We Are Where We Are...

Hvar Island, Croatia

September 27, 2007
N43°09.936
E016°26.542

It’s very easy to relax, sit on the balcony and enjoy the views of the water. The weather has been a little overcast, but the warm winds still allow us to enjoy our meals and drinks on the balcony overlooking the Adriatic Sea and Hvar Town. For a little exercise, we walk into town, grab more provisions (bread, cheese, wine, beer, ham, etc.), wander through streets of the charming town and then make our way back to our apartment.

Before arriving on Hvar Island we heard it’s known for its party atmosphere; however, since we’re staying a good kilometer outside of town we haven’t had to deal with the drunken backpacker, and loud music, party scene—exactly how we like it. Instead the serene setting makes it very difficult for us to do anything except for stare out at the crystal blue water, and watch the sailboats and occasional ferry slide in and out of the harbor.

Today we decided to climb up to the castle, towering 100 meters above town, since it has being capturing our eye every night since we’ve arrived. Construction of the castle started in the 13^th century, and was mostly under Venetian rule. In the mid 1500’s the Turks rolled into Hvar looking to murder everyone in their path and burned the village to the ground. Luckily, the vast majority of the inhabitants found safety and refuge within the great walls of the castle.

As we stood within the castle walls looking down upon the red rooftops of Hvar, the cool wind from the Adriatic whistled across our faces. Gazing upon the sea we had to remind ourselves where we were. It’s strange, we’ve been traveling for so long now, it seems like we’re floating from location to location. We aren’t necessarily cognizant of our exact location in the world, but more aware of our surroundings and the environment around us.

We are where we are and it’s good…

Oh, What a View...

Hvar Island, Croatia

September 25, 2007
N43°09.936
E016°26.542

The hour and a half ferry ride from Split to Hvar Island was as picturesque as one could imagine. All of the tiny islands and white tipped sailboats scattered across the bright blue waters of the Adriatic Sea held our attention for the entire crossing.

There were dozens of sailboats coasting across the water on the remarkably sunny day. As we passed, I could see the sun-burnt smiles of those on board and thought to myself how much fun it would be to just sail the waters of the Adriatic, Aegean and Mediterranean with no particular destination. A group of us could sip wine, drink cold beer, eat fresh seafood, and soak-up the sun, only occasionally stopping at a secluded beach on a tiny island… not a care in the world. Marc contradicted my dream by telling me I wouldn’t last six hours cooped up on a sailboat in the open waters, no showers, no internet and no fancy kitchen. He said I would go crazy and he’d be fishing me out of the sea after I jumped overboard.

When the ferry reached Hvar Town there was a bit of chaos on the pier with all of the locals trying to rent out their rooms for the night. We already booked a place to stay and quickly pushed our way through the throng, acting like we knew where we were going, even though we didn’t have a clue. We found the first tourist office to help us with directions.

Susan and Paul, an Australian couple we met in Cesky Krumlov, recommended Bicanic Apartments to us based on their daughter’s visit to Croatia. We looked it up on the internet, liked what we saw and locked ourselves in a few weeks back. It’s a good thing since they’re packed. Apparently we missed Susan and Paul by a few days; they recently left Hvar Island and headed back to Australia.

When Miro, our host at Bicanic Apartments, showed us our unit we walked straight to the balcony to check out the views. The balcony has incredible panoramic views of Hvar Town, the harbor and, most importantly, the crystal blue waters surrounding the popular tourist island. We were already smitten with our little apartment, outfitted with a small kitchen, perfect for our next five nights in one location.

In fact, after a quick trip to the local market, we just sat on the balcony for the rest of the afternoon reading, admiring the views and breathing the air. And, in case we got tired of sitting on the balcony, we could take a break, lie down on the bed, and admire the magnificent view from a soft pillow. This is by far the best view we’ve had on our trip so far. I think it even edges out the sweeping views of the Golden Gate Bridge from our stay at Angela’s place—tough, I know.

Tomorrow we’ll venture out a little more to explore the island and what it has to offer. One thing we know for sure—there is a lot of fresh seafood.

Gotta Split...

Split, Croatia

September 24, 2007
N43°30.500
E016°27.210

We officially shed our long sleeved shirts and long pants in exchange for shorts and t-shirts again. The warm weather along the Adriatic coastline was brilliant and definitely a welcoming change.

Today was dedicated to strolling along the coastline of Split, getting lost within the walls of the castle and hitting the market to find some local cheese and produce.

The beaches in Split aren’t the most glorious, at least the ones we saw. Instead, large concrete boardwalks wrap around the coastline with ladders stepping down to the actual water. There were people basking in the sun scattered along the coastline; however, it was obvious we were a little late to the party as several of the umbrellas and sun-chairs were put away for the winter. To us, the sparse numbers were perfect; allowing us to casually stroll along the promenade and not fight crowds.

The castle in Split was built in 305 AD and celebrated its 1700 year anniversary in 2005. The castle walls glowed in the early afternoon sun, unfortunately the graffiti that plagues many of Eastern European cities hasn’t missed Split, and distracted from the full beauty of the historical monument. We wandered through the labyrinth of back streets and alleyways, getting lost a few times within the castle walls, but after carefully retracing our steps we finally found our way.

Our exit from the maze led into a local market where fruit, vegetables, nuts and cheese were being sold. After sampling a few of the local cheeses we decided upon one to take to Hvar Island with us tomorrow. We also grabbed some almonds and dried fruit to make our own trail mix, a relatively healthy afternoon snack.

Before splitting from Split, we decided we should walk through the castle at night, especially since the moon is almost full tonight. We’ll enjoy the full moon out on Hvar Island where we will spend the next five nights.

Back to the Coast...

Split, Croatia

September 23, 2007
N43°30.500
E016°27.210

After spending the last month in land locked countries throughout Eastern Europe, we finally set our eyes on the coast line of the Adriatic Sea. Don’t get me wrong, our time in Tihany, on the shore of Lake Balaton, was comfortable and quaint, but we really missed the site of open water.

I actually started getting a little grumpy over the past week. I didn’t really think about it much until we boarded the train for Zagreb and made our way to the coast; I think both of us missed being near the water. This happened to us once before during our travels—in Argentina—when we were in Bariloche and El Bolson—we felt a little crazy until we got back to the coastline.

Then I started to wonder if the distance from the coastline was part of the high suicide rate in Hungary. Annually, there are 60.1 suicides per 100,000 people in Hungary, most by hanging, compared to 15 per 100,000 in the UK and 20 per 100,000 in America. There are very few smiles and as we walked the streets through the remote areas of Tihany, we tried forcing a few hellos, but people just sat and stared at us, disbelievingly.

Regardless, we’re happy to be back to the coast and to the second largest city in Croatia, Split. We immediately recalled a great dinner we had at Eric and Jim’s house after they returned from Croatia a few years ago, an incredible mix of grilled meat. After finding our accommodations we decided to re-live this dinner and headed out to eat.

At dinner we ordered the small mixed grilled-meat platter and the mixed grilled-fish platter, plus two salads. It was such a treat to have fresh, tasty tomatoes and lettuce after our time in Hungary where fresh vegetables are hard to come by. They actually deliver 25 KG bushels of potatoes to your doorstep—I don’t think we could consume a bushel in a year!

The mixed grill plate of sausage links, beef patties and pork chops definitely brought us back to our meal at Eric and Jim’s. We talked fondly and laughed about the big barbeque they had at their house and now completely understood the theme of the BBQ. As we sat at the large wooden tables in the small, intimate room of Fife Bufe, we heard a group of young ladies talking. We could tell they were of Indian descent, but their accents told us they were from the USA, most likely California.

A few minutes later one of the guys in the room asked them where they were from and they responded California. After a few minutes, I made eye contact with one of them, from across the room, and asked them where in California they were from. They were three cousins traveling together—two from San Diego, one from LA.

The group, Sonal, Palka and Devi, were traveling for two weeks throughout Crotia, so far, without incident. We moved over to their table and shared some of the wine bought for them by a few unwanted admirers. We talked about what we missed most from home (after our families), which is, of course, food, our time in India and other stories from our travels.

As usual, it was nice to talk to a few Americans and hear some stories from home.

Ahhh, It's Fall Again...

Siofok, Hungary

September 22, 2007
N46°54.485
E018°03.106

The Tihany hillside with its numerous trails was a perfect break from the fast paced life of the cities. The lush, green hillside with terraced houses, numerous vineyards ready for harvest, views of the famous Abbey Church and old men relaxing and fishing on the banks of village ponds, will be ingrained in our memories forever. The town closed down at around 7:00 PM each night, we were actually turned away for dinner at 7:30 PM, but we enjoyed the tranquil flow of things and appreciated our time in Tihany.

Our ferry cut a path across the calm lake towards Siofok with the sun shining brightly; a perfect fall day—the first day of fall to be exact. It was a glorious morning on Lake Balaton; our thermometers registered 80F, but with the wind chill off of the water a light sweater was still required. Several Hungarians were also enjoying the first day of fall on their sail boats; capturing one more day on the water before the weather turns frigid and the lake is surrounded with snow covered mountains. We simply soaked up the sun for the entire hour and a half and were thankful for having our second fall season of the year.

Siofok isn’t an exciting town this time of year; it’s really happening during summertime, but as kids go back to school the local vendors start closing down the shops near the lake for the winter. We’re only here to catch the single daily train that runs to Zagreb, Croatia. Unfortunately, the ferries don’t begin running across the lake early enough to catch the 10:00 AM train to Zagreb.

We’re making the best of our day in Siofok as we sit on the spacious patio connected to our unit, thumbing through our Lonely Planet “Italy” and reading a few chapters of our paperbacks. Tomorrow is going to be a long travel day with two back-to-back train rides hopefully ending in Split, Croatia.

So You Say It's My Birthday...

Tihany, Hungary

September 20, 2007
N46°54.450
E017°53.237

Well, since I made Marc do a special blog for his birthday, he is making me do the same. I don’t have anything philosophical to say, like my body being a vessel or anything like that. I’m just happy that today’s technology allowed me to receive the Happy Birthday wishes from my family and friends at home.

A few days ago I warned my mom I might not have email or cell phone access in the Hungarian countryside. Her voice was strained; I could tell she was a little hurt that she wouldn’t be able to talk to me, her baby, on my birthday, a special day for her too. It was 34 years ago that I brought hope to her, my father and sister; helping them get through each day by diverting their attention from their current tribulations. I like to think I was sent to them with the purpose of providing them with the strength and courage to persevere.

By 9:00 AM, my time, I had heard from both my mom and dad who called me on my cell phone. My coverage has been spotty in most remote areas and both parents were happy they could hear my voice; wondering how 34 years passed by so quickly. When I finally rolled out of bed, I had several emails from family and friends.

Since we’ve been traveling, I thought days like today, Christmas and other holidays would be difficult being away from family and friends. I can’t lie, it’s been tough, but being able to hear my mom and dad’s voices today and exchange emails has made me feel as close in Hungary as I would in San Francisco. In fact, my Dad commented that it sounded like I was just around the corner, as my phone worked perfectly during his birthday greeting.

Marc and I will celebrate my birthday at a top restaurant in Tihany known for their excellent Hungarian cuisine and wine pairings. I’ll think fondly about my family and friends at home and realize they are with me in spirit.

This birthday was a challenge, but it reminded me how much my family means to me. It will be a birthday that I will remember forever; one spent in the countryside of Hungary.

A Vacation From Our Vacation...

Tihany, Hungary

September 19, 2007
N46°54.450
E017°53.237

The alarm went off at 6:30 AM and we officially started another “travel day”… we jumped a trolley to the Metro, took the Metro to the train station, and rode the rails southwest for 126KM to the town of Siofok, boarded a ferry and eventually arrived on the Tihany pier at 12:30PM.

When we arrived on the Tihany Penninsula, we walked about 2 KM, mostly uphill, to our accommodation for the next three nights only to be told they didn’t have our reservation. After several minutes of back-and-forth in broken English and Hungarian we found out that they had an available room. Thank goodness, since lodging in the village of 1500 residents is limited to say the least.

The quaint town of Tihany is set up on a hill that overlooks Lake Balaton; the land locked country of Hungary’s excuse for a coastline. It’s actually the largest lake in Central Europe and the area northwest of the lake is the famous wine region of Badacsony.

We look forward to relaxing in the countryside, enjoying the views of the lake and not fighting our way through a big city for a few days. Not that we expect any sympathy, but navigating our way through a large and unfamiliar city day after day gets very tiring. We’re kind of taking a vacation from our vacation for a few days.

Of course, we already have our food and wine mapped out for our time in Tihany, a mini-Napa—well, we’ll be the judge of that!

Stay tuned… tomorrow is the Big Birthday Post for you know who!

A History Lesson in Budapest...

Budapest, Hungary

September 18, 2007
N47°31.120
E019°04.900

Today, our last full day in Budapest, was spent checking out the remaining sites we hadn’t seen. This included the Citadel with its amazing views of the Budapest skyline and the Holocaust Memorial Museum. Unfortunately, the clouds came in overnight, dropping a little rain, and making another day at the baths very unlikely.

First, we headed to the Holocaust Memorial Museum which is located only a few blocks from our hotel. The museum and adjacent Synagogue detailed Hungary’s involvement and loss of life in the horrific events during World War II. We’ve read a lot of literature around the events, but seeing the pictures and listening to audio and video accounts from survivors we fought back tears as the films outlined the devastation.

At one point during World War II, Jews from other European countries sought protection in Hungary where Jewish people were somewhat protected by the government. The Jewish people in Hungary contributed greatly to the economy and continued to live in there homes; not in ghettos and internment camps as in neighboring countries and, from what we could tell, without the yellow star, or yellow badge the Jewish people were required to brandish.

However, the Hungarian government was caught playing both sides during the war—they worked with Hitler to regain territory they lost after WWI and then began negotiating with the British and Americans when it became evident that Germany was fighting a losing cause. Germany caught wind of the negotiations and in the early part of 1944 and sent in troops to occupy the country. A pro-Nazi government was put into place, the Arrow Cross Party, and this is when Hell began for the Jewish people of Hungary. They were rounded up and placed in ghettos though out the country with very little food or provisions to survive.

In May of 1944, the deportations of the Jews began, and, this is the most staggering fact, over 430,000 Jewish people were deported to Auschwitz in a time period of ten weeks! Marc and I were shocked as we read these numbers, shaking our heads in disbelief. In addition, Auschwitz, probably the most infamous of the concentration camps, had 1.3M people pass through its gates; of which, 1.1M were killed. Of those people killed, approximately 33% were either Hungarian citizens or deported from Hungary.

The Hungarian citizens weren’t limited to only people of Jewish descent. There were people of Romanian descent who fell victim to the atrocities. Most of these people were simply poor, living life as vagrant gypsies roaming throughout the countryside looking for work. Even before the Arrow Cross Party takeover these people were victims of government raids and forced to work as laborers or participate in military events—their freedom and dignity was frequently violated. They too became victims at Auschwitz.

We took our time walking through the museum, shocked by what we were seeing, but at the same time we are aware of the unfortunate history from books, including “Night” by Elie Wiesel, that we read during our trip. When we finally exited the museum and continued our walk through the city we reflected on what we saw. How could we as humans let this happen?

Then, you look at the news today, and you see the tragic events in Darfur. The World is letting genocide happen all over again—haven’t we learned from our mistakes?

Stories From the Baths...

Budapest, Hungary

September 17, 2007
N47°31.120
E019°04.900

The sun was shining and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, another perfect day to enjoy the city and, of course, visit the famous Budapest baths. After strolling by a few key sites, such as the Hungarian State Opera House, we took a long walk through the City Park before heading back to Szechenyi Bathhouse; the only co-ed bath house in Budapest.

Not only are the baths relaxing, but they generate great stories. Just imagine it… take a bunch of characters from the general population of say… San Francisco; young, old, locals and tourists and have them all jump into a giant swimming pool of warm water and simply enjoy each other’s company. However, the best stories have to be the, big gut, flabby butt and incredible camel toe sightings. Yes, there were multiple sightings—men’s toes (aka moose knuckle) and women’s toes, there’s no discrimination here. Of course, I can’t forget the saunas and a few great moments in the intense heat.

The other day when we were in the bath, I asked Marc if this would be a place he would take a date. He thought it would be a perfect date, probably not a first date, but maybe a third or fourth. We noticed a young couple, who both appeared to be British (based on accents), who were having a get-to-know-you conversation, that included their relationships with their parents, etc. as they waded through the water, occasionally touching hands, the sexual tension was thick enough it could have been cut with a knife. We figured they are both here, in Budapest, on a holiday, separately, but somehow met and are now enjoying the baths on their second date. We casually followed them around the pool for fifteen minutes or so before we got bored and headed to another pool.

Shortly after, we noticed two pretty young ladies, in their early 20’s, prancing around the courtyard in their bikinis—one in a gold thong bikini, the other in a pink floral suit that was very flattering. They were both carrying cameras and clicking posed pictures of each other strategically around the baths. From afar, it was obvious the thong was tiny, but when they got closer to us we noticed there was serious camel toe going on. In fact, at one point, in the intense sunlight, it appeared the gold bikini was translucent, and the young lady might as well have been running around buck naked. They attracted plenty of attention as they took pictures of each other with sexy faces and sultry poses. A man in his early 60’s, obviously smitten, got up the courage and offered to snap a picture of the two—I’m sure he zoomed in on the golden toe.

A few minutes after the golden toe incident, a man in his 70’s hauled his belly out of the pool, and exposed his sheer, gray, Speedo. I think he had the Speedo since he was a teenager, it had definitely seen better days. With that being said, I had the displeasure of witnessing a rear, male-toe, butt hair and all. I know, I shouldn’t have been looking, but it sucked me in, it was like a train wreck, and I couldn’t look away—I'm just happy I didn’t see the frontal view!

Hopefully, the toe sightings didn’t offend you, if they did, we apologize; sometimes the truth hurts. The next story isn’t about toes, but about big, fat, sweaty men.

Half of the bath was closed today for ongoing renovation required to keep the baths clean and functional. This meant only half of the saunas and the pools were open. We still wanted to punish ourselves a little bit in the sauna. However, as we entered the 75C (167F) steam room Marc chickened out and headed back to pools. I braved forward and walked into the room that was totally packed. It appeared to be a meeting for sweaty, fat guys... to be part of the club you must be over 60, wear a Speedo, weigh at least 250 pounds, and have enough chest and back hair to give the little lady in Vietnam, who removed Marc’s back hair, a full time job. All of the wooden benches were full of these sweaty, fat guys so I just stood there, looking at them looking at me, all of us sweating profusely. The heat in the room was so intense that when I breathed air in through my nose it actually burned my nasal cavity; I figured this was my body’s way of saying get the Hell outa here. Plus, I realized I wasn’t meant to be part of this exclusive club and exited stage left.

As we say… traveling is all about the stories.

A Day in Buda...

Budapest, Hungary

September 16, 2007
N47°31.120
E019°04.900

Budapest, the capital city of Hungary, is split into two distinct areas, Buda and Pest; divided in half by the Danube River. The majority tourist sites, including the castle, are located on the western, Buda side, of the river. We’re staying in Pest and haven’t ventured to the other side of the Danube—until today.

Before crossing one of the many bridges connecting Buda and Pest we strolled by the magnificent Parliament building on the Pest side of the river. A small rock concert was being held in the middle of Parliament Square; a band playing to about 50 screaming teenage girls. The squealing girls and the cheesy Hungarian hunk leading his band were enough keep us walking.

The riverfront walk was beautiful as we peered across the river, anticipating what was in store for us this afternoon. After crossing the Margaret Bridge we entered another UNESCO protected area and instantly noticed the cobblestone streets and brightly colored house were clean, free of graffiti and obviously the ritzy neighborhood of Budapest.

Weaving our way through the streets, we admired the churches, including the Matthias Church, looked back across the Danube towards Pest from the vistas high in the hills, and explored the Royal Palace. The superb weather allowed Marc to capture tons of pictures of the classic architecture and left us both with sunburned faces.

As the sun began to fall toward the horizon we made way down the cobblestone streets within the walls of the castle and over the Chain Bridge back toward Pest. As we walked over the historic bridge that was first opened in 1849, we took one last look back at the Castle on the hill before walking deeper into the neighborhood of Pest, no longer able to see the beauty of Buda.

A Rough Day at the Baths...

Budapest, Hungary

September 15, 2007
N47°31.120
E019°04.900

After a cup of coffee, dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, we walked towards the large city park that promised a lot of sites, including one of the famous Budapest thermal public baths. As we approached the entrance to the park we could see that it was barricaded and a large stage was sitting in the middle of the square. Shouting, chanting and flag waving filled the air. It appeared there was some type of protest going on and we decided to keep our distance and make our way directly into the park. The park was buzzing with activity on a sunny fall-like afternoon, with locals and tourists alike enjoying the weather.

Navigating our way through the park on the sidewalks packed with pedestrians and bicyclists, we passed the theme park castle on our right, before we found the stunning Szechenyi Bathhouse on our left. A newly married couple posed on the lawn of the grand building as their photographer snapped away; capturing the happy couple, flowers, bright sunlight, and famous building in the background.

The entrance to the baths was a little lackluster, to say the least, it looked like the entrance to a high school gymnasium instead of a majestic building. The view didn’t really change as we pushed through the turnstile and entered the locker room. The attendant assigned us a dressing cubicle to change into our swimsuits and store our belongings.

After changing we walked through the double doors into a grand hall adorned with high ceilings and ornate detail. There were two medium sized pools in front of us. People were relaxing along the perimeter of the pools where steps acted as seats in the 38C (100.4F) water. Directly behind the first pool was a larger pool, equally packed, but the water was a little cooler at 34C (93.2F). There were people coming in out of doors to our right and left that obviously led to more baths. We walked around for several minutes, just getting our bearings, before dipping into the 38C pool.

As we sat in the warm bath we noticed several people going in and out of a steam room. The sign above the door said the temperature was between 45-55C (113 to 131F); with the sweat dripping off these people it looked at least that hot. We had to check it out. The steam hit us as soon as we walked through the door, we could barely see, it had a smell of lemon-essence and was so hot it was hard to breath. Marc took two steps into the fog, turned around and walked right back out. I stood in the center of the packed, claustrophobic room for what I thought was 10 minutes, but it was probably closer to two before I ducked out to find Marc.

Opening doors and wandering through corridors I found more baths and saunas, until I finally found Marc sitting in a dry sauna that was 140F—at least it was a dry heat Marc said. It felt like we were back in Hanoi as we sat in the room for approximately ten minutes. Our skin felt soft and refreshed as we headed out to find another bath to relax in for awhile.

As we contemplated our next move we noticed a door that led outside and thought we would take a look. As we walked through the unassuming door we were greeted by three large pools, one of them a lap pool, all completely surrounded by the beautiful historic façade of the Szechenyi Bathhouse. The yellow building had a white balcony on the second floor that looked down upon three large, crystal-blue pools, in a courtyard the size of two football fields. A large swimming/lap pool at 26C, a fun pool at 32C and a toasty and relaxing pool at 38C.

The pools were full of families, young and old, frolicking in the water. A couple of men played chess on a waterproof board as they enjoyed the warm water and sunny day. You might picture beautiful, lean, tanned people lounging in the warm baths, and I hate to shatter that image, since that is what I would prefer. However, people of all shapes and sizes pranced around between the pools, ducking into a sauna for a good sweat, and then back into one of the pools. The sites weren’t always pleasant, but the warm pools made it possible to ignore everything around us and simply enjoy our bath.

We jumped from pool to pool and sauna to pool for a little over two hours before we were completely famished. We retraced our steps, found our little cubicle, changed and headed back into the park. The sun was shining brightly and we were very relaxed after our nice long bath.

Other Notes: We’re amazed at the amount of public drinking of alcohol in Hungary. It’s common to see some drinking in public in other European countries, but in Hungary it appears it is acceptable everywhere! This includes on the metro, in the stations, in parks, on benches, walking down the street… literally everywhere. As we walked through a park tonight, groups of kids, many of whom were teenagers, had a bottle of cheap wine, whiskey or beer and were passing it around the group. Additionally, many of the side-streets and parks are littered with graffiti, broken bottles, puke, and the smell of urine; most likely attributed to the consequences of drinking in public.

Stick with the Hungarian Specialties...

Note: If you are interested in the highlights from South East Asia, we finally posted the Wrap-Up. Take a look.

Budapest, Hungary

September 14, 2007
N47°31.120
E019°04.900

After two fairly uneventful days in Bratislava we continued our journey east, towards Hungary. Even though our stay in Bratislava was brief, we were ready for a change. And Budapest, with its vast history, beautiful architecture, and the Danube River running through it, may be the recipe.

The Slovakia landscape quickly turned into a distant memory as our train zipped into Hungary. We commented how easy our travel days have become now that we’re in Europe. However, they don’t produce the infamous stories like our bus ride in Ecuador, or 27 people crammed in the bed of a pick-up truck and Hmong villagers puking up their rice lunch. Yes, we miss the stories, but we enjoy the clean, fast travel of the European rails.

A new country, a new city, a new currency and, of course, a new public transportation system were all in store for us upon arrival in Hungary. We quickly scoped out an ATM to grab some Hungarian Fornit, bought a week pass for public transportation and hunted-down our “home” for the next five nights. After checking in, we stowed our gear and headed out for an early dinner.

At dinner we quickly learned one important thing about Hungary, order the local specialties. We went to a restaurant in Lonely Planet that promoted its authentic Hungarian cuisine. I decided to order one of the restaurants pork dishes, crispy pork roast, to be exact. When the pork arrived it was far from crispy; instead it was more like a brick cut into four dry pieces. It was so hard I couldn’t even cut it… it should have been served with a hammer and chisel.

After sending the concrete pork roast back to the kitchen, I choose one of the Hungarian specialties—chicken with paprika sauce and dumplings. The chicken was nice and tender—I could even cut through it and the potato dumplings were yummy, especially with the paprika sauce.. At least we learned this important lesson on our first night in Budapest.

Tomorrow it’s time for a bath…

In The Shadow of Prague...

Bratislava, Slovakia

September 13, 2007
N48°08.619
E017°06.521

As the train crossed the border from Austria to Slovakia, we knew we were in a different country. The colorful buildings and lush landscape in Austria gave way to drab gray block buildings, typical of communist countries before the fall in November 1989. As we moved closer to the city center, the penitentiary gray high-rises surrounded us, all seemingly new, and uninspiring.

When Czechoslovakia peacefully became two countries, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, on January 1, 1993, the two countries progressed at their own pace. Development and restoration in the Czech Republic happened more quickly then in Slovakia, and it is apparent today.

The unemployment rate in Slovakia hovers around 9%, even though it is supposed to be lower in Bratislava, we saw a lot of guys hanging out in the parks drinking, possibly homeless, and probably not included in the “official” unemployment numbers.

The city of Bratislava has done an excellent job restoring a 1 KM x 1 KM Centrum area where the majority of the tourist sites can be found, but as soon as you venture outside the tourist area many of the buildings are dilapidated and crumbling. It’s almost as if there isn’t any pride in the city when you see the massive amounts of graffiti, and you see it on every type of building—residential and commercial. The majority of graffiti doesn’t even have any artistic quality; scrawlings of obscenities and scribbles cover nearly everything. The courtyard surrounding the Presidential Palace had broken benches, weeds forcing their way up through the cobblestones and graffiti everywhere. It would be equivalent to broken benches and graffiti leading up to the Washington Memorial in D.C.

Standing at the top of the castle and looking upon the city skyline, we couldn’t help but compare the view to the view from the Prague Castle. Yes, we realize Slovakia is its own country and probably wouldn’t appreciate the comparison, but we had to do it. The difference is comparable to contrasting skylines of Manhattan and Newark; Manhattan with its hundreds of skyscrapers, Empire State Building and Statue of Liberty… versus the Newark skyline of high-rise office and industrial buildings.

We don’t regret coming to Bratislava. We wanted to see the other half of Czechoslovakia and the relatively new country of Slovakia. It still has some growing up to do, but it simply cannot be compared to the splendor of Prague.

The Characters of Vienna...

Vienna, Austria

September 11, 2007
N48°12.245
E016°22.728

Four days in Vienna consisted of stumbling over miles of cobblestone streets, navigating yet another public transit system, witnessing spectacular architecture, people watching from the comfort of cafes as rain fell outside, and, of course, sampling the local beer and wine.

Vienna’s population is more diverse than many of the cities we’ve visited in our travels so far. Although the city is saturated with Catholic symbolism, people of many different religions and ethnicities stroll through the streets. A serious contingent of Punk Rock and Gothic teenage youth hang out in Metro stations and on sidewalks; all trying to make their “statement.” Women in full length mink coats, staying warm on a cold day, saunter by the Punks impervious to their “costumes.” Musicians and businessmen sit next to each other in pubs after a hard day, or night, at work. It became very apparent when seeing the cars, clothes, restaurants and culture there’s massive wealth in the city; at the same time there’s a working-class artistic vibe.

I enjoy making up stories, or simple observations, about each of the people that pass the window as we sit in our café or wander the streets. Maybe the Punk Rock kid was disinherited by his parents for doing drugs and lost access to his trust fund. This requires him to live on the streets with his dog, begging for money for his next fix, or at least another beer. Probably not a far fetched story, but I don’t know about the trust fund!

Or, maybe the lady sitting in the pavilion, with her arms firmly crossed, wearing a pout on her face, a mink coat, and red fedora, is upset with her lover. The boyfriend, who bought her the coat, tells her he doesn’t love her anymore… it’s not you, it’s me. The hat and sunglasses cover her eyes; hiding her tears as she hears the harsh words from his lips. She’s better off without him.

A young Spanish tourist snaps pictures of herself in the garden with a big smile and a peace sign; holding the camera as far from her face as her arm can reach. She takes another, apparently not happy with the first, but leaves out the peace sign this time—only a big smile. I’m sure she’ll be sending the snapshots home, letting her mom know she’s having a wonderful time touring Vienna by herself.

A man in his early 30s is relaxing on a park bench in the sun, reading a book. He started digging deep for a big one up his left nostril. He excavates a nice crunchy boog and without hesitation pops it into his mouth, smiling with pride—I kid you not. Marc swears he heard the crunch as the guy munched his prize! Marc turned to me and started to say, “Did you see…” I quickly responded, “Yes” trying to hold back my laughter as we passed.

As our time in Vienna comes to a close, we’re sitting in our apartment trying to decide where we’re headed tomorrow. No, we do not have a solid plan. The only thing we know is we’re going east—towards Hungary.

We’ll smile as we say goodbye to Vienna and the characters who reside in this lovely city.

Vienna Waits for You...

Vienna, Austria

September 9, 2007
N48°12.245
E016°22.728

The sunshine finally made it through the scattered clouds and provided enough warmth for us to shed our raincoats. As we strolled through the green parks, weaving our way back and forth across the Danube Canal, thousands of people filled the streets, some carrying flags in celebration of the Pope’s Mass, and others simply enjoying the sun on a beautiful Sunday morning.

Our goal was to walk through the Outer Ring streets of Vienna until we were exhausted, then jump on the metro for a short break, and come back to the surface in a different neighborhood to discover something new. We walked the entire Outer Ring, staying away from the Pope, but still witnessing some dramatic sites such as Stadtpark, Beethoven Plaza, the war memorial at Schwarzenberg Garden (we need at least half a day for the garden itself!) and Berg Garden.

It was beautiful yesterday, but with the sun shining, Vienna was even more spectacular than our initial impression.

When our feet couldn’t handle anymore time in our new shoes, we headed back to the Happy Hostel where we kicked back on the couch and watched a little NFL football (Colts vs. Saints). Too bad we already knew the outcome, but, hey, at least we were able to watch our first NFL game and enjoy a Sunday evening at home.

BTW… Payton is looking very sharp; definitely worth the number one pick in any Fantasy League.