Melk, Austria

Arrived in Melk to clear skies and brisk fall temperatures. Melk has been an important spiritual and cultural center in Austria for over 1000 years. The 900-year-old Benedictine monestery dominates the skyline.
The 450+ room monestary is now home to a small number of practicing monks (13 live there full time) and houses a school with over 750 students. It is considered one of Europe's great cultural heritage sites. Restoration has been ongoing since 1978, mostly funded by revenue from tours.

View from the balcony of the monestary.

The church is stunning with incredible amount of gold trim. Later we were to find out that most detail work is made out of wood and covered with gold leaf. Only a total of 4 kilograms of gold were used in the entire church. This is incredible, considering that there is gold everywhere.

As with most of the churches and cathedrals, the frescos are breathtaking and are in remarkably good condition considering that the buildings were lit by candles for centuries.

Here's a sampling of the views from the ship as we sailed from Melk toward Germany.

In total we pass through 67 locks during our voyage. In 1992, a canal was constructed connecting the Danube, Main and Rhine rivers. Until then it was impossible to navigate by water from Budapest to Amsterdam. The difference in elevations of the rivers was accommodated by this elaborate canal and lock system. We are 670 feet higher today than when we left Budapest.

Vienna, Austria

One certainly cannot begin to see Venice in one day. We tried our best, visiting cathedrals, the old town center, the royal palace, lots of sightseeing, and attended a Mozart/Straus concert.

Saint Stephens Cathedral is one of the greatest gothic structures in Europe. The ornate workmanship is breathtaking both inside and out.

Christmas decorations are already going up in the old town center. One could spend days strolling the downtown and surrounding areas.

A trip to Vienna would not be complete without a cup of coffee and a slice of the infamous Sacher torte at the Mozart Cafe.

Sculpture outside the opera house.

Leave it to American companies to pollute the Viennese landscape...

The Schonbrunn Palace, imperial summer residence of the Habsburg dynasty.

Private gardens of the Schonbrunn Palace.

Bratislava, Slovakia

Today we arrived in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. We spent part of a wet and windy day in the old town area, which was beautiful, and I can only wish the weather had been better. The main street in old town has been converted to a pedestrian-only walkway and I understand it is one large outdoor restaurant area in better weather, alive with great food, fine wine and good times. Like Budapest, this part of the city abounds with architecture dating back centuries. We were told that the main square dates back to the 10th century. Unfortunately, we were unable to fully appreciate the area because of the bad weather, but we loved it none the less. The Slovak National Theatre building on Hviezdoslav Square.

We stroll through the city's oldest square, heading toward the main street in the old town area. Believe me that this picture does not do the weather justice!

Statues adorn the walkways - this one commemorating the Slovakian author Hviezdoslav for whom the square is named.

Even in the rain, the area invites you get out and stroll around.

Downtown old town with its pedestrian only streets. This is the area that becomes a lively social gathering place in better weather.

Looking down the main street towards St. Michaels Gate, the original entryway through the city's protecting wall.

Whimsical statues adorn the old city steets and walkways.

The is probably the best know statue in old-town Bratislava, aptly named Men Working.

Local art also commemorates sadder times.

Budapest, Hungary

Luckily weather forecasting is an imprecise art and the 85% prediction for rain produced nary a drop, giving us a beautiful day to continue exploring Budapest in more detail.
Heroes Square is a large memorial dedicated to heroes of Hungary and its many struggles during a long history of turmoil and occupation. Millennium memorial contains statues of the leaders of the seven tribes that founded Hungary in addition to other figures from Hungarian history.

View of the parliament building, chain bridge and the Danube River from a hilltop in Buda.
Matthias church is located in the heart of Buda's castle district. According to church tradition, it was originally built in 1015. The current building was constructed in the second half of the 14th century, extensively restored in the late 19th century and is currently undergoing renovation. It serves as a symbol of the city's rich, yet often tragic history. During the 150 years of Turkish occupation, the church's interior was whitewashed and it became the city's main mosque. Following the Turkish expulsion in 1685, the church was restored to its previous state.

The castle in Buda is has been, and is currently being, extensively restored. It was heavily bombed during World War II, destroying the structure and all the furnishings. The interior has been restored as accurately as possible and now houses the collections of several museums.


Unfortunately, local musicians, whom I'm sure are quite talented, perform the music they think the tourists will recognize and want to hear. This duet was playing Fiddler on the Roof instead of traditional or local music. Too bad.

Evidence of damage done to the city's buildings during World War II. Many have been restored but some are left as grim reminders of the countries suffering.

The Hungarian parliament building, sitting on the banks of the Danube, is currently the largest building in Hungary and houses the National Assembly of Hungary.

Everywhere you walk, you are met with examples of Hungary's rich architectual heritage.

The Dohany Street Synagogue, which houses the Jewish Museum, is the largest synagogue in Europe and the second largest in the world. It has a seating capacity of 3,000. During WW2, Jews were not allowed to be buried in public cemetaries so mass graves were constructed in the synagogue's courtyard as a final resting place for the many Jewish citizens brutally murdered during Germany's occupation of Budapest.

Budapest, Hungary

We arrived in Budapest to cloudy skies with light rain after a 7 hour flight from New York, a couple hour layover in Amsterdam and a short one and a half hour jump to Budapest. None of us got much sleep on the airplanes, even thought the rides were smooth (although a bit cramped) so we arrived exhausted. Our adventure has begun, jetlagged as we are from the 9 hour time difference. Knowing that most of the passengers would be in the same boat (no pun intended), the crew only scheduled a brief walking tour of the city for our first evening.

Budapest started as two cities, separated by the Danube River -- Buda, on the right bank, set in a landscape of rolling hills that drop off stepely toward the river, and Pest on the other. Buda offers the best views of the city and the river, but Pest has emerged as the lively center of the modern metropolis with a large number of clutural attractions and the pedestrian-only shopping area of Vaci Street housing an inviting nightlife. The cities merged in 1873 to become the capital of Hungary. Most of the population live on the less expensive Pest side.

Looking north-west from our ship across the Danube towards the "Buda" part of the city, our view is filled with the impressive Szechenyi Chain Bridge, which is one of the best known landmarks of Budapest. Across the river you can also see the royal castle on the hilltop.

The Little Princess is one of Budapest's best known and popular bronze statues. The princess is life size, sitting on the railing alongside, and protecting the Danube River.

The view down Vaci Street on the "Pest" side of the city. This lively shopping area is very inviting, in part because of its pedestrian-only street and its nice mix of old and new architecture. Although Hungary, like the rest of the world, is suffering from the current economy, this area is alive with activity in spite of the less-than-favorable weather.

Off to Europe

We'll be heading off on our next adventure in a couple days - Budapest to Amsterdam by river boat. We're really excited to be going with my brother and sister-in-law. Stay tuned for daily (I hope) updates as we explore central Europe.

Remember that clicking on any image will show you a larger version...

Paradise, California

A quick daytrip to Paradise to introduce Natalie to Bob, Donna and Shirley.

de Young Museum & Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

It was one of those rare warm October days in San Francisco as we headed to the deYoung Museum to see the King Tut exhibit. As expected, no photography was allowed of the artifacts. The exhibit is definitely worth the price of admission. Several pieces of furniture from the tomb are incredibly well preserved due in part to the dry Egyptian air. Some chairs still had the original cane seats - over 3000 years old! The museum can be a bit overwelming and after spending a few hours inside we needed to get out into the sunshine. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around Golden Gate Park.

Looking down onto the gardens from the observation tower of the recently renovated deYoung museum.

Looking north, you can just barely see the tops of the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Unable to take pictures of the King Tut exhibit, I settled on this character in the Oceaniana exhibit.

The large dark structure in the background is the deYoung Museum. The new building houses over 25,000 works of art from around the world.

After exploring the deYoung, we wandered around Golden Gate Park for a couple hours.

P.S. These pictures were all taken with my new iPhone. Gotta love that little device - I'm even impressed with the camera!