Austria, Slovakia, Hungary: Part 2

Continuing on with Part 2: Brooke (Taylor's sister) and her boyfriend, Mike, arrived to Vienna a few days after Heidi, and we hit the ground running! They had a lot of things they wanted to fit in. We joined them for a bit of it, and often let them do their own thing. After months of exploring Europe with a stroller and an almost-3-yr-old...we've worn ourselves out on a lot of things. But we were thrilled to have more family in town, and Logan couldn't get enough of play time with his Grams, Auntie Brooke and Mike!

Together headed into the city center for a busy day of sightseeing.

First was a climb up the South Tower of St. Stephen's Cathedral for great views of Vienna and the gorgeous roof of the church. We took two shifts so that Logan could stay and play in the piazza with the birds. After the climb up the South Tower (343 steps), we got a great view of the piazza below.

After the climb up the South Tower (343 steps), this is the view of the piazza below.

St. Stephen's beautiful rooftop.

We returned to Sacher for the yummy chocolate torte, and we all went on a tour of the Opera House. 

The original Sacher torte.

A lovely building inaugurated in 1869, the Opera House was highly criticized at the time for its lack of grandeur, but today it is a highlight of Vienna. 

Entering the Vienna Opera House for a tour.

Vienna Opera House.

Logan was more interested in playing on the entry steps to the Opera House.

The beautiful Opera House.

Later that evening, Taylor stayed in with Logan while the rest of us stood in line for over an hour to get standing-room tickets to see the opera (for only €4)! By the end of the first 30 minutes, and at the first intermission, we were all ready to leave and grab a drink while we rested our very tired feet. It was worth the experience to see the opera at the Vienna Opera House (but I couldn’t imagine standing for the entire three hour show).

Waiting for the show to start.

Another great experience was the Vienna Ferris Wheel at Prater Park. This park is like Disneyland, but is free to enter with each ride individually priced. Most of the rides at the park are closed this time of year, but luckily the enormous Ferris wheel remains open. 

Entry to Prater Park.

Built in 1897, the Ferris Wheel has been one of Vienna’s main attractions for over 100 years. Burned down in 1944, it was quickly rebuilt a year later. The cabins are wooden, and can be reserved for dinner events where you dine while slowly going round and round. One rotation takes between 10-15 minutes.

Waiting to board the Ferris Wheel.

Inside the cabin on our spin around the Ferris Wheel.

View out the window of our cabin.

We also dined at a very beautiful restaurant perched above the Danube Canal. The view was wonderful (we lucked out and got the last window seat in the house, accommodating our party of six). We had amazing traditional weiner schnitzel, Viennese red wine, and desserts! The restaurant was in a building perched above a boat on the Danube Canal. Gorgeous views!

The restaurant was in the building perched above the boat on the Danube Canal. Gorgeous views!

View of the Danube Canal at night, right near the restaurant.

After a whirlwind through the sights of Vienna, we hopped on a train to Bratislava, Slovakia (on our way to Budapest, Hungary for three nights). 

Bratislava was a delightful day-trip. We walked through the rain to their pedestrian-friendly Old Town, peeking into souvenir shops and grabbing some coffee and pastries at a cute cafe. 

Arrival at the Bratislava train station.

Walking through rain to the Old Town of Bratislava.

We wandered past some of the recommended Old Town buildings and sights.

Entry to the Old Town pedestrian area. 

Old Town Center.

Streets of Bratislava.

Logan is such a great explorer, and finds things to entertain himself...even just sitting on steps waiting for us to finish taking photos and continue on!

We later parked ourselves in a fabulous restaurant/pub for some traditional Slovakian food and drinks. Taylor ordered a “large dark beer” and they didn’t disappoint, returning with a full liter of dark dunkel deliciousness. The goulash with dumplings and cranberries was fantastic.

Slovakian venison goulash with cranberries and dumplings. 

Logan always wanted to sit with Mike (and Brooke too).

I loved all the colorful graffiti on the walls of Bratislava. 

I loved all the colorful graffiti on the walls of Bratislava. 

I loved all the colorful graffiti on the walls of Bratislava. 

We arrived in Budapest later that night and checked into our rented flat. Budapest Keleti train station is in a beautiful, old building. You feel as if you've gone back in time!

Budapest Keleti Train Station.

We spent two full days exploring the city. Budapest is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to! The buildings are gorgeous and one after another they outdo the previous one. The city is divided by the Danube River: Buda on one side, Pest on the other, and connected by a series of bridges. The most well-known is the chain bridge, which is magnificent. Pairs of huge lion statues greet you at each end of the bridge.

The chain bridge, viewed from Buda. Parliament is across the Danube River, on the left.

The chain bridge, viewed from Buda. Parliament is across the Danube River, on the left.

Our first day was blessed with clear weather, which we took full advantage of, walking across the chain bridge from Pest (where we stayed) to Buda for some sightseeing. 

Getting ready to cross the chain bridge from Pest into Buda.

We toured a hospital built right into some natural caves in the mountain (called Hospital in the Rock). It is now a museum. 

Entry to the Hospital in the Rock.

We took pictures atop Fisherman’s Bastion terrace perched on the Danube River in front of the gorgeous St. Matthias church (the roof of the church is stunning, the views from the Bastion are incredible). 

View from Fisherman's Bastion terrace.

Logan pointing to the famous outline of the Fisherman's Bastion terrace.

St. Matthias Church (with another gorgeous roof, like the church in Vienna).

Group shot atop Fisherman's Bastion terrace.

We walked around Buda and happened upon the changing of the guards at one of the municipal buildings. 

Returning to Pest we had a great traditional Hungarian meal as a late lunch. The boar goulash with dumplings was good, but Taylor says his duck was one of the best poultry dishes he’s had in his life (served with mashed potatoes and cinnamon apples).

The next day was rainy - which worked out well as our plan was to visit the Budapest thermal baths. Due to a lack of childcare, Taylor and I split up our time visiting the famous Szechenyi Thermal Baths and Spa. 

Front entry to the Szechenyi Thermal Baths and Spa.

I spent the morning at the baths with Heidi, Brooke and Mike (while Taylor and Logan had the morning together). Taylor spent a few hours on his own there in the afternoon/evening. The experience was interesting (don't worry, everyone wears bathing suits). More than anything I am just happy that I got to experience it, and a few hours to relax in a hot water pool without having to be “mommy” for a bit will always be appreciated! The 30 minute massage I got was also very nice. The pictures below are from Taylor's evening experience.

Taylor and I met up in the middle of the day for a boat cruise down the Danube River with Heidi and Logan. Relaxing on a rainy day inside a glassed-in boat was the perfect thing to do. They served us hot tea, which was delicious, and some champagne! 

The views of the gorgeous buildings (such as Parliament) were a bit blurred by the rain on the windows, but it was a really great experience to see the city from the water.

View of the Parliament building from our glass boat tour.

We finalized our visit to Budapest with a quick trip to the Great Market, a three story building (gorgeous, of course) with the ground level selling fresh foods, fruits, veggies, meats, eggs, breads, and their popular Hungarian spice: paprika; the top level selling hot food and souvenirs; and the downstairs selling fish and pickled items. We spent all of our time on the ground and upper floors getting souvenirs, paprika, and bags of pastries to take on the train ride home.

The Great Market, Budapest.

It has been an amazing and busy month. We head out of Vienna in two days…and in about three weeks we will be back in the USA! More to come because we still have lots to see. Coming up before we return: Salzburg, Austria; Switzerland and the Matterhorn; Munich, Germany; and Reykjavik, Iceland!

Another picture of Taylor's 1 liter of beer.

Logan enjoying sitting on Mike's lap at the Cafe Central, Vienna.

Beautiful building near our flat in Vienna, Austria.