Day Eight - Simmering in our Own Stew

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Last night we decided we had to go to Budapest’s famous baths. Until now we really hadn’t seen much of what we had planned to see because of all the holiday closings. Going to the baths, no matter how scary or uncomfortable it might seem, would at least make us feel like we had “done” Budapest. Besides, it was Gail’s birthday and she seemed very determined to go there. When we had returned from dinner and our walk downtown the previous night our hotel desk clerk had told us that the baths would open at 6:00 am, but they didn’t get crowded until later in the morning. He also informed us that we didn’t have to check-out until 1:00 so we had no excuses not to give it a try.

The first thing we had to do was explore the Central Market Hall. Knowing it opened early and that we had a lot to do this day we got an early start. We were awake and ready to go by 8:00.

Since we had bought our transport passes yesterday afternoon and since they had a big “24” on them we disregarded all that squiggly Hungarian writing on the ticket and assumed it meant they were good for 24 hours from time of purchase. What a great deal. Again we walked the few blocks up to the Batthyany ter Metro stop. It was a lot more crowded at 8:00 am on a working day. We somehow stayed close together and decended into the Tube. We had to fight our way on to a totally jammed subway car keeping our hands deep in our pockets in an effort to deny any pickpockets working the Metro

We had to change Metro lines at the Deak Ferenc ter stop and from there ride a few more stops on the Blue Metro 3 line. Or at least that seemed to be the closest stop based on the map we had. At Deak Ferenc we departed our Red Metro 2 line car and walked through a series of corridors t o the entrance for the #3 line. Just as we got to the corridor where an escalator led down to the tracks, two scruffy-looking guys in black leather jackets and blue armbands blocked the hordes of commuters by demanding they show their tickets. A young well-dressed woman just in front of us was chased away because something was wrong with her ticket. Gail and I then confronted the Gestapo. They looked at our passes and mumbled something we didn’t understand. When we said we didn’t speak Hungarian they told us in broken English that our passes were no good. We pointed out that they said “24” hours on them (or so we thought) but they would not let us through. One of the subway guards directed us to a ticket booth. When we showed our passes to the woman inside and said they were still good, she had no idea what we were saying. We thought about putting up a bigger stink but with no one around us capable of speaking English we sucked it up and paid the $1.70 per person for single trip tickets.

Then we returned to the area that the two rent-a-cops were guarding and with brand new tickets in hand, passed straight through. What was particularly irritating was that we only needed to go two stops to Kalvin ter. Just like our subway ride yesterday we had no idea where we were when we came out of the subway station. We spent a good 20 minutes walking around trying to get our bearings. Somehow after traversing half of Pest and going down alleys where no tourist has gone before, we arrived at the City Market Hall.

I was a bit concerned that we might be arriving at a very busy time. With all the shops closed for the past few days due to Christmas I thought every housewife in Budapest would be here restocking their larders. The market looks like a train station from the outside and as we walked inside it still had the same airy Victorian-era quality similar to Victoria Station in London. This Hungarian building was that same curious mix of brick and wrought iron but instead of the hustle and bustle of commuters scurrying for trains, the market was dead as a doornail. Many of the food stalls were open or just opening but there was a severe lack of customers. Paprika in various shapes and colors seemed to be on display at every stall. The meat stalls seemed to be in competition for who could gross-out the most customers. One had pig and sheep heads on display while their neighbor had crimson red piles of hearts and innards laying about. The smell of fish drove me away from one corner of the market. It was all very interesting but no better or less exciting than farmer’s markets in Athens, Paris or Philadelphia.

After finding nothing we really felt we had to take home we started to think about getting breakfast there. We climbed up the old gingerbread-style staircase to the second level. There were a couple of restaurants situated high above the marketplace, but none were open. What was open were a good number of souvenir shops selling linens, dolls and glass. None of it grabbed our attention. Again I looked for my hockey nesting dolls. No luck. We decided to leave the market within 30 minutes of arriving there. Perhaps in the summer when the place is bustling it might have proven much more interesting.

We quickly found our way back to the Art’otel where we got our bathing gear together for our next adventure. While we were out walking Gail’s mother decided that running around in a bathing suit in 20 degree weather with snow on the ground might not be the best idea for a senior citizen (and maybe not such a bright consideration for a guy that seems to catch the World’s worst colds whenever he goes on vacation), so she opted to stay behind. It took a little convincing to get Cassie to come along and I probably could’ve been talked out of the idea once we stepped back outside the hotel into the damp, cold weather.

Another trip up to the Batthyany ter stop, then a ride on the Red Line to Deak Ferenc ter then a switch to the Yellow Metro 1 where we got a short nap as we rode eight stops to the Szechenyi Furdo stop. For a change the Metro stop was actually right where we wanted to go. We could see the huge golden colored building stretching out before us, but it took us awhile to find the entrance. We followed a couple of overweight middle-aged guys lugging gym bags into the impressive entrance hall of the Szechenyi Baths . Once again it felt like we were in a train station. The baths are built on an area of hot springs heated by a volcanic vent. In other words, someday this could be the site of a significant geo-thermal event; i.e. an earthquake or volcanic eruption.

Not having any idea of what to do we simply got in one of the three rather lengthy lines leading up to an old-time ticket kiosk. The line moved rather slowly so I crept up to the front to see what the delay was. The old lady at the front of the line was giving the lady inside the ticket booth a white slip of paper which the ticket lady read then went to her computer to type in some info. After that she would hand the old lady a ticket. Then the old lady gave her another white slip and the process repeated. This went on for something like 5 or 6 slips of paper. Eventually I realized that the old lady was giving the ticket lady her doctor’s prescriptions for various treatments. She never headed for the baths, but walked toward the masseuse offices in the opposite direction.

Once the old lady left things moved more quickly. When it was finally our turn I was wondering how we were going to do this: What would we say? Would anyone understand us? Would we be told we were in the wrong line? There were no signs in English to give us a clue. Luckily for us the ticket lady spoke English. We said we wanted to try the baths. She probably has to deal with tourists all the time so she knew not to offer us massage, steam baths or synchronized swimming lessons. She sold us bath tickets then asked how many changing booths we’d like to rent. We got three.

Taking our chits we got in another line where a smiling English-speaking attendant showed us how to insert our tickets in the time stamping machine then directed us to the changing area. As we entered the very clean, but very old institutionally tan-walled changing rooms I was reminded of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”. It looked like a lunatic asylum or prison. An attendant who was dressed like a male nurse looked at our tickets then showed us to our changing booths. The booths were spacious enough that Gail/Cassie and Gen/Tyler had plenty of room to change without bashing into each other. We locked our clothes and valuables inside. Then our attendant gave us special wristlets with metal disks that we would later turn-in in exchange for our locker keys after undergoing our experience.

When we were all attired in our bathing costumes the attendant pointed us in the right direction (we assumed). We followed a couple of other bathers through aisles and aisles of changing rooms until we emerged into a big tiled room with two large pools sitting beneath a high domed roof. Lounging in the pools were members of the cast of Cocoon. It was a little unnerving stepping into that steaming stew of old people, but I hopped in first and grabbed myself a perch in the corner. The waters were tepid - nowhere near as shocking cold as a swimming pool but not nearly as warm as a bath at home. It was comfortable compared to the somewhat cool outside air. We spent about 20 minutes floating around with the pensioners of Budapest trying hard not to bang into any of the old-timers. No splashing allowed in these pools! Poor Cassie must have felt like an infant around the Social Security crowd.

I think the others might’ve remained in this pool all day but when I started to spot unidentified floating debris in the water I decided it was a good time to explore elsewhere. Those Depends don’t stay together forever. Right behind the area we had staked-out in the pool was a steamed-up glass door. We headed inside. From the moment you walked in it was impossible to see more than three feet in front. All I could see was a lot of very white flesh in the form of arms, legs and torsos darting in and out of the fog. It was much as I imagined Hell to be - hot, humid, and crammed full of unsightly human bodies. The sole reason I didn’t immediately turn around and walk out was the strong fragrance of eucalyptus in the air. It instantly cleared my nostrils and went to work on purging my lungs of any gunk lying down inside.

More and more people kept coming into the entrance of the steam room. It was impossible to determine just how much room lie further inside. Rather than risk bumping into the oldsters glistening with sweat we elected to get the heck out.

The air felt freezing when we returned into the original chamber of two tubs. We decided to explore deeper into the bowels of Valhalla. The next room we entered was some sort of geriatric aqua-sizing area. A long Olympic style pool was full of geezers pumping dumbbells while wearing lifejackets. It was apparently some sort of therapy or class so we moved-on.

In the next chamber we entered a darker, slightly decrepit round pool. We hopped in to a warm pool that was just slightly cooler than the very first one. There was only one other person in the pool but since it was so dark and slightly depressing we decided to push onward.

We then passed through a long hallway full of masseuse rooms and exercise equipment. There was another lap pool that we ignored. After that we reached the end of that particular building. We continued to the next building which meant we had to step through a covered porch where we felt as though we would freeze to death. It was still darn cold as we walked through a glass foyer toward a metal partition. We were practically running in a state of frozen silliness when we stumbled into a huge tiled room. A high dome roof soared above us while marble pillars rose to support the dome. In front of us stood a 20 X 40 foot pool crammed with people. The good news was that these folks hadn’t left walkers strewn around the sides of the pool. There were actually a few that had been born after the fall of communism. We hopped in quickly just to warm ourselves after our brief airy encounter. I wallowed in this rather shallow pool for a few minutes before deciding I would seek out a toilet rather than adding to the volume of the pool. I was shivering as I found a nearby (very clean) bathroom. Rather than walk back to the main pool in this hall I took a quick hop in a much less crowded and tinier pool next to the toilet. As soon as I hopped in I hopped back out - it was freezing.

While I was gone somebody in our group reported that we needed to get out soon and head down the stairs next to the pool. The famous outdoor pool was out there. After getting our body temps back up into the 90’s we summoned up our courage and headed quickly down the steps, through the door and out into the bracing cold outdoors. The scene out there was otherworldly. The beautiful golden yellow Szechenyi Baths building surrounded a huge steaming swimming pool. Piles of snow lay in the corners of the open expanse. We couldn’t see actual people in the pool since the steam coming up from the pool was so thick. Fortunately steps with handrails leading into the mist were just a few feet in front of us. We moved quickly and giggling out of both nervousness and pending hypothermia we slid into the pool.

Once in the water I was shocked by two phenomena - one was that the pool water was the warmest (or at least seemed so) that we had encountered at the baths and the other was feeling the water on my eyebrows start to freeze. There were icicles on the metal handrail curving into the pool! To our right a gaggle of geezers sat on stone stools playing chess in the pool. There were scores of people flopping around in the water but because the pool was so huge we didn’t feel crowded. The steamy mist seemed to be thickest farther to my right so careful to keep as much of myself under the hot water as possible, I hopped toward the steam. I was deep into the thick cloud when I finally discovered the source of the fog - there was a beautiful stone fountain in the pool spewing water from the underground hot springs. Finding a perch beneath one of the many rivulets emanating from the fountain I felt as though I could stand there under the hot water all day. But in searching out this spot I had become separated from my group and there was no way they would find me in the fogbank. After leaving my comfortable spot and finding the others I led them back to the fountain. In the meantime a busload of stinkin’ tourists must’ve shown-up because all the prime spots at the fountain were now taken.

We spent 15-20 minutes enjoying this wonderful part of the baths. Before long I felt as if I were sweating on the lower half of my head while the top was freezing. A very odd sensation that was beginning to give me a headache. Feeling adventurous we decided to get out of this pool and look at whatever stood at the other end of the open courtyard. I actually didn’t immediately feel the cold as we got out and trotted to an adjacent pool. This was another Olympic-sized pool evidently there for the serious swimmers who were doing laps. We ran past that and came to another pool that at first sight seemed to be the twin of that first outdoor pool. By now I was shivering and rather uncomfortable so I hopped right into this second huge pool. It was perhaps 10 degrees cooler than that first pool but it felt nice as we got out of the frozen winter air. This pool was not only a little cooler but it was also shallower. The big attraction was a mini-pool built in the center. But instead of being just a concrete circle sitting in the center of the larger pool, this 30 foot diameter pool was open on two sides allowing the bathers to wade inside the smaller pool . Once inside this circular pool people would run or swim in a counter-clockwise direction. This caused a strong current. Lying on your back you were sent spinning around the outside walls like a “Lazy River” ride at an amusement park. You also got a good work out if you tried to walk against the spinning current.

When we started to become exhausted from spinning around we ran back to that first super-hot pool. We would have liked spending the rest of the day there but we had to be out of the hotel by 1:00 and get to Vienna that night. Grandma was sitting at the hotel all by herself and I also wanted to do some shopping at the huge Tesco super store we had passed coming into Budapest.

Reluctantly we ran out of the pool and back into the bath building. It might have been nice to hop in one of the pools just inside the building but we hurried back the way we had come in. We took a quick dip in that very first pool we had encountered then returned to the steam room. I wanted another shot of eucalyptus just to clear my sinuses after our frigid experiences. No one else was inside. It was only then that we saw just how tiny the steam room was. The cloud of steam and struggling humanity had dissipated and I saw that the bowels of Hell only extended about eight feet from the door.

Before returning to our clothing lockers we took quick freezing cold showers. Back at the lockers our attendant accepted our metal fobs and unlocked our changing rooms. Nothing was missing from any of our rooms. Once everyone changed and dried their hair with the provided hair dryers (no I didn’t require one) we walked to the exit. On our way out we had to reinsert our entrance ticket in the turnstile. When the machine determined we had only been inside the baths for a few hours it spit out some change as refund for not using all of our allotted time. What a great place. It instantly went on our “must come back to” list.

We felt quite invigorated by our bath experience. We continued to talk about it during the long subway ride back to Batthyany ter. And to think I was willing to pass up the opportunity if the others wimped-out. It was probably the high point of the entire trip.

Back at the Art’otel we found Gail’s mother hale and hearty and all of our bags in good order. We sent the others down the elevator to the van down in the basement garage while Gail and I went to the front desk to settle the bill. The only additional charge we had was the parking fee. While we paid the desk clerk, the bellhop asked me if I’d like for him to bring up the van. Would I? I was dreading the thought of trying to ease that long monster through the low slung garage and into that tiny car elevator. Better him than me. I eagerly handed him the keys.

By the time we had paid the parking bill of $40 for two nights and spent a few minutes telling the desk clerk how much we enjoyed Budapest, our van was waiting for us just outside the hotel door. The bellhop disappeared before I could tip him but hopefully he’ll see some of that rather exorbitant parking fee.

Once again we had difficulty getting out of town. It was partly my fault and partly Nuvi’s. The GPS was tracking us pretty well but the device would tell me to turn after I had passed the intersection. On a couple of occasions we came to the crossroads of 5 intersecting streets and each time I ended up going the wrong way. Nuvi would give its interpretation of Hungarian street names but most of the time there were no street signs visible. I kept trying to get back on track by doing multiple right turns but these often led to one way streets or dead ends.

Somehow we got out of downtown Buda. There wasn’t an extensive network of highways circling Budapest so it was rather easy getting to the M1 which goes on to Austria. Even though we had only been in the car for a little less than an hour my injured heel was killing me. I started using my left foot on the gas and brake pedals. We weren’t on the M1 too long before we saw the huge signs advertising the Tesco Super Store. We found a parking spot in what I now think may have been the employees-only parking lot.

The Tesco store was very similar to a Wal-Mart. We didn’t have any trouble finding merchandise to buy. Cassie found a warm down coat for around $20.00. Tyler and I wandered into the immense food section where we loaded up on more candy, soda, beer and chips. We struck gold in the paprika row. We found dry paprika powder manufactured by 4 or 5 different companies in 6 different size containers. We bought a couple of bags in the medium size. What proved to be even better (and which I now wish I had loaded up on) were the tubes of paprika paste. It is packaged just like toothpaste but when you squeeze the tube you get a cross between really thick ketchup and hot peppers. Great stuff on hamburgers and fries.

Our hands were totally full of goods. Back in this part of the store there were no shopping carts to drop our stuff into. And even if we had wanted one we’d have had to pay to rent it. They were the same stupid carts that some American stores tried to foist upon the public a few years ago - the kind where you need to insert a coin to free the cart from a long line of others. My arms were aching when we decided that we were hungry and that we would buy stuff for our lunch in the supermarket. Into my armful of goods I now added a package of salami, some cheese and a couple of hard rolls. When we were ready to head for the checkout line I practically ran across the store. Bruised heel notwithstanding.

The checkout process was interesting to say the least. Like all European markets the checkout clerk was seated at the register/scanner. The couple in front of us was peeling off all manner of coupons and food stamps when paying for their cartful of junk. It took forever to discount and process all they purchased. When it was our turn the checkout lady asked us something we didn’t understand. Then she rephrased it numerous times which we still didn’t understand. We told her we only spoke English and for one of the first times ever she made no effort to say anything at all in our language. Most Europeans claim they can’t speak English and then proceed to spew soliloquies in perfect English like a Shakespearean actor. Even in the most isolated German or French towns we found that merchants spoke a few words of English. This chick made no effort to communicate with us. When all our merchandise was totaled up and bagged we were a little worried when our Visa debit card wasn’t accepted. We had had major problems using our credit cards last year because American credit cards don’t have a microchip in them like the European ones. I was afraid we were going to have to put everything back. Meanwhile the check-out girl continued to spew forth in foreign tongues. We just smiled at her and acted like we understood everything she was saying. Then we rummaged through my wallet for an alternate credit card. Fortunately our Northwest Airlines Visa was accepted by the card scanner. For one of the few times ever we actually forked-out a few forints for shopping bags.

We consumed our luncheon purchases as we drove on towards Vienna. I knew when the others were done eating because the snoring began. The three hour drive to Austria was uneventful and unexciting. I was having difficulty staying awake. There wasn’t much to see other than farms and fields along the 6 lane super highway. The weather was still overcast with a threat of rain but none fell.

The only point of interest along the route came when we crossed from Hungary into Austria. I was still half expecting to see border guards and slowing traffic as we crossed the border, but here too all the customs booths and the military presence were shut down. Just before leaving Hungary we noticed a short strip of little casinos and duty free shops that must’ve once been big attractions for tourists coming in from the West.

It was getting dark as we drew nearer to Vienna. It seemed like we were in a highly congested traffic area yet Nuvi still indicated we were more than a half hour from our hotel. The area around Vienna is full of industrial parks and complexes; not to mention some of the most confusing highways I’ve seen in Europe. Nuvi had us shifting from one Interstate to another every few minutes. I had no idea what direction we were traveling unless I looked at the GPS’ direction arrow.

When I saw the gigantic Prater Ferris wheel I knew we were near the neighborhood of our Ibis Hotel . The hotel was somewhat distant from the charming older section of Vienna but also away from the ugly industrialized sectors of the suburbs. We found ourselves in a modern area with wide streets and best of all, off-street parking. When we checked-in at the front desk the clerk suggested we pay for garage parking but we decided to gamble. Rush hour seemed to be over and there were ample spaces along the secondary drive paralleling the main street. Three or four other hotel guests did the same thing.

The hotel itself was more like an American chain motel than anywhere else we had stayed this trip. The rooms were clean, modern and rather Spartan. But all we really cared about was having a comfortable bed and hot showers. Breakfast was not included in the 49.00 Euro per night room rate. I had put Vienna on our itinerary not as a place to explore the sights but as an intermediate overnight stop on our way from Budapest to Cesky Krumlov. We simply didn’t have time to do this great old city justice. If anything I was hoping to simply get a sense of what Vienna had to offer so that we might return again and actually do some sightseeing.

After unloading our luggage and making ourselves a little too comfortable in the rooms we summoned up our reserves and decided to try to find dinner. The area around our hotel looked promising - it was mostly office buildings and a few nice-looking storefronts. But as we walked up the street we really saw nowhere to eat other than a pair of little coffee shops. Once again nobody in the group wanted to make a decision with each of us deferring to the others. “I don’t really care. What do you wanna do?” This went on for fifteen minutes until I said that we ought to walk up to the subway stop and head into the Old City. Surely there’d be restaurants there.

It was only three blocks from our hotel to the Praterstern Metro stop. This was our fourth different subway system on this trip. It turned-out to be the easiest to negotiate. We only needed to ride three stops to the Stephansplatz. I figured we might at least get to see the beautiful huge St. Stephan’s Cathedral while we sought a place to eat.

As we emerged from the depths of the subway we entered an immense brightly lit pedestrian zone surrounded by high-end designer shops and big department stores. The area we stood in was alive with fashionably-attired people lugging shopping bags loaded with merchandise. Street buskers performed throughout the area still singing Christmas songs two days after the fact. An air of wealth permeated this entire shopping district. Everything looked out of my price range. We weren’t going to find a gyro shop or Wienerwald restaurant here. (Actually we later did spot one a few blocks away)

As well-lighted as the stores and shops were it was a little surprising to see how dark the cathedral appeared. The building itself is covered with centuries of soot and looks black. Unlike cathedrals elsewhere in Europe there weren’t large banks of spotlights aimed at it. The skies were still overcast with low cloud cover so we couldn’t make out the top of the high spires.

As is so often the case with us, we became distracted by postcards and other tourist trappings. Gail and her mom stopped in a little shop behind the cathedral and purchased the usual postcards and odd little items. Gail asked the proprietor if there were any reasonably-priced restaurants with local cuisine nearby. She recommended one a few blocks away.

The woman’s directions took us off the pedestrian zone and on to a series of narrow cobble-stoned streets. We passed a number of Italian restaurants on our way. I thought we were lost at one point but then we spotted the restaurant. It looked rustic and very crowded. People were waiting to get inside. When we checked with the maitre de we were told that we needed reservations. The gift shop lady must’ve been drumming up a lot of business for them.

As we turned around and decided to look at some of the Italian restaurants we caught a glimpse of a place just off this same street. Strangely enough I had seen the Purstner Gaststatte advertised back in our hotel lobby. We walked over to check it out. We let the Birthday Girl peruse the menu outside. As soon as she saw “Goulashsuppe” on it we were committed. This place was also crowded. The host asked if we had reservations. When we told him we didn’t he asked if we wouldn’t mind being out of there by 8:30. Europeans love to linger over dinner but we don’t mind at all if we have to “limit” our experience to just two hours. At least it ensured us we wouldn’t have to wait half the night for the check.

We’ve misplaced the receipt for dinner so I don’t recall exactly what everyone ordered. I do recall that the beer was delicious and dinner was excellent. Gail definitely had a great birthday dinner. Half the enjoyment of the place was due to the dark woody décor. There were dead animal heads hanging everywhere and lots of old farm tools laying about. We were in “der Laubenraum” which was decorated like a typical Viennese “Heurigen”, or wine bar. There were big wine casks in the corner and vines hanging over our heads. A bit touristy for some but we don’t mind - we are tourists ourselves.

After our delicious dinner we went back out on the streets and explored some of the historic sights of the city. After walking past countless shops that would have normally drawn us inside if they were still open, we came to the Vienna Staatsoper (opera house) and the nearby Sacher Hotel. In this same area of town we saw parts of the immense Hofburg - Vienna’s Imperial Palace. We took a ton of pictures as we walked by the home of the Lipizzaner Horses, the Spanish Riding School then museum after museum. To get out of the cold we stopped into church we passed along the way - Michaelerkirche. This old Romanesque church is one of Vienna’s oldest and dates from the 13th Century. Haydn and Mozart played here and the latter’s Requiem was first performed here at a memorial service in 1791.

From here we walked across the street to see a little more of the Hofburg complex. A very interesting display of archaeological explorations in the area held our interest despite the numbing cold in this part of town.

We ended our night doing a little window shopping as we made our way back to the subway stop. Even though it was after ten we felt totally safe in this part of town. We rode a nearly empty subway car back to Praterstern. After making sure that our van didn’t have a ticket or boot we returned to our rooms and went straight to bed. I was totally exhausted.

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Photos

Where All the Pigs Hang-out
This was one of the many enticing displays in the butcher's section of the Great Market Hall.

Szechenyi Baths
The baths were located just a few meters from the subway stop. Note the fact that there is snow on the ground yet we were about to partake of some outdoor swimming.

One of Many Domed Roofs in the Baths
The Szechenyi Baths are not considered the most ornate of the various bath houses in Budapest (the Gellert Baths are probably the fanciest) but we found the place beautifully decorated and impressive. It just seemed that the bath's best years were behind it.

Randall McMurphy, Where Are You?
The changing room section of the baths reminded me of something out of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". Our attendent resembled one of Nurse Rathchett's orderlies.

A View of the Outdoor Baths of Szechenyi
This photo is courtesy of Wikipedia.

The Pool Within the Pool
This shows the smaller walled pool built inside the second large outdoor pool we entered. Everyone inside this small pool walked or swam in the same direction to create a strong current much like the Lazy River rides at amusement parks.

Metro Madness
When we first began this day of subway travel the subway stops and cars were crowded everywhere we went. By noon rush hour was long over and we had the entire system to ourselves.

So That's How They Do It
While Gail and I were checking-out at the front desk, the bellhop was retrieving our van and the others in our party from the depths of the hotel garage. It was tight quarters down there and I wondered how you got cars out to the elevator without bashing the walls. The answer was this turntable situated just before the car elevator.

Hungarian SWAT Practice
Actually these are the windowcleaners hanging over the entrance at the Budapest Tesco store. In America this was a lawsuit just waiting to happen. Nothing to protect the unwary (stupid) shoppers below.

Anyway You Spell It, That Means "Bargains" for Us
We could barely understand any of the signs inside Tesco but we had no problems loading ourselves up with merchandise.

It Doesn't Take Much to Amuse Us
We were in a frenzy shopping in this huge superstore. Of course, so was half of Budapest. The difference between Tesco and Walmart was that at Tesco they actually had cashiers at every one of the 30+ check-out counters.

Resurfacing in Downtown Vienna
After checking into our Viennese hotel we went out looking for dinner. Our quest took us on the excellent local subway system where we rode to Stephanplatz in the heart of Vienna.

Vienna is Alive Tonight
Since Vienna was shutdown for the past three days due to the Christmas Holiday tonight was the first time in awhile that the locals had a chance to go out to shop and to get a little nutty. The pedestrian zone was full of shoppers and performers trying to squeeze a few Euros out of passers-by.

Sankt Stephansdom Steeple
I was surprised at how few lights were trained on the magnificent Sankt Stephansdom in downtown Vienna. The South Tower stands 445 feet tall. It served as a watchtower for fires and approaching enemy troops. It even has an apartment for housing the nightwatchmen that served up there until 1955.

Luck Was With Us Tonight
Even though the restaurant recommended by a local merchant was booked for the evening, we were fortunate enough to spot this nearby restaurant catering to the tourist crowd. Gail absolutely loved this place.

Patiently Awaiting Dinner
This just might be the last trip we get to take together as a family with the kids growing up. But we've been saying that same thing for the past five years. Hopefully Cassie and Tyler will decide that hanging around with their parents isn't all bad. At least they get their meals and lodging paid for.

My Beer of Choice
I prefer to at least try the locally produced beers when we travel. In Vienna the last remaining brewery is the Ottakringer. Therefore I ordered an Ottakringer Zwickl - an unfiltered light beer. I rate it a 6.8 on the ten point scale.

Two Fisted American Tourist Boy
Tyler sampled both the Dunkel and the Helles beer at Purstner.

Viennese Hungarian Goulasch
I ordered a heaping dish of Hungarian Goulasch for my dinner. I didn't get a chance to have any in Hungary and since this was the next closest country... Grandma's order made more sense - Wienerschnitzel (Viennese-style pork cutlet).

Who Knows What They're Eating
For a change we all ordered something different (except Gail and her Mom who both had Wienerschnitzel). Gen's dinner looks like Zwiebelrostbraten or roast beef with lots of fried onions and roasted potatoes. If I didn't know better I would guess that Tyler's was pork or beef with mushrooms and Spaetzle.

Spaetzle Ed
As soon as Cassie saw "Spaetzle" on the menu there was no doubt what she would order for dinner. She kindly failed to finish this huge pile of bacon topped noodles so that I might sample some too.

Another Glance at St. Stephansdom
Once we finished dinner and abandoned our table by 8:30, we returned to the pedestrian zone. As we walked through the gauntlet of shops and boutiques we caught brief glimpses of Vienna's cathedral off to our right.

Tyler's Back in Control
Even though I hadn't planned to do much exploring in Vienna, Tyler and Gen wanted to check out some of the sights. The rest of us followed willingly. Armed with touring notes Tyler led us through the streets of the pedestrians only zone.

The Hotel Sacher of Vienna
We were simply allowing Tyler to lead us as we pranced through the shopping district oogling the merchandise in the storefront windows. Luckily everything was closed. Suddenly we came into a large town square which was beautifully illuminated with those yellowish spotlights the Europeans so love to use. Off to our right we spotted this world famous hotel. This was where the Sachertorte cake was created, even though Salzburg's similarly named hotel makes the same claim.

Making Our Way to the Other Side
In the center of this illuminated square was the Staatsoper building. The building was too big to fit in our picture frames standing in the corner so we headed to this opposite corner to take pictures. Straight ahead is the Albertina.

Gail's Picture of the Danubius Brunnen
I hardly recall seeing this fountain just outside the Albertina museum. The museum houses all kinds of stuff I would find intensely boring - approximately 65,000 drawings and approximately 1 million old master prints, along with graphic art. This fountain is more interesting: it symbolizes the power and significance of the Danube River on the history of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Archduke Albert of Hapsburg Keeps an Eye on the Opera House
Perched atop the Albertina where part of the fortifications of Vienna once stood, this statue is dedicated to one of the six Archduke Alberts of Hapsburg. I assume it must be for Duke Albert of Saxen-Teschen since he was listed in Wikipedia as the founder of the museum.

That Shot We Were Trying to Get
We had to ride an outdoor escalator up to the rooftop patio of the Albertina to be able to get this much of the immense Staatsoper in our viewfinders. While the exterior was pretty spectacular under nighttime lights, I assume the ornate interior is even more awesome.

The Hofburg Imperial Palace
Another couple of blocks down the empty streets of Old Vienna brought us to the Hofburg Palace. Actually this is just one small section of the huge complex. We had been walking around the Palace for blocks before we got to this popular photo spot.

We're Being Invaded by Glowing Aliens
Just as we snapped this photo of yet another fountain adorning the Hapsburg, a maintenance guy strolled in front. He was apparently highly radioactive.

On Top of Old Hapsburg
This is a closer look at the big green dome on top of this section of the palace. Everywhere we looked there were statues and ornamentation decorating the buildings. These were some very rich dudes. It's a shame I know so little of the history. What I do know is so complex that I can't even start to sort out the various incarnations of the Hapsburgs - one minute they are part of Spain, then the Netherlands, then part of Germany and Hungary, at other times they're fighting Turks or allying themselves with France, against France and on and on. Sometimes the big boss is a King, or a Prince, or an Archduke or even an Emperor. Worst of all, they all seemed to be called either Charles, Maximillian or Albert.

St. Michael's Church (Michaelerkirche)
Directly across the street from the towering facade of the Hofburg sits this rather small parish church.

The Interior of Michaelerkirche
The day is not complete without a visit inside a church. It was nice to get out of the chill for a few minutes and warm our hands over the candles inside.

Gail Gets Artsy Fartsy
Inside the church I looked around on my own. Meanwhile Gail got a little crazy with her camera.

Oops! Missed This One
As we headed back into the pedestrian only zone to find our subway stop, we passed this sign leading to the Lippizaner Horse training school. We wouldn't have been able to see them at night anyway so this is yet another item added to the "to do" list.

Peterskirche Vienna
Our walk back to the metro stop took us past this quaint old church. We didn't bother going inside. According to Wikipedia, this church is now run by the priests of Opus Dei. I'm glad we didn't go in.

Oh Yeah, We're Coming Back to Vienna Again
I'm really sorry I didn't allow for more time to visit Vienna, but even in retrospect I'm not sure what I would've left out of our very full intinerary. Gail would probably opt to skip Prague.

How Can I Get That Sign for My Rec Room?
Among the many things I've been collecting on our European vacations are old-time metal signs (reproductions) advertising local beers, restaurants or hotels. This sign down in the Stephansplatz subway station would've been perfect.