Blogs from Vienna, Austria, Europe - page 10

Today we experienced a veritable heat wave in Vienna, with temperatures reaching the mid-40s, with sunshine and clear, blue skies! If this weather continues, we may need to buy some sunscreen and summer shorts! We felt the difference as we walked to the tram stop, and by the time we sat down for lunch at an outdoor terrace in the Naschmarkt, it was actually quite comfortable. The Naschmarkt is Vienna's most popular market. Located at the Wienzeile over the Wien River, it stretches for almost a mile. This market has existed since the 16th-century, when mainly milk bottles were sold. Since milk bottles, at the time, were made out of ash (wood from an ash tree), "Asch" (German for "ash") led to the name "Aschenmarkt". From 1793 onwards, all fruits and vegetables brought to Vienna with ... read more

The weather has been so cold in Vienna since our arrival that we hibernated in our warm and cozy apartment this past weekend. On Sunday, we awoke to find a dusting of snow covering our back patio, and this morning the temperature was a frigid 23 degrees Fahrenheit! Our thin Florida blood is having a difficult time coping with these conditions, and neither of us can remember when we last experienced sub-freezing temperatures. But we decided to bite the bullet today, dressed as warmly as we could, and at 10:00 AM walked to the nearby tram station for a ride into the Old City to visit the Hofburg, the former residence of the Habsburg monarchy. With our teeth chattering, and shivering from head to toe, we arrived at the Albertina Platz, a small square near the ... read more

Today we said good-bye to Sorrento (and southern Italy), flying from Napoli to Vienna, home of the famous Wiener Schnitzel, and former seat of the Austro-Hungarian empire on the banks of the mighty Danube river in Austria. But before our mid-afternoon flight, we enjoyed a brief farewell visit to Francesco and Anna Ruggiero at their home. The Ruggiero property, surrounded by its vegetable gardens and fruit trees, has a nice view of the surrounding hills, and is tucked away off the beaten track in Piano di Sorrento. Francesco gave us a tour of the house and their extensive garden, complete with artichokes, fennel, beans, lettuce, onions, tomatoes and many other vegetables that have or will soon be planted; they also have lemon, orange, peach, and cherry trees on the property. Anna made us all coffee, and ... read more

Our first full day on board and true to Jochim’s word, four full coaches left promptly at 8am on a Panoramic tour of Budapest city with a stop in the Castle District, a ½ hour walking tour culminating in some free time. Five minutes after we had waved 139 passengers off, the gangway was raised and we cast off. The 30 or so remaining guests onboard sat back and enjoyed the three-hour trip to rendezvous with the tour buses at Visegrád, some 50km upstream. We passed the magnificent Hungarian Parliament building, its clean white façade and characteristic gothic style reflecting the morning sun. A few minutes later we sailed under Margrit Bridge then passed by Margrit Island on our left. At 1.5 miles long,this island provides a peaceful hideaway from hectic downtown Budapest with large green ... read more

So, it feels like Germany, they speak German, and mostly, they act German. One thing for sure, they love their ice cream and cigarettes. What a combination! My German speaking, or lack thereof, is coming back so very slowly. The brain cells are still there. They think we have gone bonkers with Trump. My hotel, the Ruby Marie on MariahilferStrasse is way too hip for me. Totally paperless, tablets everywhere, why don't we all do this? Only an ice cream joint would serve beer here. Friday night, time for wurst, kebabs, or ?? With beer and some apple strudel for dessert? The train ride here was uneventful, except for one thing. The locomotive died about 20 minutes outside of Budapest. An hour or so later, we got another, and proceeded to stay an hour off schedule. ... read more