Prettier Than Paris

---

A Bold Claim But Vienna Is Up To The Challenge!!

From Munich to Vienna (or Wien) takes about four hours on the train and travels through some more of that beautiful countryside. I find it hard to describe why it's so beautiful as I have seen so many amazing things on this trip so far including landmarks and scenery, but for some reason the vistas from the train windows here are extra tranquil and serene as they roll by.

Vienna is a gem!! With history coming out it's ears from the era of the Kings that ruled most of Central Europe, the Habsburg monarchy, Vienna has a wealth of architectural delights from the Museumquartier housing the Leopold Museum, to the ostentatious Parliament House and the Hofburg (or imperial palace). A walk around town shows Vienna as a city looking forward while relishing it's past history and traditions.

Starting at the Museumquartier and heading towards Town Hall provides a brilliant walk through parks and gardens past the Parliament House and Opera Theatre, before heading in to the Old Town with it's winding lanes and cobbled streets being traversed still by the horse and carriage (although it' seems to be just for the tourists these days). The Hofburg is set in Heldenplatz and lo-and-behold, there's a beer festival that just happened to be there today. Just my luck!!! With tents set up and music and frivolity drifting on the air from the entrance, you couldn't blame me for a quick look could you?? Especially since the tents were blocking most of the pictures I wanted anyway (at least that's how I justified it).

After a couple of cold ones it was back on the trail. Vienna is a classical music lovers heaven Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, Haydn and Mozart all leaving their mark here during the 18th and 19th Centuries. Just to walk through the Old Town, you will be bombarded with offers to see this or that concert, but with such a heritage for music, you really are spoilt for choice. Just outside the town centre is Karlskirche, the main church in Vienna with it's great domed roof rising out of the parkland at Karlsplatz.

Moving on again, the next stop on the agenda was Budapest (pictured above), the capital of Hungary, and now I was officially in Eastern Europe. Cheaper and less touristy than the rest of Europe, I was looking forward to seeing what was on offer from the East. Originally two cities, one on either side of the Danube River, Buda is the traditional area to the West with the castles, palaces and garrisons, while Pest is now the main commercial district stemming from the Parliament and the market areas.

Buda is located on a bend in the Danube River with the Buda Castle overlooking the river from Castle Hill. With is own archaic street between the castle, Kiralyi Palota (or Royal Palace) and Matyas Templdom (complete with scaffolding again!!! Will I ever escape it!!!), its a step back in time to when the country was a formidable force in the 1500's. The palace now houses the Magyar Nemzeti Galeria (Hungarian National Gallery) but when I arrived the place was thriving with people. Guess what.... I'd managed to come right at the time of the Hungarian Wine Expo!!!Now Hungary isn't really known for it's wine industry in general... or so I thought... until someone mentioned to me that their national drink is Tokay and originally came from here (tokay is like a cross between port and sherry). In my element again, I sampled a couple before heading back down the hill to the Danube.

Crossing the Danube River is the Chain Bridge with it's carved lion statues guarding the division between Buda and Pest, and the huge Parliament House that was supposed to have been modelled on Westminster Abbey, but with countless spires stretching skyward. It's an impressive building by anyone's standards and gives the feeling that the politicians were trying to outdo their former rulers residence in grandeur. Down the trendy, cafe lined streets and dominating the skyline behind the Parliament is Szent Istvan Bazilika (St Ivan's Basilica) and in the fading afternoon light it was bathed in brilliance from above the roofs of the surrounding buildings.

The next morning I headed to Varosliget in the East of Pest. A large lake complete with castle and moat dominate the South end of the park while the North is dedicated to one of the many Hot Spring Bath Houses in the capital. All up, Budapest has 12 natural hot springs in its area and has been long known for its bath houses, but I found out is that where the water came out of the ground in some areas has now become limestone caves with the water finding a different course. Unable to challenge myself this time around but something definitely to keep in mind for another visit!!

Next to Varosliget is Hosok Tere (or Heroes Square) with it's giant monuments to the 100th anniversary of the Magyar victory over the Carpathian Basin. Surrounded by ornate museums, it almost reminded me of Rome in it's style. Leading off from Heroes Square is Andrassy ut, the main boulevard leading to the Danube and of which many of the buildings lining the sides have now been Heritage Listed by UNESCO.

Final thoughts.... I like Budapest!!! It's city that has a fun, lively atmosphere but still tempered with history. I guess what I'm saying is that it is Eastern European through and through.

"To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries." - Aldous Huxley

---