Tuesday, November 8, 2016

FRI, OCT.22, - THU, OCT 27, 2016 - REGENSBERG, GERMANY Through BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (days 6-11 of river cruise)

 SAT., OCT 22, 2016 - REGENSBURG, GERMANY (Cruise Day #6) - Our Avalon walking tour for this day began at 8:30 a.m.  It included Old Town, the gates of a Roman fort, c.17 AD; seeing mansions, stopping for a free snack at a sausage kitchen, and beautiful river views.


Shown below is a marker near the location where our boat was docked on the Danube River.

And Regensberg
The city's famous stone bridge.

Cathedral

















In the city was a marker commemorating the place of residence from Nov. 1945 to Sept. 1946  of Emilie and Oskar Schindler.  (at the time they were in hiding to avoid retaliation from the Russians because Oskar Schindler was a member of the Nazi party).  Interesting sidenote:  Our guide mentioned that a similar marker, without the reference to Emilie Schindler was replaced with this marker, stating "Emilie and Oskar Schindler...".  That was because, contrary to the storyline of the movie, Emilie Schindler was as active as Oskar in helping save from extermination the 1200 Jews.

Notice the narrow streets of the city and the tall structures.  Our guide mentioned that the taller the houses, the wealthier the owners.








But as always, the German people are not missing their beer parlors and places of entertainment.


























And, we returned to our riverboat, Avalon Luminary


Walking records for day 3.83 miles




Sunday, Oct. 23, 2016 -Passau, Germany (Cruise Day #7)- At 8:00 a.m., Virginia,  Sylvia & I left the boat for a 10-hour Excursion to Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic (Tommy wasn't feeling well so he stayed on the boat).  Traveling on a chartered mini-bus we took a scenic route across the rolling hills of Upper Austria and Bohemia to Chesky Krumlov, one of the most beautiful, charming and romantic little towns that are to be found in Europe.  For centuries, this small town has enjoyed the reputation of being the "Pearl of the Bohemian Forest", an extraordinary fortified town built by princes and bishops on the most beautiful bend of the Vltava River.  This hidden gem of European history remains as it was centuries ago, a colorful place with over 300 historic buildings, small lanes, art galleries, charming shops, and medieval inns.  What follows were our first sights of the beautiful little town.


























It was a very bitter cold day, with some light snow falling.  We wished for more, i.e., heavier coats, hats, and gloves.

The cobblestone streets became wet and slippery.













I thought these red items had lots of design character and remembered the ones we had seen earlier at the Palace of Babelsberg In Potsdam.


Note the "fingers" supporting this can/sign.










The shops were small and charming.  Sylvia found and purchased a wonderful glass epergne that required lots of careful wrapping and handling.  But she got it home in perfect condition.



The buildings are colorful.





























Note the large white building in the background.  It's a castle that we were told is very beautiful.


 We walked and shopped until we were really, really cold and then located a nice restaurant where no one spoke English even though they had a menu translated into English.  It was warm inside and the food was tasty.  We stayed in the restaurant until a short while before the stated meeting-up time, and with little delay were once again on the mini-bus headed back toward the riverboat.




Meanwhile, the boat had moved to another location on the Danube that was in Austria and near the town of Melk.  As we traveled back to the boat the route passed through a peaceful looking, beautiful countryside.





Walking records for day 4.6 miles




Mon., Oct. 24 - Melk/Vienna, Austria (Cruise Day #8) -After breakfast, we departed from the ship on buses to travel to the city of Melk, Austria.  First, we visited the beautiful downtown area of Melk.






Then we climbed above the city center to see the views from the location of the Benedictine Abbey.
















And, we pose in front of the same building...






Back on the boat, we sailed toward Vienna...

Passing a castle on the river...






And, arriving in the city at dark.  The picture below is of the Jubilee Church, Vienna.

and same church, the next morning on the city tour.



At 8:15 p.m. The brilliant cast of top European singers, beautifully costumed dancers and the Original Weiner Salon Orchestra presented a truly magical evening for us in the lovely Baroque (lower) Belvedere Palace.  The concert featured the most famous opera Arias by Mozart, Strauss, "The Merry Widow" by Franz Lehar, the Blue Danube Waltz, the Radetzky March, and many others.  Virginia & Tom and Sylvia & I attended and enjoyed every moment of the event.
Below pictures taken inside Belvedere Palace and at the concert.











Walking records for day 4.13 miles


TUE., OCT. 25 -VIENNA, AUSTRIA (CRUISE DAY #9) - The Avalon excursion for the morning was a city tour (from a bus).  The following pictures were taken on that drive:

The Vienna Parliament House.






 St. Stephens Cathedral







Hofburg Palace, the Spanish Riding School

notice the horse looking through the 1/2 door opened into his paddock






This picture was made in front of  Belvedere Palace







446 feet tall...
















The interior of St. Stephen's Cathedral was changed again and again over the centuries, right through to the Baroque period
 interior...
ceiling





close up of the center of the above-shown ceiling










and, outside the flower markets




Today, July 25th was Tommy Wheat's birthday so he chose to return to Gaststube Puerstner, a restaurant where we had eaten lunch on our visit to Vienna the previous week.  Once again, we enjoyed the meal and time being with Tommy & Virginia on his birthday!














Our final activity was a visit to the Vienna Opera House.






















After this tour, we took a taxi back to the boat.  Back on the riverboat, we began our journey to our final stop, Budapest, Hungary.  Walking records for day  6.84 miles



Wed., Oct. 26 - BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (Cruise Day #10)  The Avalon tour began with a ride toward Heroes' Square in Budapest.  First, crossing the bridge (from Pest to Buda side) I snapped this picture of the Hungary Parliament Building. 







Heroes' Square is one of the major squares in Budapest, Hungary, noted for its iconic statue complex featuring important national leaders, as well as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  The central feature of Heroes' Square, as well as a landmark of Budapest, is the Millennium Memorial. Construction began in 1896 to commemorate the thousandth anniversary of the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin and the foundation of the Hungarian state.  In 1896 that celebration was part of a much larger construction project which also included the expansion and refurbishing of Andrássy Avenue and the construction of the first metro line in Budapest.  Construction was completed in  1900, which was when the square received its name.

When the monument was originally constructed, Hungary was a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and thus the last five spaces for statues on the left of the colonnade were reserved for members of the ruling Habsburg dynasty.  From left to right these were  Ferdinand I, Leopold I, Charles III, Maria Theresa, and Franz Joseph.   The monument was damaged in World War II and when it was rebuilt the Habsburgs were replaced by the current figures.


On 16 June 1989, a crowd of 250,000 gathered at the square for the historic reburial of Prime Minister (during the anti-Soviet revolution) Imre Nagy, who had been executed in June 1958.



In the same square are the following buildings:
Palace of Art

Museum of Fine Arts






Nearby is the Embassy of Serbia
(former Yugoslavian Embassy and later Embassy of Serbia & Montenegro).
In 1956, Prime Minister Imre Nagy asked for asylum and secured sanctuary in the embassy after the anti-Soviet revolution was crushed. However, he was later arrested, deported to Romania and executed in 1958.

We drove past the Moorish-style Synagogue on Dohany Street where people were lined up to enter.

City street of Buda

Elizabeth Bridge


A tunnel also connects the two sides of the river.



Below is pictured Mathias Church aka The Church of Our Lady of Buda Castle, a Roman Catholic church located in front of Fisherman's Bastian in the heart of Buda's Castle district



I admired the Moorish-influenced roof of the church



And, the statue of the raven (heraldic animal of King Matthias) on the tip of the steeple nearby at Buda Castle


 Statue of St. Stephen

And, from across the river, the Hungarian Parliament Building.


We briefly visited The Shoes on the Danube Bank, a memorial conceived and created on the east bank of the Danube River to honor the 3,500 people of Hungary (mainly 800 Jews) who were killed by Nazi fascist militiamen in Budapest during World War II.  They were ordered to take off their shoes and were shot at the edge of the water so that their bodies fell into the river and were carried away. The monument represents their shoes left behind on the bank.








I liked the autumn colors in these trees.

I don't know the name of the restaurant, but I think it should be "Knife & Fork:  Eat!"



At 1:30 p.m. Sylvia & I began a 3-hour excursion called "Gold & Glamorous" that after a short coach ride along the Danube embankment, and a short walk, took us to one of the hidden treasures of Budapest, the House of Hungarian Art Nouveau.  It housed a unique exhibition representing the refined world of Art Nouveau that included paintings, furniture, decorative objects, and interiors.  All items were priced to sell.  (I didn't take any pictures and we didn't buy!)  Our second stop of the excursion was the "musical jewelry box" of Pest, the Hungarian State Opera House which I did photograph. (below)




































Following that visit, we were treated to coffee and cake in the Book Café, at the glamorous main hall of the Paris Department Store, one of the hidden secrets of the city.   Below the front of the store from outside; the second picture shows the word "Nagy" which is a part of the front sign--Parisi=Nagy=Aruhaz.  Loosely translated that is:  "Parisi, obviously meaning "Paris"; Nagy, meaning "great"; Aruhaz, meaning "large selection of adventure".



The information supplied stated:  "Sip your coffee and taste a fine delicacy of Hungarian confectioners in this glossy literary café with glittering chandeliers and flamboyant ceiling frescoes, painted by the same artist whose masterpieces raise the splendor of the State Opera House, Parliament, and several other public buildings".  I remember the cake was absolutely delicious and the setting was really beautiful but I don't have any pictures to reflect that.  We stopped to make a purchase of a couple of books, "The Hungarian Parliament" and "The Budapest Opera".  The tour ended and we returned to the boat.



At 9:00 p.m. Tommy & Virginia and Sylvia and I began a 1 1/2 hour tour called "Budapest's Night Lights" highlighting that the Hungarian capital is known for its splendid views accentuated by the romance of illumination.  Some of the pictures, taken from the window of the bus, were not very satisfactory.  A few are good.  (I think my photo equipment and know how are both limited in attempting to capture great pictures from this setting.  Below, bridge (taken from bus window)


Again, same subject, this time taken from a high elevation above the city.


And, the Parliament Building.

Walking records for day 6.97 miles.



















































Thu., Oct. 27 - Budapest, Hungary (cruise day #11), Disembarkation -Tommy & Virginia and Sylvia and I disembarked from the boat fairly early (between 8-9 a.m.) getting a taxi to take us to the Sofitel Chain Bridge Hotel (which was the hotel that Avalon was using for its incoming passengers).  There, we dropped our luggage for storage for the half day and then walked the "10-minute walk"  to the Hungarian Parliament Building for the 90-minute, 10 a.m. tour.

Below, the Hungarian Parliament Building with a statue of Ferenc Rakoczi II.    Francis Rakoczi II, 1676-1735  was a Hungarian nobleman and leader of the Hungarian uprising against the Hapsburgs in 1703-11 as the prince of the Estates Confederated for Liberty of the Kingdom of Hungary.  He was also Prince of Transylvania, an Imperial Prince, and a member of the Order of the Golden Fleece.  Today he is considered a national hero in Hungary.  It is rumored that he and Empress Marie Therese were lovers. 

















And, we pause for a picture in front of this armor (think it would fit?)





On the walk back to retrieve our luggage we stopped for lunch. 

Back at the hotel with luggage in hand, we hailed a taxi for the transport to the airport.  The Budapest airport was not exactly a comfortable place to wait but since we didn't know this until after checking in, we had no other choice.  The departure gate assignment system was very similar to that being used at London Heathrow.  For example, the flight number, etc.  for departure was posted with the annotation beside it that "gate number will be posted at 1548".  And, that's exactly when it was posted which was about 20 minutes prior to the time the flight was to depart.  Tommy & Virginia departed on KLM at 1705 for their flight to Amsterdam. Sylvia and I departed at 1825 on Air France for our flight to Charles De Gaulle airport, Paris, France. Walking records for day 6.95 miles



No comments:

Post a Comment