,  The road was muddy and lots of sand traps which made the biking hard to be consistent.  We went back up to the dyke and biked the rest on that, passing some Roman ruins with a great map of pretty much our bike route from Vienna.

Met up with the rest of the gang and it was back on the dyke. This is not much fun - very bumpy and hot.  Decided to turn back on to the road and look for a spot for lunch,.  The group stopped outside this grocery store and had their lunch there.  Geoff and I walked down to the river and ate down there.  It was quite beautiful.

Back on the path, the map led us to road, bike path, and dykes.  At one point, we had to cross a canal by physically climbing up and over the concrete crossing.  Very hard to explain and again Geoff was too busy moving bikes to take photos.  We managed to get over to the other side of the canal and hook up with the main road.  Through all of this we did see the river from time to time.

Finally got to Strovo where we navigated ourselves through the city to the bridge.  We were treated to a great view and photo op of the Esztergom Bascillicia.  Crossed over the bridge back into Hungary and our hotel was just on the left.  Great!!!  Another 60+ km day.  G & I checked in and then took a walk down a small fair they were having just across the canal.  Took some local flavor shots then went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.

Walked around the old town for a bit and then settled on a very nice restaurant.  Ludwig our waiter was a real sweetie.  Had some great Hungarian food and wine.  Tomorrow is our last biking day.  We bike for 50-60km and then take the boat into Budapest.  Looks like the sun will continue to shine.

Next time .... Budapest

The Road to Tata

All I can say is if I never see a corn field again, that would be just fine with me.  We rode 89 km which equals 55 miles - I have never done that in my life.  The good news was that the sun was out.  But there was absolutely nothing to see.  As par for the course, getting out of town is a challenge.  I went to the front desk to get a city map and that helped a bit.  Geoff got us out onto the route but it still didn't stop us from taking a wrong turn here and there.

We all took what we were led to believe was the more scenic route - going through small towns.  Should have known that the towns would not be charming.  More of the same of what we have been seeing the past couple of days.  Lots of farms.  No more cafes either.  Ate lunch in front of a grocery store on a busy street in the middle of a small town.  We went up and down hills all day.

One highlight was the Bascillica in Pannonbhalma, which is up a very steep incline. We were told you couldn't go in without a tour guide and the tour was 80 minutes.  No time for that.  Mark, Gail, Geoff and I trucked up there anyway hoping for some better views.  Not really worth the effort.  There was a glass gallery up there but they wanted you to buy tickets just to look around.  Strange.

After lots of looking at maps and directions that made no sense, we finally made it to the hotel.  A very nice guy on a bike led us down to the sign pointing the direction.  We went up yet another hill and coming down there was a sign saying we were leaving the Tata - which is where the hotel is supposed to be.  More confusion - but yes, we were on the right road and the hotel is not really in Tata.  How would we know that????

Totally exhausted right now.  I also have to swap out my bike.  It was making odd noises all day and I am afraid that it will seize up on me at some point.  Geoff and I even stopped into an auto repair shop and had them lube it - to no avail.  This company keeps spare bikes at the hotels, so there is one in the garage.  Geoff just went down to see if it would fit me.  I cannot put my tush down on another bike seat right now.

Dinner at the hotel - which is lovely by the way - since there is nowhere else to go - unless we go back up the hill.  No thank you.  I am sure we will all be laughing about this at dinner tonight.


OMG I am absolutely stuffed!!  The food is outrageous in this country and so very, very cheap.  Of course, one thing about biking 55 miles is that you feel entitled to eat anything you want.  And believe I did.  Geoff had this incredible dish of grilled catfish over noodles and cottage cheese (like Grandma's) with paprika sauce.  I had the salmon with some fabulous spinach.  Then we split the Grundel Pancake which is a crepe filled with walnuts in chocolate sauce.  Dinner was very civilized and quiet.  We did all laugh and enjoy rehashing the ups and downs (literally) of the ride.

This place is lovely and I do wish we had more time to take advantage of all the perks.  Apparently, Hungary is a very "wellness" oriented country.  Every hotel so far has thermal swimming pools with saunas and massage but so far we get in too late to use anything.  I  hope we have a nice place in Budapest because we are there for a few days and I would like to partake in some of these wellness services.

Next time.... Esztergom

2 Day Update

Had problems getting wifi -- read on and you will find out why.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Rain, rain, and more rain.  And let's not forget about the cold and the wind!  Richard and Joanne chose to take the van to the next hotel.  From how I feel right about now, I really think that was the wiser decision.  The remaining 7 of us headed out in the pouring rain towards Brastilava, the capital of Slovakia and then on to our next hotel destination in a town in Hungary that I cannot even pronounce.

The ride to Slovakia was wet and foggy, not much to take pictures of.  Although I am sure on a clear day, it might have been quite beautiful.  We made one stop at a Petrol station to pick up safety vests, as we were instructed it is mandatory in Slovakia during the night or reduced visibility situations.  Well they couldn't miss now that's for sure!  Crossed the old border into Slovakia and made it to Bratislava by about 10:30. Found a pastry shop to warm up in for a while.  After a cafe, it was time for a stroll around the city.  Geoff and I bailed out on the strolling as it was still coming down pretty hard.  Had it been a sunny day, the tour around the old city might have been worth seeing. Not to mention, the Bratislava castle. We headed for the postcard shop and fulfilled our card obligations.

It was back on the bikes to the next town where we were hoping to get somewhere warm for lunch.  No such luck.  However, we did find a restaurant that was closed for the seaon that had tables and benches under a tent like structure.  Terrific, it was dry - that was all we cared about.  Thankfully, most of us made our lunch from the breakfast spread.  It felt good to sit and eat and stay dry for awhile.  The rain had slowed down so it was time to shove off again.

Geoff was doing a fine job navigating us through the streets and bike paths.  We were doing just fine until somehow we missed a turn somewhere.  At this juncture, there were two options.  One was longer but on the bike path through rural scenery - the other was maybe on the highway 150 but much shorter.  Geoff and I took the shorter route and the rest headed off down the path.  There was really only about 1/2 mile of highway until we met up with the bike path again.  It got interesting when we got to the town because we couldn't find the hotel.  Stopped a group of high school students and showed them our map.  They tried to explain how to get there and then finally they said "Follow us, we will take you".  They were sweet and we were very grateful.  Total distance today 62.5 km - time for a hot shower.  It was about 3pm when we arrived at the hotel.  We did not get into our room until about 4:30.  Needless to say, I was getting a bit cranky.  Read on...

The Hotel Aqua is a bit bizarre - it is some kind of thermal baths thing. There are all these fat Hungarians walking around in bathrobes smoking and taking in the thermal baths.  There are two hotels - big and little.  G & I first went into the larger hotel and the woman sent us to the other hotel.  As we approached, we saw a van open with our luggage and we were concerned that he was driving away!!  The gal at the desk explained that we had to check in there but we were going to the other hotel for our room.  OK.  We checked in - got our bathrobes and thermal card - and walked back to the other hotel, where the woman said "That is not us".  So we went back again to the smaller hotel and the gal at the desk found someone to take us over there only now we had Mark and Gail with us.  So the four of us trapsed back over and our guide went straight to the rooms.  Great.  Nice big room.  Wonderful hair dryer to dry our shoes and clothes.

We got settled.  I took a shower while Geoff tried to get the wifi going using the password the gal from the small hotel gave us.  No go.  He went down to reception - "Sorry sir you cannot use our wifi because although you have a room here, you are not a guest of this hotel."  He came back upstairs.  I sent him back down again saying "That is unacceptable.  We are paying customers." He also took the password that the other woman gave him.  So back down to the lobby he went.  Now Joanne and Lee show up and hear this whole conversation about how we are not really guests here. I guess we must be invisible. And then the woman told him that the password that he was given was stolen.  WTF!!!  G comes back up to relay his tale of woe.  Too bad I am sitting here in a bathrobe with my invisible Heineken from the minibar, otherwise I would go down there.  But after today, I have to say I just don't have the energy to rile up the New York attitude.  Although these folks deserve it.  Oh, I didn't even mentioh the little man at the turnstile who collects the "thermal tickets".  This is also the shortcut to the other hotel.  He didn't want to let us pass because we didn't have tickets.  Here we are in our biking gear (me with my shiny new safety vest) walking around holding bathrobes and a hotel room key that goes nowhere apparently.  Does he think we are going to try to sneak in for a swim??!!##!!

Well it is almost time to meet the group for dinner.  Too bad we didn't get to take advantage of any the thermal activities.  I certainly could use a good massage right about now.  Hey Lucy, I'll be cashing in big time on my birthday present!!

Dinner was at a restaurant across from the "big" hotel - an authentic Hungarian place.  The food was delicious - real comfort food which is what we all needed after a day in the wind and rain.   After dinner the waiter poured a complimentary home made Hungarian liquor.  Quite tasty.  The cockles got warmed and the giggles got louder.  Back in the room now and the wind is still howling outside, although it has stopped raining.  We can only hope that it blows it all away and the sun will be out tomorrow.

Next time ... Gyor

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Going to Gyor

Finally, clear skies and sunshine.  Everyone was geared up for today's ride to Gyor, which was not as long as yesterday.  Checked out of the bizarro hotel and tried heading out of town.  After a stop to the grocery store, we made our way to the bike path and we were off.  The path took us through various small villages - not terribly scenic, especially after seeing the hamlets of Holland.  I will explain here that most of what we have been biking through these past few days are either small villages or towns that were part of the Soviet bloc.  Everything is pretty plain with maybe a church, cafe, and a small store.  The paths have been lined with mainly with corn fields.  All that being said, it felt great to ride in the sunshine.  We arrived in Darnozseli and realized that we took an alternative route bypassing some of the villages.  Mark and Gail decided to go back and do the other route.  The rest of us sat down for a cafe.  Geoff and I decided to go right to Lipot and hook up with the other route while the rest of the gang continued.  We knew that in the end we would all end up in the same place.

The ride out to Lipot was beautiful.  A Canopy of trees lined with lots of old folks on their bikes collecting chestnuts.  The town was the same as they all had been.  Eventually, we met up with the bulk of the group sitting around a statute in Hedervar eating lunch.  We joined them for a bit but decided to have our lunch later on the river.  Our hope was to take the alternate river route into Gyor.  Off we went.  Our first attempt at the river route and we ended up on top of a dyke.  So we back tracked and followed the written directions instead of the map.  This time we followed the river a bit until we came very close to where we were before.  There was a picnic table, so we called lunch.  As we were eating, we spotted the rest of the gang up on top of the dyke - obviously they took the same route we did a while ago.  They all turned around and went back to the path.  After a very nice leisure lunch by the river, we tried taking the path along the bank.  Far too overgrown to make it worth it.  It was back up to the bike path where we spotted our friends again at a cafe along the road.  Coffee break.

Eventually, we made it into Gyor and after a stopping for directions a few times found the hotel.  We are located at the end of a very nice plaza.  So far this has been as picturesque as it we have seen.  The Hotel Raba is in line with our euro simple style.  We have a room facting the main drag and hoping for some nice lights at night.  Todays distance was 50.5 km.

Tonight's dinner was again excellent.  Followed Lee to this fabulous plaza.  Gyor is turning out to be quite the place.  The thing is - no tourists.  Or at least not the hordes that we have been used to seeing all over Europe.  After dinner we took a walk around and up on the old bridge admiring the colors of the new bridge.  Geoff ran into a knife store - oh by the way, they confiscated his Swiss army knife.  Tried to buy a  new one from this guy, but they didn't have the one he was looking for.  Walked back with a stop for a Gelato and a view of the plaza at night with the fountains.  This has been a very good day.

Next time ... Tata

Day One - Bad Deutsch

Just to ease your curiosity, no one took the train even though there were gray skies and it was raining all through breakfast.  Had our trip briefing after breakfast.  There at least 40 other folks for orientation.  Went down to the garage for our bikes, helmets, panniers, etc.  Sorted out the luggage - got that down to the lobby.  It seemed like forever before we headed out of the garage.  The rain had stopped, and the sun even looked like it wanted to come out.  The temperature was cool.

Finally made it out of the garage and on to the bike path.  There were a few stops along the way to make sure we were on the right road.  The biking is extremely easy so far.  The bikes are 21 speed and very comfortable.  Gail brought her fold-up bike and she is quite something on it. The terrain is mostly flat with a hill here and there.  The group is great and we have been meeting and talking to folks along the way as well.  Lunch was in this very small town, Ortho.  It was warm and comfortable, very friendly with great pastries.

Back on the bikes after lunch and the air definitely got cooler and the skies more threatening.  We pressed on - so far to this point not a whole lot to see.  Gray skies don't help either.  The bridge to Bad Deutsch has a beautiful view but it was too dark to get any good shots.  Our total today was 50.3 km about 32 miles.  Sitting in the Hotel Gasthof Stockl, which is very nice.  The room is great and the shower has one of those multi-spray massage nozzles.  Can't wait to try that out.

Took a very quick walk around town.  Everything is very quiet because it is so cold. We will most likely eat at the hotel, which seems to have a very good menu.  The wifi here was a surprise.  I hope we have a connection tomorrow.

Dinner was great.  We found out that the building we were eating in is 300 years old.  A good time was had by all.   Tomorrow we are off to Hungary via Slovakia.  We will be biking in three countries.

On another topic:  Heard the Pats won again.  Didn't get a chance to see that game - might catch the next one in Budapest. And what's up with the Sox??? Gee, we leave the country and they totally fall apart!

Next time... Mosonmagyarovar, Hungary

The Blue Danube

Met Richard for breakfast.  Great spread here - lots to eat and choose from.  Fully sated,. we headed out for cruise along the Danube.  Sat with a wonderful young woman from England and had a great time chatting with her.  The cruise, however, left a lot to be desired.  Not much to see and once we hit the lock, we were there for a very long time.  We had booked a full round trip, but since we were all starving we decided to hop off at the half way point and grab some lunch.  We all had had enough of the Danube.  Plus I had forgot to bring Jerry B. for his river experience.  I was kinda bummed at that.  We decided that we would go down for dinner by the river tonight and have our little ceremony.

Anchor Clock

Found this great little Italian cafe and had a very nice lunch in the garden.  Geoff got fish, Richard had pizza and I am back on salads for a while.  After lunch, Richard wanted to see this old clock that is pretty special to Vienna.  It is called the Anchor Clock.  It has 12 characters and at noon it is something to see.  It wasn't noon but we looked at it anyway.  This happened to be right in the Jewish section.  So we took a short walk to the synagogue but it was closed.  Walking back to the square, we came up on a beautiful statue.  I had no idea what it was about, until a woman standing by me started to explain that it was the marriage of Mary and Joseph under the chuppah - because they were Jews. You never see statutes erected for the Jews, so this was something.  She told us where the Holocaust Memorial was and that there was something going on at the synagogue at 4:30 which she was going to be attending.

The Memorial was at the Judenplatz which was just a few short blocks away.  We trucked down there.  There was a museum but we had seen enough of Jewish history and thought that the synagogue might hold more interest.  Since it was close to 4:30 we walked back.  Everyone was very nice, however, the speaker was in the community center and not the synagogue.  There was a couple speaking from Germany who had their art on display.  We went in for a bit and chatted but never got to see the synagogue.  Oh well.

Back at the hotel, we were beat and nixed the river idea.  There would be other chances.  Geoff went down to the lobby to print some info for the bike trip.  I met him after a bit and when I got down there, our friends had all showed up.  These are the guys that we will be biking with for the next week.  They decided to go down to the river for dinner, so we quickly ran up and grabbed Jerry and headed out with them.  Wound up at what was basically a rib joint.  No English menu, but with the help of a very nice lady, we were all able to order what we wanted.  On the walk back, Geoff & I ducked under the bridge for our Jerry B. moment.  Next stop for him will be Budapest.

We are back in the room.  Have reorganized our stuff for this bike trip.  Tomorrow looks like it is going to be cold with heavy rains.  Geoff, Richard and I might start day one off on the train.  Don't care.  Not going to kill ourselves.

Next time... Going to Bad Deutsch

Wilkommen to Wein

Got a good night's rest and went down for our complimentary breakfast.  Good spread and we were able to pack a lunch as well.  Since this hotel was in the city, we decided to check out and leave our bags at the hotel and walk around a bit.

Walked down through the Museums Quartier through the Maria Therelien Platz into the plaza of the Natural History Museum and the Art Museum.  Not having a clue at all about this city, we opted for the Old Timers Tour.  Not so much money and we figured we would learn something.  So off we went in a 1949 fire wagon.  Good info but not so good for taking pictures since the roads are covered with tram tracks the ride was a bit bumpy.  Basically it was the same ride that we got from the cab driver except it was daytime and we got a narrative.  We did get a sense of the place of what we wanted to see and didn't want to see.

This city is under total construction.  Everywhere you go they are rebuilding, building, or excavating something.  It's a bit disconcerting.  Getting off the tour we ran into a Austrian band in the square.  That was a hoot.  Hung around for a while and then tried to find the Jewish Museum, having to go through the Stevinsplein, which is a huge tourist center, only to find the museum under construction.  Decided to get away from the crowds and walked up to Johann Strauss Concert Hall, which has lovely gardens.  Ate our lunch on a park bench.  Pressed on to Beethoven Square and then down to the Opera House.  Had a cafe and called it quits for the tourist thing. Made it back to the hotel, picked up our luggage and we were on our way to our next location.  Navigated the underground pretty good and found the hotel with not too much trouble.  Although this hotel is a bit larger, again, the room is very euro simple.  We have a ton of stuff from the bike company.  I hope we can sort it all out.

Met Richard for dinner - although he wasn't eating anything.  A touch of Montezuma, I'm afraid.  We went to the mall (which is the only place around here) and found the one Austrian restaurant.  I had the Weiner schnitzel and Geoff had something I can't pronounce, let alone spell, but it looked and tasted like sausages.  Richard sat and talked for a while and then he took off.  We did decide to do a boat trip together tomorrow down the Danube.

There is this very famous giant ferris wheel in Vienna, which was built about 100 years ago.  It resides in a very lively amusement park.  We had talked of going there tomorrow but a nighttime ride on a giant ferris wheel sounded like fun.  Hopped on the U and we were at the park in no time.  This thing is enormous - almost 200 feet high.  You go up in a cable car that holds about 10 people very comfortably.  It was wild seeing the park from way up there.  After that, we got on the regular ferris wheel with the open bucket and got some more views.  Walked around and gawked at all the rides and the amazing things people put their bodies through.  We had a very nice night at the fair.

We are all tucked in now.  Night, night

Next time... The Blue Danube

Going to Vienna

Leaving Paris

Took our time getting up this morning. The plan was to go down and recon the train stations and then tour the cemetery for Jim Morrison's grave.  I decided to look up and see exactly where the grave was located in the graveyard. Lo and behold, this is not where he was buried.  Somehow, someone gave us the wrong info and we just assumed it was right.  He is buried over by the cemetery near the Bastille.  With that out of the way, this gave us a bit more time for catching up on emails and trying to get our stuff together for this Vienna biking excursion.  I am bit concerned because the info that we got when we signed up doesn't seem to jive with what I received a day before we left the country and didn't really get a chance to go through.  Geoff is not worried - Geoff never worries.

Anyway, we did perform our mission of finding the train station that will take us to the airport this afternoon.  It was a bit further than we thought. We noticed that a bus that stopped on a corner near our hotel goes right to the station.  Fabulous, no schelping through the Metro or hauling stuff through the crowded streets.  Happy with ourselves for getting that together, we decided to do a quick tour of the cemetery. A mix of all faiths are here - many famous people along with people lost during the war. Took a few photos of the more interesting stones we found.  We saw as much as we had time for then went to lunch.  Popped into the neighborhood brassiere for a bagette sandwich - wrapped up half for the afternoon travel excursion.

Got back to the room in time for the 2pm check-out (which we were very grateful for) ad it was off to the bus stop.  Made it to the RER just in time for the train to Charles De Gaulle Airport.  We weren't sure which terminal we were headed for when Geoff spotted a young man with wings on his lapel.  Paolo, turned out to work for Air France and was very helpful and friendly.  We chatted the whole way to the airport.  Found our terminal and it was pretty smooth sailing until we hit Vienna.  By now it was 7:30.  There was confusion about getting the train to the hotel and then we just said uncle and got a taxi.  Had a great driver who gave us a mini tour of the city at night.  The ride was worth every penny.  We are now at our other freebie hotel, which I do not recommend.  We are only here for one night so it is not that bad.  It does happen to be very clean and that is a big plus. Tomorrow we go to the hotel where we meet up with our other biking companions. 

Just called "Big Brother" - it was good to hear his voice.

Next time ... Exploring Vienna

Versailles - Not So Much

NOTE:  New photo album:  Paris Part 2

Woke up to brilliant sunshine, which was a welcomed change of pace for us.  We took our time enjoying the luxury of not having to be anywhere. There will be plenty of that next week when we are back on the bikes. The first decision was Versailles or no Versailles.  We thought about the getting there, the crowds, and all that endless opulence, and decided to stay in the city and do some more sightseeing at our own pace.  Besides, after seeing what they did to the Louvre after 40 years, I wasn't too thrilled to see what has happened to the Palace - probably surrounded by Starbucks and MacDonalds.  That settled, we had a GREAT day!

After a quick yogurt and coffee in the room and  a leisurely shower, we were ready to hit the pavement.  Today the plan was to start out at Sacred Coeur, high on the hill at Montmartre.  As we were going to the bus stop, the aroma from the pastry shop beckoned us and we just had to have a morning cafe with a little something.  Got on the bus which took us passed the Louvre - good thing we went in the late afternoon yesterday.  This morning the place was crawling with people.  The line to get in was wrapped around outside for what seemed like miles.  We weren't sure which stop to get out and we wound up a bit further a field then we had planned.  This turned out to be a good thing.  Had a nice quiet stroll up to the church - no tourists.  We wound up at the back end and had to walk around - Bam!  That's where all the tourists were.  Not too interested in fighting the hoards, we took some pix, enjoyed the view.  Opted for a crepe and fries for lunch and sat down on a bench at the bottom of the hill.  Had to walk through the crowds to get down to the avenue to figure out our next stop - the Moulin Rouge.

Walking down the Boulevard de Clichy - which has a lovely walking path down the center, we passed through Place Pigalle (getting it's name from Pig Alley).  This part of town is lined with sex shops and I don't have to say what else.  Got to the Moulin Rouge, sneaked a peek inside and took some more stupid tourist pix.

Next on our list was the Opera House, which is the largest theater for lyric opera in the world.  Apparently everyone was at the churches because there weren't too many folks at the Opera House.  This place is amazing.  They were doing rehearsals and we caught a few lighting changes.  We took our time and enjoyed the view from the terrace, as well as being able to see where to catch our next bus.  Leaving the Opera House, I bought two small paintings from a very nice artist.  I hope he actually painted them and they were not made in China!

Our last stop was the Rodin Museum Gardens.  Again we (I) sort of miscalculated our bus route and we wound up walking a ways through St. Germain-Pres.  Not bad, since we hadn't hit this area before.  Took mainly back streets and came across some lovely neighborhoods.  Made it to the museum a little after 4pm.  Admission for the garden is only 1 euro  and well worth it.  At the end of the day, it is great to walk around, take in the sculptures, have a cafe, and put your feet up and relax on the chaises.  Today they were gearing up for a big dinner for the delegates from Azerbaijan.  The gates close at 5:45 and that was just perfect for us.  We went out to the main boulevard and caught the Metro 13 directly to our hotel!  One last stop for some morning croissants and we are now back in the room.

Headed out to a small restaurant in our neighborhood  that I found on the internet for dinner which specializes in Southern French cooking.  Unfortunately, it was too small and the place was packed.  Can't get in till 9pm.  We walked a bit further down the through the many outdoor bistros and turned down a side street.  Found another South of France restaurant that seemed very good.  The menu looked great.  Geoff had this cold meat salad that had duck stuffed with fois gras, a slice of  loaf guinea hen loaf, and a hambone.  I ordered the Coqu au Vin made the traditional way with rooster and scalloped potatoes with a small salad.  A delicious real French country dinner.  We are getting much better at picking dining options.  Stay away from the main drags!!

After dinner, we went to the Montparnasse Tower which is right down the street.  It is 210 meters high and has 360 degree views of the city.  The elevator goes up 56 stories in 38 seconds.  So we have more night shots of the City of Lights.  Don't think we would have gone out of our way to go up here but since it was in the neighborhood it was a cool thing to do.  The restaurant is being renovated otherwise we might have eaten at the top.  However, we were pretty pleased with our meal.  Stopped at the market one more time on the way back for a  yogurt for dessert and the morning to add to our croissants.

We are very used to being in Paris and getting around now.  It all feels very comfortable, which means that it must be time to go. All in all I'd say we did great on our own, We were never stressed with crowds or lines.  Our location also turned out to be very convenient.  It was great being close to buses, trains, and the metro plus having access to all the cafes and restaurants.  Our flight to Vienna tomorrow is not until 5:35, the hotel will let us check out at 2:00 which is great.  We have saved one more event for our last day.  This hotel borders the Montparnasse Cemetery which houses Jim Morrison's grave.  We will wonder through there after breakfast.  Have lunch and then be off to yet another country, language, and culture.

Next time.... Vienna

City Lights

WOW! What a day - lunch at the Eiffel Tower and dinner at the Louvre.  Sounds terribly romantic, but honestly, we are so exhausted we can hardly move.  But I am getting ahead of myself.

Breakfast was in our room this morning.  The plan for the day was to try to stay out all day and see the city lights at night.  The first stop was the Eiffel Tower.  Walked down to the Gare and hopped on the bus. We got close enough to walk.  It was still relatively early, so the crowds weren't that bad.  Bought a ticket for the summit.  Lucky to have the sunshine for the views.  Stopped on the 2nd floor on the way up and then stopped at the 1st level coming down.  Here they show a film of the tower and have lots of information about this structure.  1710 stairs to the top!  That beats the Bruges Bell Tower's 366.  Ate lunch at the 58 Tour Eiffel Restaurant and had a cafe toast to Deidre's 40th birthday.  Walked all the way down to the ground level and headed out for our next stop.

It was back on the bus to the Champs de Elysees.  Walked up to the Arc d' Triumph and hung out there for a bit.  No desire to go in and walk up to the top.  The Louvre was next.  This time we took the Metro because we couldn't quite figure out the bus route and the big M was right there.  Well a lot has certainly changed in the 40 years I last saw the Louvre.  I have to say I am not a fan of the Pyramids.  We are learning that the French are a bit unorganized. We bought our tickets in a small shop in the underground on the way up to the museum.  No one ever checked them!  There were signs everywhere saying no flash photography and people were flashing away like crazy.  We found the same kind of disorganization at the Eiffel Tower as well.  It was chaos moving the crowds of people to and from the elevators.  Anyway, back to the art.  Yes we saw a lot of it and most of the highlights.  Check out the Paris photo album for new pix.

Leaving the museum, we ended up at the Tuileries Garden and sat down with a cafe.  We were beat.  Walked down to the fountain and put our feet up.  We made our way down to the Concorde where the Egyptian Oblisk sits in the middle of the intersection.  There is a nice overlook where we sat some more and just enjoyed the sunshine. One of the great things about this city is that there are chairs and benches everywhere.  It was getting on to dinner time, so we strolled back to the gardens and sat at a cafe.  Geoff had the fish of the day which turned out to be skate.  He loved it.  I had the onion soup.  Got back to our perch in time to catch the sunset going down by the Eiffel Tower - 1/2 hour later the skies darkened and the city lights popped on.  What a sight.  Geoff went nuts trying to get some decent shots.  As we were going to the bus, the Tower started this disco light thing and lit up like a Christmas tree.  Crazy.

Caught the bus and made it back to the hotel in 15 minutes.  Decided to do some laundry in the bathtub.  They have these nice towel warmers which are great for drying clothes.  Tucked into bed now waiting a bit and will try to call Deidre to wish her a Happy Birthday.

Next time ...Versailles?

In Seine

Fell  asleep at around 10pm and then we were both up at 1:30am.  Hey, the Pats are playing the Dolphins! We were able to stream the game on our trusty netbook.  I made it to just past half time and G got through the whole 3rd quarter, when he knew they were on their way to victory for sure.  It was pretty neat being able to see it live.

Back up at around 8am and first order of business was to get yet another room.  I won't go into details but that room was marginally functional.  The bed was great but after that nothing worked.  Luckily, they transferred us to the same side of the building and this room feels like a suite compared to the other one.  Needed to kill time so they could make up the new room, so we headed out to breakfast.  Lots of bread, wrapped up the left over croissants for tomorrow.   On the way back, I decided it was time for a hair cut.  One of the problems with these long trips is that my hair turns into a mop!  So I now have a Paris do - very short - should hold me till I get home.  Not as short as the Fiji cut but close.

Quickly changed rooms and we were off  to explore Paris!  We charted a walking plan through the back streets down to Notre Dame, going through the Luxemburg Gardens and stopping for a photo-op at the palace.  The Pantheon was also in our path.  Arrived at the left bank with Notre Dame towering across the river.  Walked around and decided it was as good a time as any for a Jerry B. tribute in the Seine.  Across the way, we saw the Hotel de Ville looming.  This houses the administration.  Took a stroll around there to see what we could see.  Turned out there is a big shopping mall right there.  Shopping is crazy in this town.

While the rest of the tourists are crowding the many, many churches, we found yet another Jewish History Museum.  It was a great presentation of not only French Jews but all European and Russian Jews.  This also tied in with our printing museum, see the first Torahs printed.  Our Picasso experience talked of many of the artists that were in France at the time of the war - Chagall being one.  Most of them settled in the area where we are staying, Montparnasse.  All of these museums and exhibits have been off the beaten path with not so many tourists and certainly no lines.  It is rather refreshing.  However, tomorrow we take on the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower!

It was after 4 by the time we got out and decided to get back.  Being on the other side of the city, thought it would be best to use our transport card instead of walking.  Both pairs of feet were pretty beat.  Actually found a bus that took us straight to the hotel.  Much more civilized than the Metro plus you get to see stuff.  The bus left us off at the Gare Montparnasse, which is a huge train station.  Looked around in there hoping to get some information on how to get to the airport on Friday, but it was after 5 and info was closed.  Stopped off at the supermarket for the makings of breakfast in our room - so we don't have to keep spending mega euros just for bread and coffee.  All we need now is a spoon!  Probably "pick" one or two up at dinner tonight.

Time to shower and head for the streets but first we called Geoff's dad since today is his birthday.  Another great tool from the netbook.  Our dinner decision making is getting a bit better.  Tonight it only took us about an hour to pick a spot that looked like what we wanted.  What we wanted was escargot.  Wound up a place just down the street.  We dined inside instead of with the smokers who sit outside at the little cafe tables on the street.  They were even playing French music.  We shared an order of fabulous snails with a wonderful goat cheese salad. After dinner we headed down through our little theater district for some gelato so that we could keep the spoons for breakfast.

Back at the ranch all tucked in, I turn on the computer and Richard B. is skyping me from Venice.  He is one of the folks joining us in Vienna for the next leg of our journey.  While I was on skype, I noticed Linda, my friend in Switzerland, was on - so I skyped her and we chatted for a bit about Paris and Italy. She had just gotten back from Sicily.  Going to turn in now, hoping to have lunch at the Eiffel Tower for Deidre's birthday!

Next time ... More Paris

The Left Bank

Sitting on the high speed Thalys train to Paris from Brussels right now.  Having just finished our lunch courtesy of our B&B. Since the Europeans serve cold cuts and cheese not to mention mounds of every kind of bread with their breakfast, we are getting really good at smuggling out sandwiches. Although, our hostess looked at us a bit odd when we asked for mustard yesterday.  She remarked "That's different!"

We watched a movie on the laptop last night. Had a good night's sleep. No one else at the B&B to make any noise.  After breakfast, we packed up our stuff and made sure that we knew where we were going and the connections to make. Also how to get to our Paris hotel from the train station.  Said our goodbyes to Jane and hiked down to the station. Boarded an earlier train to Brussels then we had originally planned.  This left us with a little more time to figure out where to go to get the Paris train in Brussels.  Figured it all out without too much trouble.  The train was already at the track, found our seats and viola!  We are on our way.  The ride is only about 1:30 hours.

The weather was rather bleak when we left Bruges but as we travel, the skies appear to be getting brighter.  Or maybe I am willing them to be brighter.  Leaving behind the beer, chocolate, frites, and wafels, we are looking forward to arriving in Paris for another leg of our European adventure.

Would love to hear from any of our barge pals to know if you made it back home OK.

later...

Got to Paris and was deposited at the Gare de Nord - went to the info counter and bought a 5 day metro pass - hopped on the #4 and I immediately had flashbacks of being back in NY.  The culture shock hit hard, especially when we exited the Metro at Montparnasse.  It looked like Times Square. It took a while, but we eventually found our hotel.  Nothing to get too excited about.  We changed rooms to one off the street - didn't care for the jack hammering too much.  This room is quiet, clean, and the bed is the best one yet!  Plus it was free, so we aren't complaining.

After a rest, we ventured out to find some dinner.  We are in the heart of some kind of theater district on the left bank - lots of outdoor cafes and lots of people.  We were in and out of practically all of them - looking at menus and getting totally ignored. Decided that authentic French food was far too rich for us and kept looking for some middle ground.  Finally got went into some place that had a decent menu and actually waited on us. Very friendly, the food was good.  I had to send my steak back because it was like leather and then I got a terrific piece of meat.  Geoff got crispy bream which is a white fish.  The wine here is unbelievably expensive considering it all comes from this country.  I don't get that at all.

Paris at night

Not too many pictures, we were too bushed to do much of anything. Took one night scene leaving the restaurant. Tomorrow, if the weather is good and that is a big IF, we might do a bike tour of Paris. Right now we are tucked into our very comfy bed looking forward to getting a good night's sleep.

Next time ... Touring Paris

A Little Picasso and Then Some

NOTE:  New pictures in "In Bruges" album

Took our time getting out of bed and down to breakfast.  Speaking of down, we climb 52 stairs to get up to our room and then go down the same way.  You don't want to forget anything when you leave.  It was cloudy then sunny then cloudy then rain, etc, etc.  Another good day to stay inside the museums.  This being Sunday a lot of shops were closed and the tourism didn't seem as heavy.  We would have liked to climb the bell tower but it is very tight up there and I don't do good in close spaces.  Anyway, we figured we get in our 366 steps just getting to our room!

Heading into town, we passed by the famous Dumon Chocolatier.  Had a peek around and watched as the chocolate was being made but it was a bit too early for sweets.  Grabbed the tourist pictures. Maybe we will be back for the chocolate later.

Retracing yesterday's steps, I got some pictures of all the outside of the museums, so we will remember the names.  It looked like it might start raining so we popped into the Picasso exhibit -- this was really terrific.  We got the audio guide and learned everything there is to know Picasso and his techniques - along with some other masters, Dali, Matisse  to name a few.  This is a private collection and not usually seen by the general public.  It was extremely well done.

From Picasso it was down the street to another museum housing Flemish masters. This ticket was also good for the neighboring museum -- more walking, more art -- most of which centered around religious figures.  We packed up a lunch from breakfast and ate on a bench in between art museums.  Next stop was back to the antique fair for a real Belgium wafel.  Tres yummy, but one will last us a lifetime.

Decided to walk to the extreme other end of town to take a look at the Jerusalem Church and the lace museum - both of which were closed.  Finally got back at around 3:30 and we are now resting up before meeting Cora for dinner.

Just back from a terrific Bruges dinner.  We ate at outside at Poules Moules and ordered a serving of mussels for the three of us plus a goat cheese salad.  The mussels come in this giant pot and the salad was huge, and of course, you get frites with everything.  Good thing we only ordered one serving.  It was a very fitting meal for our last night in Belgium.  Said our farewells to Cora - I do hope she keeps in touch.  She is a gem and I am so glad we met and have remained friends.

The bells were ringing again on the walk back.  It seems like there are always bells going off in this town. Before going to our suite, we decided to go across the street from our B&B and take an after dinner walk through the park along the canal. It turned out to be a lovely evening, although there is a definite chill in the air. We are now back in our room.  We leave for Paris tomorrow taking the 11am local train to Brussels and then the big train to Paris.

Next time... The Left Bank