Reflections

A month later....

This may have been our best trip ever, although that is saying a lot.  This was a well-planned trip where we had few days of feeling rushed.  We went at a great pace and the trip was full of variety including our choice of venues (cities, towns, villages, hamlets, countryside) and our choice of lodgings (friends, hotels, B & Bs, self-catering apartments).  We think we stayed in 8 hotels, 8 self-catering places and 7 B & Bs.  The cities: London, Paris, Florence, Venice, Budapest, Reykjavik.
Mark figures that we slept in 25 different beds!
We drove 3 different cars, but liked the Peugeot the best; we figured we drove upwards of 8,000 kilometers in total.
We included a lot of history and culture, art and museums.  We included a lot of nature, although we saw fewer birds than we had anticipated, especially in Croatia, but we saw more than we expected in Iceland. We strolled a lot!
We made an effort to meet the people in the countries and found the B & Bs the most effective in that as we met so many nice people both as guests and hosts.
The trip was relatively inexpensive and we worried less about money on this trip than previous ones.  This was partly because we pre-paid quite a lot of it, including the airfare, deposits on the self-catering places and the car in France.  We ate at "home" fairly often and did not overspend on restaurants. 
Next time we will figure out how to use our smart phones and we will figure out how to take our own GPS system and not pay the extra fee to have one in the cars we rent.
Neither of us gained weight on the trip, even though we did not deprive ourselves of local food specialties. We ate a lot of baguettes and brie!  We think it was due to how much we walked and the lack of snacking. We did not sit around, watch tv and eat!
Our packing was excellent.  I think we both wore everything that we packed and, even though we did not have many clothes, we both probably could have cut down a bit more.  The 3-in-1 jackets from LL Bean were just right.  I am really glad that I packed my thin long underwear! 
The guides on our computers were great and saved a lot of space from the days when we lugged them around.  Rick Steves was, by far, the best that we used.  We also found Trip Advisor pretty good, especially for restaurants.  And, we found local websites very helpful.
As to the length of the trip, we both found it about right.  We thought that I would be ready to get home earlier than Mark, but we had such a relaxing and great time, that it was not the case. 
People ask us about the highlights or what was our "favorite" place and, we can honestly say that the entire trip and every country were almost equally wonderful.  Neither of us expected to like Venice as much as we did and credit that to the wandering we did and the vaporetto pass that allowed us to explore the nooks and crannies. 

And...a wonderful last day! May 24

We woke to rain today.  But, it was not windy or particularly cold, probably in the 50s F.  We packed, cleaned the little studio and walked into and around Reykjavik.  We had hoped to go birding for several but the weather was not on our side.  So, we went for lunch at the Fish Company.  And, we may have had the best meal of the entire trip!  Just by accident, really.  It is in an underground cave like room.  Mark had been wanting lamb while we were in Iceland and he finally got some.  It is against the law to administer antibiotics to farm animals and all is grass fed.  So, he had an amazing roast lamb, but it was the accompaniments that were so good and creative...parsnip foam, kale and squash purée...  I had bluelink an Icelandic fish. It was very mild, but, again, it was what it came with, including kale, barley and...who knows what.  All delicious.  Bread with three spreads were included - dill butter, yogurty butter and a red pepper, chile jam.  We split a fish soup first with coconut milk, scallops, lobster, lemongrass and mushrooms.  The waitress was awesome and wrote down the ingredients for my meal, which was the fish of the day, which was very nice of her.  We were very pleased with our last lunch on this trip, endless to say.

Then, we did a little bit of birding in the spitting rain in Hafnir, a little village on the coast.  Less than 200 people.  We did not see many birds close up, but did see some eider, some whimbrels  in the fields, and arctic terns.

Then we returned the car and went to the airport which was rather crowded with four flights leaving within a ten minute span.  We felt really glad we had been outside birding and had had such a great lunch.  As usual, we spent all our last coins...mostly on candy for our family this time.

The flight was uneventful and overcast, but smooth.  It was our fourth flight on the 757 called Eyjfallajokull.  Each time, we had an aisle seat and a window seat as the woman who booked us said that we'd have a good chance of an empty middle seat.  On the previous three flights that had not happened, but on this, our longest flight of our trip, we lucked out and had three seats to ourselves which was nice.  And, I was very happy to have my Ikea pillow to sit upon.  I watched Skyfall, a James Bond movie and The Bucket List with Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson.  It passed the time.

We had a long wait for a train to Concord at North Station which was a bit of a drag. So, after landing, it took an extra three hours to get to Jecca and Willy's and we were really glad to be home.

Relaxing in the Blue Lagoon, Iceland, May 23

Today we spent the bulk of the day in a unique Icelandic place, the famous Blue Lagoon geothermal mineral baths.  It was quite surreal.  The man made lake is about 40 minutes outside of Reykyavik and is fed by the nearby geothermal plant.  To add to the surrealism of a huge, blue, steaming pool inside lava walls next to a weird power plant which was steaming away, the weather was cold and foggy with freezing rain!  We thought twice as we left the parking lot to walk down a rather long lane  of lava, freezing and thinking about going outside in our bathing suits.

The process is a tad complicated.  We each got a bracelet to open a locker.  For the price of admission, a whopping $75 each, we also got a towel and a bathrobe.  If we had brought our own towels, it would have been about $20 cheaper!  Oh well, live and learn.  Showering before and after was strictly enforced, at least on the women's side.

When we first got in, the fog, rain, steam and wind made it almost impossible to see across the huge pool. We wandered between warm spots and chatted with other guests.  The water comes from 2000 meters underground and is unique in its composition of silica, sulphur and algae, supposedly good for the skin.  Volcanic mud was available in vats to smear on your face, which, of course, we did.  We took a break and sat in the "relaxation room" and rested.  When we went back in, the weather had cleared somewhat.  We began to see glimpses of the sun, the rain stopped and the wind died.  Suddenly, we could see the entire pool.  It was still surreal though.

The temperature of the water is between 98-102F on average.  It is changed every 40 hours and supposedly does not harbor any harmful germs.  Whatever, it was heavenly and so relaxing, a perfect final day of our amazing tour.  I am becoming a huge fan of hot springs and baths, like David out in Montana who goes to ones in the mountains.

Note:  before we left in the morning, we briefly visited "the Pearl" another unique Icelandic place.  The Pearl holds the hot water for the town in huge tanks.  But, they also designed the building to house a museum and a fancy rotating restaurant.  The viewing deck overlooking the city is free and we took a few photos in the freezing rain!  We also drove into the fishing village of Grindavik before going to the nearby Lagoon. And, we visited Ikea where I bought a pillow for the plane and we also bought some snacks.

Finally, we went back to the same fish restaurant as last night because it was that good.  We both had fish and chips.  I had Icelandic tusk; Mark had cod.  We split rosemary potatoes and I had an orange salad.  The batter for the fish was made from spelt & barley and delicate.  Yum!  We had a great char with three young British girls on holiday together. A nice ending dinner for our last night in Europe!

More ending thoughts to come in a few days as we reflect on the trip, so, followers please visit again after a day or three!

Volcanoes. Waterfalls, Birds....May 22 Part 2

After Gulfoss, we drove south toward the sea.  We stopped at a crater lake, Kerid, with a visible red caldera.  The current thonking is that it was a cone volcano whose cone collapsed. The colors were beautiful.

 We eventually followed Route 1, the road which circumnavigates the island, and followed it for a long way.   We saw Helka getting closer and closer.  It looks like a text book drawing of a volcano.  It is one of Iceland's most active volcanoes with 20 recorded eruptions since 874. The lava it lays is tephra.  Ten per cent of Iceland's tephra is from Hekla.  Hekla means "short headed cloak" from the almost-permanent cloud at its top.  It has produced one of the world's largest lava flows, of which we saw plenty of evidence. It had a significant eruption in1937-8 which lasted for over a year.its most recent eruption was 2000 and scientists think it may be getting ready to erupt. Unusually, this volcano only gives a warning of 30-80 minutes!  Yikes!

Then, we drove on toward the giant, looming Eyjfallajokull, which disrupted air traffic in May, 2010.  Actually, as volcanoes go, it is not one of Icelands largest, but it looked awfully large to us!  We first stopped at an amazing set of waterfalls coming off Eyjfallajokull called Seljalandfoss, one of Iceland's most photographed sights.  It falls over 200 meters and creates a rainbow.  You can walk behind it, but we didn't as we did not want to get that wet.  Then, we went on to the base of Eyjfallajokull, which is pronounced:  "ay uh fyat luh yoe kuutl uh". Easy?  It has three peaks and is always completely covered by snow.  At one time, the southern wall was at the coast, but now there is a flat plain between it and the sea where there are many farms, snuggled up to its base.

Animals.  Iceland is known for its ponies and we saw more horses today than I have ever seen.  The herds are everywhere.  The were brought by the Vikings and very important to Iceland's development.  No other breeds have ever been allowed, so they are pure-bred Viking horses.  They also have a gait of a fast walk not found in any other horaes anywhere.  Likewise, the Icelandic sheep have been isolated for over 1000 years and are also unique and lure bred and famous for their wool. Both these animals made survival in this harsh land possible.
 
We got back past 7.  For those following this blog, this will be a similar Mark story about gasoline.  We were in the midst of a lava field en route home when the gas light went on...no gas stations in sight and, when we got to one at the end of the field, it was closed.  A long 11 kilometers later, luckily, we found one.

We went for a lovely dinner at Organic Fish and Chips.  Really yummy basil cod.  Mark had fried cauliflower and broccoli and I had a Greek salad.  Good, but a bit expensive.

Now, for the birds.  We saw many birds today and stopped repeatedly to watch in our binoculars and attempt to photograph.  We are sure we saw many whimbrels.  We saw whooper swans definitely new to us.  We saw beautiful oystercatchers.  We saw nesting gulls at Seljalandfoss which may have been glaucoma, but we will need help to identify.  We are pretty sure we saw a European golden plover.  We have others on the camera that we have to consult about.  But, it was our best day of birding on this trip.

Amazing Drive in Iceland, Part One, May 22

There are only about 3 hours of darkness!  I got up at both midnight and 4 and it was light out.  Strange!  After a great Mark breakfast, we hit the road and drove all day...about 10 hours!  We have had amazing days on this trip...today is toward the top.  The sky was blue, although it was chilly and windy...probably in the low 40s, but it did not diminish the staggering beauty at all.

 

We drove first to Thingvellir National Park, a cultural, historical and geographically significant area here.  Historically, it is the site of the first parliament, the Althing, established in 930.  The place was chosen as it was convenient for the chiefs to get there, all within a 17 day journey.  It met in Pingvellir until 1798.  Geographically, it is where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates meet.  There is an amazing ridge which moves about 2 centimeters each year.  It is very active.  Plus, Pingvallavatn lake, Iceland's largest lake is in the park.  Everywhere were beautiful colors.. Blue sky, various blues in the water, gleaming white snow, bleak brown slopes, green slopes....

Next, we visited Geysir, a place not unlike Yellowstone with boiling hot water, mud pots and geysirs. The great Geysir here was the first ever described in print.  It goes dormant for to es and, when there have been earthquakes, becomes active.  We were lucky to be able to watch the building up process close up and to see two eruptions.  It shoots up about 70 meters, so hard to photograph from where we stood.  We had cafeteria food there and then went on to Gulfoss, or Golden Falls.

Gulfoss is a powerful waterfall that falls on two stages as the might Hvita River takes a turn into a steep cavern.  When you approach you don't see the falls, although you hear them.  It looks as if the river disappears until you get closer.  It was mesmerizing.

And, that was only half of the day!

To Sunny Reykjavik, May 21

 After part of three rainy days at Charles de Gaulle, we flew to Reykjavik, about a 3 hour flight, where the sun was shining!  We did not do just carry on this time as we have three bottles of wine, butnit was all easy and we had a smooth flight.

 

We picked up a rental car, a little Hyundai, not the nice little Peugeot like we had for the past two months, but it will do.  We drove into Reykjavik, about 49 kilometers and found our way to 23 Ranargata where we stayed for a day in March. It is a well located studio apartment.  Sebastian was waiting for us and gave us a deal since we paid cash....30,000 Kronas or about $240 for the three nights.  We walked downtown and bought some food and came home and made ham and cheese sandwiches.  The sun will go down around 11 p.m.!

  

The Terminal, May 20

We feel like we are in Tom Hank's movie, "The Terminal" because we have been living at Charles de Gaulle airport!  We decided not to trek into Paris because it has rained all day, and to spend €40 to walk around on the rain didn't sound great, but it is weird.  We have eaten terminal food all day, wandered around, sat in the lobby, doing the Internet

 

Beaune to Paris...car drop off, May 19

Last night we found out that two good friends were in Beaune when we were.....Stan saw our Facebook post of the market.  We were all there at the same time and they stayed at a hotel which we stood outside of for a while deciding where to eat.  Darn!  We'd have loved to have met up with them.

We left Beaune and drove on the motorway to Paris.  We stopped for a picnic en route.

For those of you who know Mark well, this is a typical Mark and Barbara story.  We did not have to return our car with gas, as we picked it up empty.  So, of course, we wanted to return it empty.  I, naturally, wanted to get  gas about 100 kilometers outside of Paris, but the car told us that we had 130 kilometers left.  So, " we" kept going.  About 30 kilometers from the airport, the computer started binging at us to fill up, followed by a message on the screen that the fuel was too low.  So, in congestion now, we had to pull off for gas in crowded streets. Eventually, we found a station and  cobbled together our coins and took €5.23 in coins, many of them very small, into the gas station.  The guy was irritated, but I told him it was still "monnaie".

We made it to Charles de Gaulle airport, but then, we got a bit lost.  We could see the Sheraton at terminal 2, but could NOT find an entrance.  Mark parked illegally at the train statinwhile I ran into the terminal for help. Luckily, I found the hotel lobby easily and they gave me directions.   So, after one more missed turn, we got to the hotel and unloaded.

  

Then, we got back in the car and had another spot of difficulty finding the drop off for the car, the terminal having changed its signs from the directions we had.  Meanwhile, the car was dinging at us about more gas!  But, we got there after calling Peugeot on the phone.  Two very nice guys checked us and we got a lift back to the hotel.  The hotel charges £19 for Internet in the room, so we, of course, are using the free wi fi in the lobby. We had cheap Pizza Hut food.  There are no good restaurants at the airport, unlike most airports these days...and this is Paris, a culinary capital..what a mistake.

We really liked our leased Peugeot and were sorry to say goodbye!

Wine country, toasting Jecca, May 18

Today we started with a trip to the wonderful, colorful Beaune Market where we bought local cheese and sausage, thinking about Jecca on her birthday.  She shares a love of summer sausage with Mark.  Then, we drive south of Beaune, looking at the vineyards.  Unlike in Bordeaux with its grand, large estates, most vineyards here are small.  They are really farmers in an old fashioned way.  At one of the tourist bureaus, we were advised to go to a small village fete where the winemakers were having a tasting all over the village.  So, we drove to St Romain, definitely off the beaten track.  We tasted at two little winemakers, but found the wines a bit sharp.  We also found that we feel quite guilty tasting and not buying, so we quit after two visits.
 
We then drove to Pommard and bought a bottle of the Pommard we tastes last night with the British couple.  Aleth Girondin, the winemaker. It is not available elsewhere which is cool. The storekeeper recommended a restaurant in Volnay, Le Cellier Volnayzien.  (She is a friend of Anna, the restauranteur). So, we went there.  It was a beautiful old wine cave and a wonderful meal.  Mark thought his might be the best of this whole trip.  He had "Le jambon persille" (?), coq au vin with oven roasted potatoes and chocolate creme.  All wonderful.  I had escargo and chicken breast in creme and a delicious apple tart.  Yum! I think we were the only patrons not drinking wine.  The morning tastes were enough, plus, we would fall asleep!  But, we did toast to Jecca with water and food.

After a short respite, we explored the vineyards of Aloxe Corton and Savigny les Beaunes. We saw where the Comte de Senard lives.  We served at his wine tasting at last year's wine festival. It was a bit rainy and we didn't taste or buy anything.  We stopped briefly at a little park where we picnicked before, but the rain intensified, so we came "home" to eat food we bought in the market this morning and to begin organizing our luggage as we drop off the car to or row.

     

Freiburg in the morning, Beaune in the afternoon, May 17

We woke up to the sound of rain today, which has been rare. We ate a good breakfast at the hotel Huebogen and decided to hang around Freiburg in the morning as we knew the ride to Beaune was only a little over 3 hours.  We were on the quest of a particular t shirt that we wanted to get one of the grand kids, but knew the shop did not open until 11:30.  So, we enjoyed wandering the streets, took another good look at the "wisteria street"

 

We then drove to Beaune on the motorway.  It was supposed to be a rainy day, but...only a few sprinkles,,,we have been so lucky.  We are at the Hotel Adelie where we stayed two years ago in Montagny les Beaune.  We drive into Beaune, searching for restaurants recommended on TripAdvisor, but were too late for lunch and too early for dinner.  After a bit of wandering around lovely Beaune, we sat and had soup to tide us over.  We chatted with two young California lawyers on their first trip to Europe and we gave them some advise on Paris.

 

Later, we had a fabulous meal at Le Bacchus owned by two young people who do all the work..one is the chef, and the other, Anna does the whole front of house.  Mark started with escargot and then beef bourgignon and then poached pear with black currant sorbet.  He pronounced all delicious although thought the portion of beef a bit small.  I had an unusual asparagus dish with some smoked dried beef as a starter, not the sort of dish I usually order, but it was good and part of the compris menu.  Then I had wonderful fish with ratatouille and delicious, flaming creme brûlée.  We chatted with a British couple who live in the Netherlands who were on a wine buying trip.  They recommended places for us to visit tomorrow and let us taste the wine they were drinking and had just bought also at the vineyard in Pommard.

Salzburg to Freiburg, Germany, May 16

After another nice breakfast at Hotel Amadeus, we drove to Freiburg.  Half the route was highway.  The second half was a secondary road with LOTS of trucks and not many places to pass, so it took us a bit longer than expected. It was supposed to be a rainy day, but we were lucky and we only had a little drizzle.  There were so many solar panels along the way.  Many are on barns.  Impressive.
   
We are staying 10 kilometers out of Freiburg....basically in an industrial park, but the hotel is pretty nice, mostly people on business.  We were starving when we arrived, having skipped dinner.  We drove into Freiburg and found a restaurant that was okay.  Mark really wanted sausages, but got some sort of bologna, which he said was good. We both got more asparagus soup.  Asparagus is everywhere.  We found that we had left the chip out of the camera, a bummer as we found a beautiful street with wisteria hanging everywhere with plants well over 100 years old.  So, we drove back to our hotel and headed back out for a photo session.  Freiburg is a beautiful old university town with a pedestrianized center, running water in the streets, beautiful stonework, old houses, a beautiful river, bike paths and an amazing clock tower. (Which, unfortunately, has a McDonalds in it.). The running water dates to the Middle Ages.  It was for water, never for sewage.  They keep the city air conditioned in the winter.  Freiburg is one of the greenest cities in Europe with strong support for the Green Party.

Years ago, we visited Freiburg for one night. I was pregnant with David and needed a nap.  So. Mark took Nick & Jecca into town to explore.  They had a blast, but, when Mark got in the car to go back to our hotel, he realized he had NO idea where it was or its name.  Of course, this was before cell phones.  So, they decided to try various roads out of town, hoping to hit the right one before night fell.  Luckily, on the second or third try, they found it, to everyone's relief.

Biking and Music, May 15

Today we woke to a beautiful summer day!  We had breakfast on the ground floor of our hotel, the Amadeus, which we learned is 600 years old and was, at one time, a bathhouse.  We ate in what used to be a stables.  Lots of lovely cups of cappuccino to start the day.

We walked over the Salzach river towards old town, and, somewhat on a whim, decided to rent bicycles.  We did not have on sunblock, but the woman who rented us the bikes let us use hers.  We rode about 18 kilometers upstream and back.  It was beautiful.  We were quickly out of the city and there were lots of wild onions in bloom and in full scent.  We saw a white wagtail, several goldeneyes and what we think were high-flying eagles.  The path was paved for half way and dirt for half way.  It was peaceful and relaxing and many others were out also enjoying the weather.
  
We went to lunch at Taj Mahal, an Indian restaurant recommended in Trip Advisor.  The prix fixe menu was only €6.80 and we both had delicious meals, mine of spinach and Mark's of chicken.

In late afternoon we took the funicular up to the Hohensalzer Castle.  It is one of the oldest funiculars in the world, over 500 years old and powered by horses until the early 1900s.  We wandered all over the castle, one of the most complete medieval castles in Europe.  The views of the Alps with snow, as well as the plains and Salzburg itself were stunning.  The Salzach divides the country into the Alpine region and the plains.

We had dinner at the Panorama Restaurant which was included in our ticket. The views were panoramic!  The food was okay, but reasonable with a very nice Croat-Bosnian waiter, although the meal was incredibly slow as everyone was being timed for the 8:30 concert.

The concert was in a medieval great hall at the top of the castle.  It was magical to listen to Mozart in a place he also listened to his own music.  The musicians were clearly accomplished, led by a woman violinist with a male violinist, woman viola player, a male bass player and a male cellist.  For a Shubert piece, they were joins by a woman pianist.
When we got out, around 10:00, the city lights were beautiful and we walked home.

Another lovely day! 

To Salzburg, May 14

We had a lovely breakfast at the Gasthof and then headed for Salzburg.  First, however, we mailed ourselves a parcel to cut down on our packing.  We avoided the motorway and took only secondary roads.  The road to Linz was along the Danube and very pretty. From Linz on, it was a bit more congested, but it was nice to be off the motorways where you see very little.  We drove through the town of Mauthausen, where there was a concentration camp, which was sobering.

Before we left Marbach, we checked the address of the hotel we had booked in Salzburg and found that the hotel had confirmed our reservation the first time for the correct dates, but the second time, for June!  So, we wrote quickly and were told there were only two rooms left.  We wrote back, explaining  that it was not our mistake and headed out.

We parked under a mountain!  Really.  Hotel Amadeus is on Linzergasse, a pedestrian-only street.  When we arrived, the hotel gave us an upgrade to a bigger room overlooking the street.  We have a fabulous bathroom.  At the end of the street, a bridge crosses the river to the old town, a short walk.

 

We went to the tourist bureau and got tickets for a concert tomorrow night at the Hohenzalburg Fortress.

The only other time we have been here, we saw very little as it was when Jecca and Nick's passports had been stolen in Italy and we had to spend hours in the consulate here to replace them.  Mark actually remembered the way to walk to the consulate, over a walking bridge!  We found out that there isn't a consulate here anymore, just the embassy in Vienna, which would have been a real hassle  for us.

Anyhow, we walked around in lovely weather, all around the old town and over to the Mirabell Gardens where the wisteria in bloom is amazing, as well as the tulips.  Later, we ate at a so-so Japanese restaurant and went back across to the old town and wandered some more!

Budapest to Marbach on the Danube, Austria, May 13

We got up really early today and walked to get our car on Dob Utca.  (Utca = street). Then we drove back to our apartment building.  Kati arrived promptly to collect the keys and hear how we enjoyed Budapest. She was pleased we had done so much.
 
 Mark drove out of the city easily.  It was a windy day and a bit chilly.  We were able to change our forints into euros at the border.  The Hungarian countryside is pastoral and beautiful.  Unfortunately, I did not feel very well today.

We drove to a little village on the Danube, Marbach, in Austria where we are in a little guesthouse (Gasthof Haselberger) that has been in the same family for five generations.  We have a lovely, large room with a balcony, overlooking the river.  We had fresh asparagus soup here for lunch.  We had hoped to take a rosé along the riverside bike path, but it was of rainy and chilly.  So, we drove into Melk, a medieval town with a HUGE Benedictine monastery and walked around.  We drove to find a post office and bought a box so we can mail ourselves some of the things we have bought.  I also went to a pharmacy for my stomach and feel better already.  We liked lunch so much that we decided to have dinner here as well...more asparagus soup and pasta with asparagus!  Both Janet and her husband both sat and chatted with us.  Janet explained that in 2002, the river flooded the guesthouse.

We felt sad to bypass Vienna, a city we have never visited, but we just do not have the time necessary  to do it properly.  Plus, cities are a lot of work and require energy and we just expended a lot in Budapest.

Strolling Budapest, May 12

Today we just enjoyed the city.  We took No. 1 metro line, out to City Park.  The metro was the first one on the continent.
  We got out at Heroes Square with its statues.  The biggest one depicts the 7 Magyar chieftains who brought the Magyars to Hungary.  They reminded us of Tolkien figures.  Other statues depict other heroes of the Hungarians.

Then, we went to the FineArts museum which is in a very impressive, grand building.  We toured the ancient collection first with Mycenaean, Greek, Etruscan and Roman pottery, jewelry and statues.  Then, we went to the Renaissance area, where we saw a small statue possibly by Da Vinci, but definitely by his studio.  After Florence and London, we feel we have seen a lot of art, so, we left after a fairly short visit and had coffee on the terrace of the museum.  Then, we took the metro and looked for a restaurant reviewed by the Times yesterday, but it is closed on Sundays, so, we hopped on the tram and got soup where we ate yesterday (celery for me, tomato basil for Mark) and then to their sister store for pasta in a take out container.  It has the same concept - 4 different pastas per day. I had a curry, corn, chicken, cilantro and Mark had a tandoori pasta.  Only 950 forints, or about $4.00 each.  Yum.  We walked back home to work off all the food.

Later, we went back out, just to enjoy this wonderful city.  I bought a scarf on the street.  On the way home, quite by chance, we happened upon a fair of museums in Hungary with examples from all their museums, folk music, folk costumes, food....we did not have the camera, unfortunately, so the memories will have to be in our brains.  We ended up taking quite a long walk.

Our first opera, May 11

Today we went to our first opera, The Abduction from the Seraglio, by Mozart, written when he was only 25.  We really enjoyed it, even though it was in German with Hungarian subtitles.  Like Shakespeare, things are repeated.  Plus, plots are pretty basic.  We were in the ninth row, so had good, but not comfortable seats which was a bit of a surprise for it being such a famous opera house.  Mark pre ordered coffee and a Danish for intermission, which were waiting for us at a table in the elegant cafe. The Opera House is lavish, neo-renaissance and considered an architectural masterpiece.  It opened in 1884.  It is famous for excellent acoustics.   There were many bows and unison clapping at the end, which was interesting, plus bows in front of the curtain after the first two acts.

We then strolled to the Jewish bistro, Macesz Huszar, that we had not found previously and had a fabulous lunch.  Mark had an almond encrusted schnitzel with a delicious cucumber salad. We both had cold sugar pea with mint soup that was great.  I had a salad with strawberries and elderflower dressing.  Yummy!
We strolled back through the main shopping area where there was live music, street food, children's activities and, overall, people out enjoying a sunny Saturday.

Later, we strolled in a new direction, discovered some vibrant areas and got some soup at a strictly soup place which changes their soup daily.  I had cold raspberry and Mark had a creamy lentil.  Both delicious and eaten by the river on a gorgeous evening.

Theme: Water in Budapest, May 10

Today was definitely a water day.  We took the public transport upstream boat for over an hour. The boat was rather old and smelly, but it was quite a unique experience.  The river is wide and incredibly swift.  The boat chugged away until we turned for the return.  The banks were full of fishermen and sunbathers.  Margrit Island, a huge island park is well used as we saw many bikers and joggers.  Budapest seems a very people oriented city with bike paths and excellent public transport.

We took a tram to Troffu Restaurant, a buffet. We generally avoid buffets as we eat to much of the wrong food, but this was highly recommended as a place of good Hungarian food at a fair price.  It was expensive by Hungarian standards, but not by ours. It was about $15.00 each!  Besides the standard fare you would expect, they had an amazing grill with fresh fish, veggies and meats.  We had paprika sauces, of course.  And goulash.  And there were unlimited drinks, including wine, beer and champagne.  We stuck to iced tea and water as we definitely do not drink at lunch!  We did try a taste of Hungarian white wine.  (Which did not make us want any more, to be honest)

Then, in late afternoon we headed for St Lukacs Medicinal Baths.  Wow!  What an experience.  Budapest is famous for its thermal waters, going back to the Romans.  In th 12th century, various orders of monks and knights ran hospitals here around them.  This particular thermal spring was used by the Turks, but for gunpowder  production.  The amazing building we were in was build in the 1880s.  There are three large outdoor pools, two smaller inside thermal pools, a very hot dry sauna, loads of dressing rooms.  There are rehab services, massages etc.  it was pretty crowded with Hungarian regulars relaxing after a week's work, as well as a few tourists like us.  We sat with 27 year old Ian, for East London, alone visiting the city.

We sat in the big warm pool with jets and a bench.  The jets alternated with a fast outer circular part, so, when the jets in the inner ring subsided, jets in the outer ring zipped you around in a fast, fun stream, my favorite!  We also went into a dark, vaulted ceiling area of the two hot and hotter thermal pools, probably Mark's favorite.  The atmosphere was hushed and meditational.  We also trid the dry sauna to dry off as we did not have towels and did not have enough change to rent them.  (We carry minimal cash when we go out). Anyhow, it was amazing!

We had a few transportation blips going there.  (The tram we though went along the Buda waterfront, didn't, so we ended up doing quite a bit of walking, but the spa was open an hour later than we thought, so it was okay that it took so long to get there.). Then, we had another blip coming home!  The number 2 tram tracks are under reconstruction and we had to walk all the way around Parliament, the largest building in the country, to find its first stop.  Ah, the vagaries of travel, especially in a totally foreign language where we can't really decipher any words.
 

On a totally different note, Jecca wrote that my mother was in the hospital briefly, possibly with a stroke.  We began to look at flights home, but later messages for her and also via my friend, Kathy, we are told she is stable and back home, so to stay our course for the time being.