Archives for September 2011

September 15, 2011

At the baths.

Yellow and blue.I haven’t mentioned yet that our visit to Budapest coincided with a toasty heatwave. We were told that the hot weather we were experiencing was not typical for the city. For a bit of relief, we headed to the baths.

Budapest is filled with Turkish style baths. Thermal springs run beneath Budapest and power the many pools. The baths are believed to contain healing waters and many people bathe as a medical treatment for arthritis, joint and back pain, and gynecological issues (although I can’t imagine that last one). The waters can even be ingested to treat gout, kidney stones, ulcers, and calcium deficiencies. Judging from the smell, I bet it tastes great, too.

Upon the recommendation of our hostel, we decided to visit the Széchenyi Spa. This spa allows men and women to soak together, which might be an important factor to consider if you’re traveling with a member of the opposite sex.

I just noticed the lady bathing between us. I kind of love her.

The Széchenyi Spa was built in 1913 and is the largest medicinal spa in Europe. I loved the contrast of the yellow buildings and the blue pools. Such vibrant colors. If you’ve seen pictures of local old men in tiny swimsuits bathing and playing chess, this is the place.

We started slowly in the warm outdoor pools before going inside to the main event. Indoors you can choose from icy baths, hot baths, hotter baths, and several temperatures of saunas. I enjoyed the hot baths and avoided the saunas (I hate hot air on my face). Mike tested out a little bit of everything.

God’s gift, right there.

I have to say, these were the fanciest baths I’ve ever taken. I would say the stinkiest too, but the hot springs in Peru will probably forever hold that title. Visiting the baths was definitely a fun and relaxing experience.

We got many good laughs out of this one. Mike’s idea.

Later in the day we cooked a quick pasta dinner at the hostel and took another walk along the water.

We ended up on a bench in a park watching fire dancers with me fighting to keep my eyes open.

xo, jill

 

posted by Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Hungary
September 14, 2011

Two cities in one.

Twice as nice.*

After our short stay in Bratislava, we hopped on a train to Budapest. The ride was pleasant and comfortable. The thing about train travel is… I really like it until the train nears my destination. Depending on the train it’s not always super clear which station you are approaching. Not to mention, trains usually only stop for a few minutes (if that) at each stop. If you’re not prepared you could find yourself far down the rail line… and without a ticket. That’s why I became hyper-vigilante when the time of our arrival drew near. Unfortunately, the train was at least 45 minutes late arriving at the station in Budapest. That meant that when Mike kept telling me to calm down and stop standing up to press my cheek up against the window for a better look, he was actually right.

We arrived at our hostel a bit later than expected and were greeted by the very friendly proprietor. He took out a map and immediately began jotting down the best routes for our visit.

We started off walking along the Danube and quickly came upon Shoes on the Danube Promenade. The shoes are a memorial to the people who were shot into the river during World War II. I really appreciated the uniqueness of the memorial. It’s haunting to see abandoned shoes on the edge of a river.

Just past the memorial is the Hungarian Parliament Building. Completed in 1904, the building was built in the Gothic Revival style. Not that I have to say it, but…this building is striking. I have several photos of it from many different vantages. It just demanded to be photographed. Although we didn’t enter the building, it was immediately obvious why Parliament is one of Budapest’s main tourist attractions.

We crossed the bridge and rode a funicular to the top of Castle Hill. A folk festival was taking place so a good portion of the grounds were closed to those who hadn’t paid admission. That included us. Instead, we walked towards Matthias Church. I’m sure the interior is beautiful (we weren’t able to enter at the time), but could it be more interesting than that roof? I love the colorful design.

I had to laugh when I saw this little boy attempting to scale this statue. I almost felt like I was back in Abu Dhabi.

From just beyond the church a viewpoint looks out over the Danube towards the Parliament Building. There just happened to be a string quartet playing close by. And did I mention it was golden hour? Well played, Castle Hill.

We lingered on the hill a bit longer before descending to get a look at Parliament from directly across the water.

I’m not orange. It’s just a weird setting on Mike’s camera that hates my skin tone.

We stopped on our way back over the bridge for some nighttime photos of the city.

On our way to dinner we happened upon an outdoor concert. We tried to eat quickly and hurry back to the music but the show was wrapping up just as we sat down on a bench to listen. I think I was half asleep at this point so it was probably just as well.

xo, jill

*Budapest became a single city after the smaller cities of Buda and Pest united in 1873.

posted by Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Hungary
September 13, 2011

Bratislava

Not like in the movies.

Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia, is only a 40 minute bus ride from Vienna. You can get there even faster if you take the train. Unfortunately, the city has a bit of a reputation. Most people know about Bratislava because of its appearances in a few well known movies. Almost every time I told someone this summer I was going to Bratislava, one of these two movies came up: Eurotrip or Hostel. Eurotrip represents the city as a dirty backwards place where only a few pennies will buy you a stay at a 5 star hotel with plenty left over for tuxedos and fancy meals. Hostel represents the city as a backdrop to horrifying torture. Thank goodness that wasn’t the case for us.

True, our hostel wasn’t the prettiest place, but our one night stay didn’t require anything too fancy.

When we arrived we walked a few blocks to the old part of town. A walking tour was set to depart shortly so we decided to join. A university student led us around town telling stories about the history of Slovakia, the era under Communism, and how special it was to finally be recognized as its own country.


Town Hall


“prettiest building in the city”


Crowns on the street denote the coronation route.


Home of the President


The Blue Church

After the tour we walked up the hill to the castle.

From the top you can see into the other side of Bratislava. The side that isn’t quite so charming and definitely exposes their Communist past. Ugly buildings. Ug-ly. And too bad for that UFO bridge.

We also had some really good ice cream here and went on a looong and fruitless search for Taco Rey, a veggie friendly taco shop. There’s no greater disappointment than thinking you’re getting some fresh veggie tacos and then sitting down to (expensive) vegetable broth for dinner.

We had low expectations for our visit. Mostly due to the movie references above and the very few pages dedicated to the city in our Lonely Planet. I think that both of us were pleasantly surprised at what we found. We were glad we included Bratislava in our trip, but also glad it was only one night.

xo, jill

posted by Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Slovakia
September 12, 2011

Wurstelprater

or that time Mike won 190 euros.

Our walk along the Danube Canal brought us to Wurstelprater, also known as the Prater Fun Park.

Our first point of interest was the Riesenrad, or Giant Wheel.

When the wheel was built for Franz Josef’s I’s golden Jubilee in 1897 it was the largest wheel in the world. 64.75 meters! (Today’s tallest wheel is in Singapore at 165 meters tall. Wow!) Riesenrad might look familiar to you if you’re a fan of the movie Before Sunrise (Chelsea!).

I always enjoy viewing a city from a different perspective. Unfortunately, it was a bit overcast that day to see into the distance.

After the wheel we walked around the amusement park.

It’s always a bit odd to be at an amusement park in the middle of the day. Especially, when there’s a notable absence of crowds. Everything just seems a bit more out of place and creepy. In fact, double dose of creepiness in…

3…

2…

1…

On our way out we stopped into a casino so Mike could drop 2 euros into a slot machine. 20 minutes later he exited with 190. Well played.

Rain interrupted a bit of our day but we ended up back at Museumquartier for another round at the photo booth and hammock house. This time Ikea had set up an interesting installation. Different colors and varieties of couches were arranged in the courtyard for people to relax and socialize on. We took advantage of the offer along with everyone else. Another great idea!

xo, jill

posted by Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Austria
September 11, 2011

The scenic route.

If you like graffiti.

The following day we started out walking.

Our first stop was at Hofburg Palace. Historically, this was the winter home of the Habsburgs. Currently, the Austrian president lives here. There are a few museums on the premises, but we passed them up in favor of being outside (and keeping our money).

whaaa?

We continued our walk along the Danube Canal toward the Prater Fun Fair (more on that later). We both enjoy street art so this truly was the scenic route.

The more natural view was quite pretty too.

xo, jill

posted by Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Austria
September 10, 2011

Step three.

Begin European adventure.

The first day Mike and I spent together in Vienna is a bit of a blur. I believe we started the day by getting a few groceries and having breakfast in the apartment. Judging from the photos the next thing we did was go to Stephanplatz. I wanted to play with my zoom lens a bit and capturing the gargoyles on the roof seemed like a pretty good way to do it. We also took a tour of the catacombs and saw the vessels that contain some of the Habsburg family’s organs. Photography was not permitted.

While trying (unsuccessfully) to find a vegetarian restaurant listed in Lonely Planet we happened upon the famous Anchor Clock. The special interest with this clock is that as the minutes tick, famous figures move across the face. At noon all of the figures parade by while music plays.

We headed to the Museumquartier with hopes of visiting the Museum of Modern Art. Unfortunately, it was closed for renovations! Fortunately, from across the courtyard I spotted a photo booth! It was the same photo booth that I had scouted out online prior to the trip. Everyone loves a photo booth!

Next, we rounded the corner of the Museumquartier only to find another surprise! Flederhaus! A house of hammocks! I saw this post over the summer and knew that Mike and I had to make Flederhaus a priority. Relaxing in hammocks in the middle of the city? Yes, please! The installment was designed by Heri and Salli and will stay up until October. I hope the installation is set up every summer. It was one of the highlights of our entire trip.

After relaxing in the air for a bit, we sought out another vegetarian restaurant. This one we found. St. Josef was definitely worth a little bit of walking. This was by far my favorite meal of the trip. It was healthy, filling, and fresh. I was happy.

We returned to the apartment with the intention of taking a nap before heading out again. Instead, we went to bed at 7:00pm. I guess we needed it.

xo, jill

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
posted by Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Austria
« Newer Entries
» Previous Entries