Vienna, Buda and the Pest 
     

Vienna, Austria
The Old and the New

     Curb appeal is worth a lot.  First impressions are important.  It carries one along with a positive attitude.  Looking forward to what one will find.  As mentioned in a previous blog we have been staying in Airbnb’s the entire trip to this point.  Our Vienna digs had no curb appeal.  Budapest, on the other hand, had it in spades.  When arriving in Vienna via shuttle we were arriving at our first drop off destination and I remember thinking, Jeez, I hope this isn’t our place.  Well, it was.  We had to wait over 1/2 hour next to the garbage cans at the entrance for our host to show.  Not fun.  Then it took 2 days to finally say “well this place isn’t so bad”. 

Franz Liszt Academy of Music

Entrance to our pedestrian walkway

Budapest, Hungary

     In Budapest as we were searching for our apartment we were greeted by a startling array of blooming flower beds.  Then we walked along a tree-lined pedestrian walkway filled with restaurants and sidewalk cafes.  Did we love the apartment?  Immediately.  I would say the same thing applies to our love of the two cities, Vienna and Budapest.  So far I feel somewhat spoiled by Prague.  At least in terms of expectations.  We arrived in Vienna and it didn’t take long to realize that it is a big city with all the trappings.  Traffic big time, the noise that goes along with it, and the all expensive Euro as its currency.  It’s true that Vienna has such a charming ring to its name.  And before I get too ingrained in a negative narration I must say we only spent two full days there.  In short, I liked it but didn’t love it.  We saw some incredible art, attended a performance that we absolutely loved, and saw awe inspiring architecture.  The tourist scene is intense but we rolled with that.  

"Judith"
Gustav Klimt
Belvedere Museum, Vienna, Austria

     Vienna was the home of Gustav Klimt and he is, for good reason, their pride and joy.  Well, he and Mozart.  We wanted to indulge in both of these magnificent artists and we certainly managed to satiate that desire.  We visited both the Leopold and the Belvedere museums as they, in their permanent collections, have the most extensive works by Klimt.  Along the way one learns of the interesting upheaval that was happening in the art scene at the turn of the 20th century.  There was actually a rebellion of sorts that was led by the already famous Klimt.  He and other fellow artists at the time created the Vienna Succession, allowing artists to break away from what they considered the staid past and the control the old guard had over the art scene.  Who was also a member of the succession?  Remember Egon Schiele?  So we were able to indulge ourselves in Klimt and see his most famous painting, The Kiss.  

"The Kiss", detail
Gustav Klimt
Belvedere Museum, Vienna, Austria

     Cynthia had a reproduction of this painting in her room since she was a teenager.  We loved the live painting and the emotion it brought seeing it.  The Belvedere Museum also had a much more extensive collection of the works of Schiele and I came to appreciate him much more.  

"Reclining Woman"
Egon Schiele
Belvedere Museum, Vienna, Austria

     Sunday night we indulged once again.  For Cynthia’s birthday and our anniversary I had sprung for tickets to the Schönbrunn Palace Strauss and Mozart concert.  After having an early dinner at an unassuming Indian restaurant we strolled the grounds of the palace, got lost in the garden maze, gazed at the numerous statues, and generally reflected on the “have and have nots” that was represented by the opulence of the palace.  

Mozart and Strauss Concert
Schönbrunn Palace
Vienna, Austria

     Though divisions in wealth and prestige may not be as extreme as they were in earlier times they certainly do still exist.  On our last day in Vienna we did take a self-styled walking tour and experienced much of the beauty that city holds.  Again, we were in and out of the city quickly and we don’t profess to getting a full immersion.  

Schönbrunn Palace
Vienna, Austria

   
     A very fast and smooth train ride brought us from Vienna to Budapest.  We are getting good at the Metro systems and found our way, via public transport, to our apartment which again we absolutely loved.  Budapest is a city that would take time to get to know, but we definitely left with positive feelings.  Again, it is a big city.  Much of it is upscale.  The people are on the streets, enjoying life in the cafes and bars.  There are many neighborhoods where the streets are pedestrian only, but traffic is a reality.  The city is divided by the Danube River into two distinct sections, Buda and Pest.  

Pest from Buda
Budapest, Hungary

     We spent one full day exploring the castle, cafes and the incredible Matthias church of Buda.  The views of the Danube and Pest are definitely impressive as most of Buda sits high on a hill rising from the river.  One of the purely tourist things we did was take a late afternoon boat cruise on the Danube getting a lesson on the many stunning structures that line the shore.  The perfect past time for soothing the well worn feet.   

Matthias Church
Budapest, Hungary

Matthias Church Interior
Budapest, Hungary

     
     Budapest is known for its night life.  I would love to say that we partied hard in the Ruin Pubs that the city is famous for but that would be a lie.  But even without doing that one can absorb the feeling that a party is on going.  It was still warm (apparently unseasonably so) and the tables of the street-side restaurants, cafes and bars were packed.  And not just with tourists.  The locals seem to love hitting the street and that is where so much of the life is found.  

     On our last day in Budapest we visited the astounding Parliament Building of which all Hungarians are quite proud.  I will let Cynthia’s photo show you why.  

Hungarian Parliament
Budapest, Hungary

     
     Then we visited the House of Terror which was my idea and a bad one.  it was just a bummer both in presentation and content.  One does get some appreciation for the ungodly bad luck of the Hungarians.  First the Nazi’s came and occupied.  And here lies the ultimate irony.  The Russians were the ones who came and liberated Budapest.  At first the population was ecstatic.  But then what?  The liberators proceeded to occupy the country in a very authoritarian fashion for forty years until the break up of the Soviet Union in 1989.  Today it seems the Communists are hated every bit as much as the Nazis.   

St. Stephen's Basillica
Budapest, Hungary

     I did have one bummer experience in Budapest.  We were coming up to the street from the underground and I felt a slight tug on my “man purse”.  I reacted quite quickly but not quickly enough.  My wallet had been stolen from its zippered pouch by an incredibly skilled pick pocket.  It Immediately bummed me right out.  One the loss of the wallet, two that I let it happen.  Luckily theIr take was relatively minimal.  About $40 US (10,000 Hungarian HUFs) and my driver’s license.  No credit card, no passport.  Still, it took me some time to come to peace with it.  The driver’s license may complicate renting cars but we will just have to find a way around that.  What they didn’t get is much more important than what they did get.  On my travels over these many years I have been hit by 3 professional pick pockets.  Guatemala City, Buenos Aires, and Budapest.  One on them was successful.  May a pox invade their sacred sack!!!

St. Stephen's Basillica
Budapest, Hungary

     
     Our next destination will be Slovenia.  Best known to my fellow Americans as the home country of our first lady, Melania Trump.  We are looking forward to a quieter scene and hopefully renting a car in order to explore the countryside.  Both Cynthia and I are extremely upbeat, having a very satisfying experience, and eager to see what happens next.  Again, thank you for interest in the blog and we will report in again from Croatia.     

All photographs copyright by Cynthia Davis, 2018.  All rights reserved.