Category Archives: Travel

Danube 2015, Travel

Day11: Budapest beginnings

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The first question asked is, “Which is Buda and which is Pest?” Budapest is one city, but once there was a separate Buda from Pest (sounds like a limerick is about to begin, but no). It is quickly established that one side of the Danube, which the Hungary maps label Duna, is Buda, the other Pest. How is one to remember?

The dominant landmark of Budapest is the magnificent Parliament Building on the east river bank. At all times it is easy to discern if you are on that side. So our memory mnemonic uses that very name, Parliament, to remember that ‘P’ also stands for Pest. Parliament side is Pest side; it’s as simple as that. Continue reading Day11: Budapest beginnings →

Danube 2015, Travel

Day10: Bratislava is Churchill’s Russia?

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Winston Churchill said, “Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” I similarly found Bratislava, Slovakia, to be a perplexing conundrum of puzzling mixture, a stimulating stop.

As we sailed downstream on the Danube, the first offering of this town is an ultra-modern bridge tower. The town’s castle is atop a hill just across the Danube, each staring at the other. A sign at the loftier begins, “The Bratislava Castle has been inhabited since the late Stone Age.” Continue reading Day10: Bratislava is Churchill’s Russia? →

Danube 2015, Travel

Day8: Viva Vienna

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One of the more historic cities in the world flaunts her art, beauty, and culture, presenting a character that must be all her own. At every stop on this trip we hear about the significance of Vienna in the culture, goods, and rulers across much of Europe. Now we get to see this grande dame.

We found that the fullness of Vienna cannot be absorbed in the day and a half that we have here; perhaps not in a week or two. It is a place against which we are destined to compare other major metropolises of the world (I would prefer to change that spelling to metropolii, but I shall conform to the dictatorial edicts of the dictionary). It is bustling, artistic, grandiose, friendly, and more compact than it first seems. We once again walk throughout the inner city on tour and on our own, seeing as much as possible and capturing a bit on our cameras. Continue reading Day8: Viva Vienna →

Danube 2015, Travel

Day3: “History” can be a long word (Prague)

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Today we discover Prague. A guided tour and stump speech began our day. A local guide enhanced the sights of the two oldest portions of the city for us with her knowledge of the area, tales of her life here, and a sense for living in Prague as well as the Czech Republic.

A local professor of Physics met our group along the way, imparting a greater degree of knowledge about the history of the area through his personal experiences since 1968. He literally stepped on a stump to deliver his engaging talk. Continue reading Day3: “History” can be a long word (Prague) →

Danube 2015, Travel

Day2: Wish-I-woulda-packed-a… (Prague)

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We headed east from the U.S.A., and picked up time. Flying overnight through Detroit and Amsterdam, we land in Prague a little past 8 in the morning.

This is a Praguetically a free day to roam the city. The weather has cooperated greatly, changing from a forecast with temperatures in the 50s and some rain to three days of sun and highs consistently in the 60s. Continue reading Day2: Wish-I-woulda-packed-a… (Prague) →

Danube 2015, Travel

Day1: Flying is an adventure

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Start by clicking where you find ‘Danube 2015‘ highlighted in text like this, or within the menus on the top or left side of my pages. Then scroll up and down to see my notes. More recent updates appear near the top (they may be older topics if I made changes and put them on top); older ones toward the end.

Continue to read about the air travel experience, followed by a map below that shows you “the places we’ll go …” Continue reading Day1: Flying is an adventure →