We are going church crazy today – it’s almost Easter so why not. St. Peter’s Abbey is well over 1300 years old. This old Benedictine Monastery is a church, it has a spectacular library, a small quiet and charming cemetery, if there is such a thing, a massive court yard and the oldest European […]
From the top of Salzburg Fortress the views are breath taking. Today, for the first time we actually got to see the mountains form the city. While fog and clouds add their own mystique to this town, clear blue skies and white capped mountains have their own beauty. We are happy to be here, it […]
The University Church with its grandiose façade is one of the most magnificent Baroque churches in Austria. It feels light, open and airy – with the usually obscene dash of expansive marbles and gold, as no god could ever be happy without the usual riches. The chapels inside the church are dedicated to the patron […]
After the Mirabell Palace we set off along the river towards the Medieval Street and towards the old town. It it amazing how we have already been here but have not seen about 90% of things we are looking at today. Quick stop for coffee and dessert and we are off to the Cathedral and […]
We are exploring a bit of the other side of Salzburg. The side of Salzburg we did not see the last time we were here. First on the agenda after breakfast was a quick stop for a coffee and beer. Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau had Altenau Palace built in 1606 as a token of […]
It has been almost six hours since our last meal. We had a short drive from Sankt Georgen, we got into our apartment, parked the car, had a nap and came out to eat something. Back by popular demand we are back at Goldene Kugel – kids favorite place in Salzburg.
We are back in Salzburg for a couple of days. This time, while it is still quite cool, there is sunshine and blue skies. We can finally see the mountains surrounding this great city. While today we only took a quick stroll it was great to see some of the old places we visited without […]
This is yet another Baroque style church. Splendid last time we looked at it and even more so with bright sunlight shining through the windows. Simply spectacular and awe inspiring.
Sankt Georgen im Attergau is where Anna’s dad spent 9 month some 35 years ago waiting for a Canadian visa. After defecting from Poland and surrendering his passport to Viennese Police he was sent to Sankt Georgen refugee camp, which was located on the lower level of this lovely hotel in a quiet village on the […]
We are setting off on a little holiday with Anna’s parents. First we are driving to Sankt Georgen im Attergau, in Austria where Anna’s dad begun his journey to Canada some 35 years ago. We are then going to spent 2 days wondering around Salzburg, a day in Ljubljana, Slovenia and then off to Treviso, Italy […]
We spent a day exploring a bit of our beautiful city – from the Imperial Castle to the old town and a section of newly renovated St. Sebaldus Church. After a bit of pre-dinner gelato and a lovely dinner, we set out for another walk around the large park by our house. Lovely day… […]
Nothing says Welcome to Germany like a massive gridlock on the Autobahn just outside the city. Standing still, and going nowhere fast!
After the most brutal and dreadful drive we got to Frankfurt, just in time too as the flight arrived early. Now we are waiting in arrivals for the first guests from Canada this year.
We are off to Frankfurt to pick up Anna’s parents. They will be visiting with us for about 3 weeks!
Heroes’ Square is one of the major squares of Budapest, rich with historic and political connotations. Its iconic statue complex, the Millennium Memorial, was completed in 1900, the square was named “Heroes’ Square” in 1929. The square is dedicated to the heroes of Hungary and was originally conceived as a Millennium Memorial for Hungary’s 1000 year anniversary as a […]
This place is no Zeller Bistro but we are out trying something new. Tonight we are at Lado Cafe. This little place, is where the locals hang out to have a dinner and listen to some live jazz or blues. Tonight is a live jazz show. Frankly we did not have the time to take […]
Art Deco is everywhere in Budapest, but so are great many other buildings in Romanesque, Gothic, Gothic Revival, Neo-Classical, Baroque, Hungarian secessionist, Renaissance and modern styles. For anyone with any interest in architecture Budapest is a treasure trove of amazing examples of different architectural styles – more often than not standing side by side.
It is quite warm and humid – a walk down by the Danube offers not only great views of the Buda side of the city but also a nice and refreshing breeze. From the Parliament Building, by the Jewish Memorial and all the way up to the Gellert Hotel famous for its baths – this […]
Budapest – the city of cafes and pastry shops is not disappointing. Laying waste to our waist lines is this little gem. Going back to 1956 this quaint little cafe, off the beaten path has been serving amazing cakes and coffees for well over half a century. We are talking a small break to relax, […]
The Parliament Building on the bank of the Danube is currently the largest building in Hungary and together with St. Stephen’s Basilica the tallest building in Budapest standing at 96m. The number 96 refers to the nation’s millennium, 1896, and the conquest of the later Kingdom of Hungary in 896. About one thousand people were involved in construction of the Parliament, during […]
The church is named after Saint Stephen I of Hungary, the first King of Hungary (c. 975–1038), whose incorruptible right hand is housed in the reliquary. This is the most important church building in Hungary, one of the most significant tourist attractions and the third highest building in Hungary. Equal with the Hungarian Parliament Building, it is one of […]
Today on the exploration agenda is more of the Pest side of Budapest. We are taking it easy today by having a nice, long and relaxing breakfast. After the breakfast we are heading towards the Danube to see the Parliament Building, The Great Synagogue, Gellert Hotel, Great Market Hall and St. Stephens Basilica, among other […]
Meanwhile in the other room at Zeller Bistro a fox hunt themed bachelor party was taking place. 14 crazy Englishmen, a bachelor dressed like a fox and a lot of toasting. There were two different toasts given in about 5 minute intervals – To the Hunt and What Did The Fox Say! As the table […]
As my wife said, when you come to Budapest but don’t stop by Zeller Bistro, for dinner – you have wasted your trip here. Zeller is a very small bistro on the Pest side of the city, family own and family run. They also own a small farm and make their own wine and some […]
After a nice visit to Buda site of Budapest we crossed the famous Chain Bridge, to Pest side of the city. This, architecturally speaking, is the modern part of the city. Pest side of the city is a treasure trove of Art Deco, Neoclassical and Classical architecture, perhaps mores than Prague. For me that is […]
Buda Castle is the historical castle and palace complex of the Hungarian kings in Budapest, and was first completed in 1265. In the past, it has been called Royal Palace and Royal Castle. Buda Castle was built on the southern tip of Castle Hill, bounded on the north by what is known as the Castle District which is famous for its Medieval, Baroque, and 19th-century houses, churches, and […]
Fisherman’s Bastion is a terrace in neo-Gothic and neo-Romanesque style located on the Buda bank of the Danube, on the Castle hill just behind the Matthias Church. It was designed and built between 1895 and 1902. Its seven towers represent the seven Magyar tribes that settled in the Carpathian Basin in 896. The Bastion takes its name from the guild of fishermen that was responsible for defending this stretch of the city […]
Originally built in Romanesque style in 1015, the current building was constructed in the late Gothic style in the second half of the 14th century and was extensively restored in the late 19th century. It was the second largest church of medieval Buda and the seventh largest church of medieval Hungarian Kingdom. Officially named as the Church of Our Lady, […]
The name “Budapest” is the composition of the city names “Buda” and “Pest” Dating back to before 1 AD Budapest is the 25th most visited city in the world and 6th most visited city in Europe. Budapest is extensively dotted with World Heritage Sites which include the banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter, Andrássy Avenue, Heroes’ Square and the Millennium Underground Railway, […]
Placed stragegically close to our hotel is Budapest’s legendary – New York Cafe. Voted as one of 10 most beautiful cafes in the world – this newly renovated cafe was a longtime center for Hungarian literature arts and poetry, right from its opening on October 23, 1894. This truly is a dazzling and spectacular place, […]
This will be our home – away from home, away from home for the long weekend while we explore Budapest. So far our impressions are pretty good and we are looking forward to staying here and sampling the breakfast tomorrow morning, and each morning after that. We are about 10 minute walk away from […]
We are on our way to Budapest, Hungary. It is a great and leisurely drive, the roads are pretty much empty and there is not a lot of construction. We made 3 quick stops, two of which were to buy road vignettes – a precautionary measure to avoid unpleasantries with border control like the last […]
We are going to Hungary for the long weekend. In our sights we have Budapest, what we understand to be an amazing city full of splendid cafes, mineral baths and spicy paprika and goulash among other more cultural things.
We are setting off for Munich – once again. A bit of paper work to deal with at our favourite place the Polish Embassy.
This is our little hotel we stayed at in Ribeauvillé in Alsace France over the weekend. After lowering the bar significantly in London at Hotel Dumpshire this was not only a well deserved and great treat but a nice surprise. The hotel is located on a quiet square with a fountain just about in the middle […]
A slow and leisurely drive through Alsace countryside, on a beautiful and sunny Sunday morning.
The name of this little village of 1500 just rolls off your tongue – Riquewihr, Riquewihr, Riquewihr. This little village is located about 5km from Ribeauvillé or 6km if you take the scenic route through the winding roads leading through the vineyards. Riquewihr is an old wine trading village , famous for it architecture and for the Riesling and other great wines […]
Colmar, now a home to some 67,000 people, was founded in the 9th century. It is the third largest city in Alsace and a self proclaimed capital of Alsatian wine. If you have heard of the Statue of Liberty then you know Colmar – indirectly. Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, was a French sculptor who is best known for designing […]
This is the main church in Colmar, built in Gothic style in yellow and red sandstone. Originally the church was built in Carolingian style around the year 1000. There are a number of unique and rare features and ornaments in this church dating back to the 1300’s. With Sarah Pacini on the horizon we stopped in for a […]
We were not early out of bed today, but in the morning on the way down to the main market square in search of suitable place to sit outside for breakfast we got to explore a bit more of this amazing little town. Ribeauvillé is almost like a medieval movie set – all homes are […]
We are spending a nice spring weekend in France. Out in the middle of the French countryside about 80 km outside of Strasbourg is a picturesque little town called Ribeauvillé. Ribeauvillé is home to about 5 thousand people and a lot of very old and colourful Bavarian looking buildings dating back to the 8th century. Surrounded by […]
It’s the weekend and we are off to France for a little weekend trip.
Today is the first day of Spring. Today is also the first day we were comfortable enough to go out in shorts and a t-shirt, although after an hour we though we were a bit overdressed. We have been planning to take a tour around the entire castle defence walls or the old town since […]
Here is some of the stuff that we acquired in London. As it is clearly evident most of it is from Harry Potter Studios. Good times.
Home sweet home. We knew today was going to be a long and challenging day. We knew we would not make the train, and there was a chance we would not make the shuttle bus to the train station, which means we would have to take an even later train. Not to mention the issues […]
After Changing of the Guard ceremony, or rather, before it actually concluded we set off across St. James’s Park to Piccadilly and a wonder around Regent Street, essentially circling around Soho for a bit of exploration. I think we all are a bit tired so today we are taking it easy. We went back to […]
We went to see the Queen today but there was a scheduling problem with the palace. So instead of high tea we settled for watching the change of guard and a coffee.
Today we went to Buckingham Palace to see the change of the guard, us and about 1000 other people with nothing better to do on a beautiful spring day. The whole ceremony is quite long, with much fanfare and massive crowds and not a lot to see. It seems there is not one place that […]
After our museum visit, we had a nice dinner in a traditional English Tavern and then headed out to Covent Garden which is a trendy boutique area in London. Then a quick stop to King’s Cross for a visit to Platform 9 ¾.
There are a lot great exhibits and some real treasures. There is a tooth which was found by the side of the road which gave birth to the study of dinosaurs, the first adult skull of a Neanderthal ever discovered, the first edition of the “On The Origin of Species” by Darvin, a dodo skeleton, […]
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