Budapest and Vienna

Thanks for your kind comments in recent days. This will continue to be a "travel" blog for a few more days as this is an easy way for me to share our trip experience with family and friends who are interested. We will resume "regular" programming (needlework) in a few days!

Today's focus is on the big cities of Budapest and Vienna. We flew into Budapest this trip. Vienna is closer, but we were using some special passes that I had and they would only work into Budapest.

We departed the U.S. on July 9, had a short layover in New York (JFK) and then from there, flew nonstop to Budapest and arrived around 11am on July 10. Our cousin Martin and his wife Ilse met us at the airport. We loaded up our suitcases and off we went for a little bit of sightseeing in Budapest!

It was hot there that day; temperature was about 95 degrees. Fortunately though with less humidity than what we experience in Minnesota on a 95 degree day. The Danube River runs through Budapest, so there are many bridges. I believe this is a photo of the Chain Bridge. Note the lovely flowers!



We admired some other lovely buildings up in the hills in the vicinity of the Chain Bridge:




But this is probably my most favorite photo taken from the Chain Bridge. This is the Parliament Building in Budapest. It sits on the Danube.



We then headed downtown and did a bit of walking and had some lunch. The outdoor shops were ready for us (but we resisted this first day!)



Martin and Ilse:



We enjoyed seeing some of Budapest and would certainly go back some day to see more of it. It's a beautiful city!

Now moving on to Vienna...we visited Vienna on the first Friday that we were there. Martin and Ilse drove us and we met up with some cousins from the Fischer side of the family (Maria, Werner, and their daughter, Nora.) My mom and I have been to Vienna several times, but we never tire of it. It will always be one of our most favorite cities in Europe!

When visiting Vienna, one of the "must-see" attractions is Schönbrunn Palace. This was just one residence of the Hapsburgs who ruled in Austria from the 13th century until just after WWI. From the vantage point we were at, you can see much of Vienna in the distance.



Here's the whole gang!



Next stop - Kärtner Strasse - the famous pedestrian shopping street with lots of shops, monuments, etc.





Our destination was the Steffl Department store. They have a restaurant on the top floor that overlooks the Stefansdom (St. Stephen's Cathedral). We stopped and had coffee and good conversation. It was a nice little break from walking! No more resting for us though, we had places to go and people to see!

Next stop: Stefansdom - it seems like they are always renovating or repairing. Much care and attention is needed to preserve these old landmarks!





Our final destination in Vienna was the Rathaus (City Hall). They have a film and music festival on the square every evening during the summer. We did not stay for the concert that night (it didn't start until 9:30pm) but we enjoyed eating our supper on the square - there were many vendors to choose from and it was a nice place to enjoy a beautiful summer evening in Vienna!



I have to include this last photo for my mom as she loves seeing the horse-drawn carriages (Fiaker) in Vienna. On our very first trip there (back in 1977) we took a ride in one of them.



I hope you enjoyed seeing some of our favorite pictures from Budapest and Vienna!

Tomorrow's post? Maybe I'll share some of those "dessert" photos I have been promising! Have a great day!