iPostcards from Eastern-Central-Western Europe

We're back!
Had a fabulous time!
It was an eye-opening trip of a lifetime!
This was a wonderful 16-day private tour
taken with my life partner, Bill
and our friends, Tom, Leonard, Bob, and Ian
across-down-around-up-and across
Eastern-Central-Western Europe
on a Fiat Ducato van
with a driver who spoke very little English.
Thank goodness for GPS! ... LOL
Please click on the name of the country
to be directed to the specific post
or simply scroll down:
(appears in reverse chronological order)

CZECH REPUBLIC

POLAND

SLOVAKIA

HUNGARY

AUSTRIA

GERMANY

iPostcards from Frankfurt, Germany

My first trip to Germany was supposed to be in 1993 when my group, The Library Foundation, was invited to present a prospectus of our HIV/AIDS program in the Philippines at the IX International AIDS Conference in Berlin. Then my only brother decided to get married on the very same week in the U.S.. So I had no choice but to defer being Dr. Sean Saba to be Mr. Best Man. ... LOL.
Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to attach Germany on this 2-week tour of Central/Eastern Europe. I've only transited via Frankfurt and Munich airports on past trips to Europe, but have never been on German soil.
This time, while waiting for our connecting flight to go back home to L.A. in Frankfurt Airport, Lufthansa announced that they had oversold our flight and were asking for volunteers to be bumped-off. They were offering 600.00 Euros, a hotel stay, an overnight kit, and meal vouchers. Bill, Tom, and I were apart as we heard the announcement, but we individually immediately reacted by running to the head of the line. We had the same exact thought, "Hey, we can afford to skip work one more day, the money will almost pay for our round trip air fare, and we get to see Frankfurt.". So without a care if we wore the same underwear for more than 24 hours, we took the deal and off we went. Although it is not one of the top destination cities in Germany, we enjoyed exploring the financial center of Europe and got to have a genuine German meal at a favorite restaurant of the locals.


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iPostcards from Frankfurt, Germany



iReport from Frankfurt


iReport from Old Town, Frankfurt

iPostcards from Prague, Czech Republic - Part II

We have now come full circle and are back again in Prague for one more night, before we head back home to the U.S.. I prefer the location of our hotel this time, which is right below the famous Charles Bridge.


iReport from Prague

view of Prague Castle from Charles Bridge

stopping by the statue of St. John Nepomuk
@ Charles Bridge to make a wish

Old Town Bridge Tower @ Charles Bridge

The Church of Our Lady Before Tyn,
Old Town Square - by night

The Astronomical Clock on the Old Town Hall Tower,
Old Town Square - by night

Old Town Hall Tower, Old Town Square - by night

Powder Tower - by night

Wenceslas Square - by night

iPostcards from Český Krumlov, Czech Republic

... and now we're back in Czech Republic. We are in Český Krumlov, one of the South Bohemia´s most beautiful medieval towns, a historical town reserve preserved by UNESCO. This small medieval town, almost unchanged since the 18th century, is one of the most picturesque in Europe.


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iPostcards from Český Krumlov, Czech Republic

iReport from Cesky Krumlov

iReport from Town Center, Cesky Krumlov

iPostcards from Dürnstein, Austria

Our boat trip through Wachau – the romantic valley with its vineyards, passing the charming town of Krems and ended at the medieval village of Dürnstein.


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iPostcards from Dürnstein, Austria

iReport from Dürnstein, Austria

iPostcards from Wachau Valley and the Danube River, Austria

We enjoyed a full-day tour of the Wachau Valley including the most beautiful parts of the Danube River. Our tour included a trip to Melk to have an interior visit of the Baroque Benedictine Abbey, a boat trip through Wachau – the romantic valley with its vineyards, passing the charming town of Krems and the medieval village of Durnstein.


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iPostcards from Wachau Valley and the Danube River


iReport from Wachau Valley and the Danube River

iPostcards from Melk, Austria

Our tour included a trip to Melk to have an interior visit of the Baroque Benedictine Abbey.


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iPostcards from Melk, Austria

arrival at Melk


iReport from Melk Abbey, Melk

Melk Abbey

Stift Melk

beautiful altar & ceiling

view of the river Danube

in the town of Melk

leaving the town of Melk

view of Melk Abbey from the dock below

iPostcards from Vienna, Austria

Vienna, the imperial capital of ancient Europe and today´s capital of Austria, a metropolis demonstrating European history in a unique way.
We drove along the Ringstrasse to see the State Opera, Museum of Fine Arts, Parliament, Burgtheater, City Hall and visited the Schoenbrunn Palace.


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iPostcards from Vienna, Austria

Bill in front of the Upper Belvedere of Belvedere Palace

in front of the Upper Belvedere of Belvedere Palace

iReport from Belvedere Palace, Vienna

grabbing some tit behind the Upper Belvedere
while facing the Lower Belvedere

in front of Schönbrunn Palace

in front of Schönbrunn Palace

iReport from Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna

view of the Great Parterre on to the Gloriette
behind Schönbrunn Palace

iReport from Hofburg Imperial Palace, Vienna

in front of the Michael Wing (18th Century)
@ Hofburg Imperial Palace

iPostcards from Bratislava, Slovakia

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iPostcards from Bratislava, Slovakia


iReport from Bratislava, Slovakia

iPostcards from Győr, Hungary

By the time we got to Győr, my group was already getting "toured-out". I told them to give this city a chance, since it was on the way, halfway between Budapest (from where we were coming) and Vienna (our next destination). And besides... our tour guide was already paid for! :-)

Győr is the most important city of northwest Hungary, the capital of Győr-Moson-Sopron county and lies on one of the important roads of Central Europe. It is also the sixth largest in Hungary and one of the five main regional centres of the country.


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iPostcards from Győr, Hungary


iReport from Győr, Hungary

iPostcards from Budapest, Hungary

We arrived in Budapest at night. It was beautiful! All the monuments and landmarks were nicely lit. We are all impressed as we entered the city on our way to our hotel. Budapest is the "Pearl on the Danube River" and the capital of Hungary.
The next day we visited the historic Castle District, the Parliamentm, and drove via
Andrassy Avenue and saw famous Hero´s Square. WE ate and shopped at the pedestrian zone at Vaci ut which was near our hotel, Zara Hotel.











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iPostcards from Budapest, Hungary


iReport from Budapest, Hungary

iPostcards from Eger, Hungary

in the afternoon we proceeded to have lunch at Eger, one of the most wonderful baroque towns in Hungary. There we met our guide for Eger and Budapest. She took us around town and Eger Castle.

view of Eger from Eger Castle

sample of Hungarian English
as seen on a restroom sign
LOL

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iPostcards from Eger, Hungary


iReport from Eger, Hungary

iPostcards from Miskolc-Tapolca, Hungary

We spent the night in Miskolc-Tapolca, which was our fist stop in Hungary. I wanted us to have a break from all the touring and just relax. The next day we went to Barlang-fürdő, the curative effect of the special microclimate of the cave was proven long ago, the constant 14-16 C temperature, the nearly 100% relative humidity and the extremely clear air free of pollens and dust provide total relief for those suffering from allergy, asthma and other respiratory disorders.

a sample of Hungarian English
as seen on a sign at a thermal bath
(Their way of indicating that it is "Out of Order"/"Not Working")
LOL

Since I figured that it would be quite a long drive from the border of Slovakia-Hungary to Budapest, I figured that it would be a good idea for my group to make a pit stop/take a respite at Miskolc-Tapolca and relax at the thermal baths.

Face removed to protect myself from any future blackmail...LOL

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iPostcards from Miskolc-Tapolca, Hungary


iReport from Miskolc, Hungary


iReport from Miskolc-Tapolca, Hungary