EUROPEAN "VACATION"

I spent about eight days in Europe recently on a business trip. Since I was there over a weekend, I got to do a few fun things as well. (Not that work isn't fun too, but ...) Unfortunately, my camera was stolen from my checked garment bag, so I didn't get any good pics myself - but many of my colleagues had cameras.

Flight over was an ordeal. We were supposed to fly from Louisville to Cincinnati, then Cincinnati to New York JFK, then JFK to Budapest. Turned out that there were weather problems in New York, so we were re-routed from Cincinnati to Atlanta, then Atlanta to Prague, then Prague to Budapest. Needless to say, when flying Delta anytime, and especially with any changes to itinerary, luggage will never arrive. (This is my fifth consecutive trip with luggage problems!) If anyone wants to know how long it takes to blow dry a handwashed pair of underwear, I can now tell you. The key is to set up a jig to hold the blow dryer in place, drying your undies as you take a shower.

So anyway, we got to Budapest about half a day later than originally planned. Got some good work done on Thursday and Friday, then headed to Vienna for a day trip Saturday.

First order of business in Vienna was to get a Wiener Schnitzel. We went to a place called Figlmuller that our colleagues had visited previously. Kind of like a place near Purdue called La Bamba's, a Mexican chain that advertised Burritos Bigger Than Your Head, they say a real Schnitzel should hang over the side of the plate like this:

Don't you think this would be good with a beer? Looks like a beer food, right? Too bad. No beer at Figlmuller. Wine if you please.

After Figlmuller, we stopped into the world-famous Demel cafe - known for its cakes, prestigious decor, and unhelpful staff (a Viennese tradition). Not that I needed more to eat - I would be exaggerating to say I ate half of my Schnitzel - but the coffee was great. And when in Vienna, a cafe like this is a must-do. One thing I really like about Europe is the number of places where you can eat outside.

The Demel was right near the Hofburg Castle. After our coffees and cakes, we went to the Hofburg complex to visit the Spanish Riding School, where Lipizzan horses train. Don't ask me why SLOVENIAN horses are trained in the methods of a FRENCH riding master, at a riding school in AUSTRIA, named the SPANISH Riding School. I'll leave you to figure that part out. But I will say that this was an incredible show. The horses and the riders are incredibly well-trained. I believe much of this training was, in the early years, for military purposes. Even if you aren't a horse lover or aren't that knowledgeable about horses in general, you can still easily appreciate the skills that these Lipizzaners show off during their performances.

After the horse show, we roamed around and checked out other sites in Vienna. Lots of castles, another outdoor cafe, etc. The splendor and size of the castles is unbelievable. Hard to imagine the amount of money and time it took to build these places. We also visited the Hundertwasser Haus, which is actually a small apartment complex in Vienna. You may think Friedensreich Hundertwasser was smoking dope in the 1960's when he did this, but actually it was built in the early 1980's.

Before leaving Vienna, I also stopped into the below restroom in a subway near the opera house, thus its name as the Urinals of Opera Bathroom. I believe this has been slightly controversial. Not sure why that would be.

We returned from Vienna to Budapest on Saturday evening. Early Sunday, my good friends Krisztina and Tamas picked me up at the hotel for another excursion. This time it was to Northern Hungary, to visit Visegrad and Esztergom. Both towns are about 30 miles northwest of Budapest, right around the area called the Danube Bend. They are near the scenic village of Szentendre, which I visited on my last trip to Budapest, but was not able to visit again during this trip. Visegrad, although being the smallest town in Hungary, was once of international importance as a place where Hungarian kings would bring foreign dignitaries and popular rulers of the region. The town is nearly a thousand years old! (Keep in mind, Christopher Columbus "discovered" America in 1492, so I don't think we have much in the way of thousand-year-old things here in the United States!) The main attraction in Visegrad is the old Royal Palace, which dates back to the 1300's. I can't remember if it was the primary home of the king at that time - I seem to remember that it was more of a summer residence but a place where he spent a lot of time. Not only was it in a beautiful area of the country, but it was also in a strategically important location on the Danube Bend. You can see in this picture that the palace overlooks the river.

Esztergom is another very old city in Hungary, and for over 300 years it was actually the capital. In Esztergom, we visited the Basilica and its treasury. This is the largest church in Hungary. It also houses the largest organ in Hungary (third largest in all of Europe). The organ has been undergoing renovations for about 20 years. After visiting, I read that the organ pipes range from a quarter of an inch all the way up to 11 yards! While visiting the Basilica, we climbed up to the top center dome and walked around the outside. Krisztina, Tamas, and I all counted the number of stairs on our way back down - and found that we had gone up 401 steps total! You can see the view of the Danube and what is modern-day Slovakia on the other side. The bridge there is newly-constructed, the original having been destroyed by retreating German troops in 1944.

On our final day in Hungary, we took a team-building trip with our colleagues to Lake Balaton. This is the largest lake in Central Europe. Some Europeans refer to the lake as "Europe's largest puddle" because it is extremely shallow everywhere. Despite this harsh criticism, it is an extremely popular vacation destination for landlocked Hungary. It was also popular with Germans when the country was divided, as Hungary was a place that both East Germans and West Germans alike could visit. Before the Berlin Wall fell, families used to reunite at Lake Balaton for a week or two of summer vacation. This was the only place and time that they could see each other.

If you look at the map below, you can see where we went on this trip to Balaton. We drove southeast from Budapest until we arrived at Szantodrev. There, we got on a ferry and went across the skinniest part of the lake to Tihany, which is another extremely old and historical town. Atop a hill where the abbey is located, there is a beautiful view of the lake.

I also liked the shop below that had drying paprikas all along its outside walls. We stopped there for a few gifts. Many of the popular dishes in Hungary are flavored with paprika, including the wonderful goulash soup. While on this visit, I learned a good remedy for a mouth burning with paprika - goose greese. This is used as a spread for bread. Hungarians seem to have an affinity for all things geese, it seems - goose liver of many varieties can be found on nearly every menu there. Roasted goose liver, fried goose liver, goose liver with goose liver on top, etc. The possibilities are endless. Although I am not a fan of the goose liver, I can honestly say that I am a fan of goulash and even raw paprika. I am also a huge fan of the drink they call palinka. (When pronouncing this, emphasize the first syllable, like most words in Hungarian - PALinka.) This is often described as Hungarian brandy, but if you follow the link above and check out the picture, you will see that it is clear. It is about 40% alcohol content and is considered to be good for digestion. "One before dinner, two after!" I have to admit that I've become a big fan of palinka. Some have even said I might be a "palinka-holic"!

Anyway, continuing along Lake Balaton ... We drove from Tihany to the west, ending up at our final destination of Badascony. (Click here for another website dedicated to Badascony.) This is a resort area and famous wine-producing region. Part of the reason for the success of vineyards is that this was once a volcano, and the rock here absorbs and reflects heat in such a way to be good for the grapes. We did some wine tasting and then enjoyed dinner at the Kisfaludy Haz in the most enjoyable setting I think I've ever experienced. Imagine eating dinner with a vantage point up on a hill overlooking a lake, with vineyards running from atop the hill down to the water. Imagine also a group of men playing Hungarian folk songs and gypsie music on their violin, cello, and dulcimer. (They also played a little bit of Frank Sinatra - New York, New York - when they knew there was an American in their presence!) Words can't really describe how special this place was and how special the evening was, but hopefully this picture can give you a glimpse of it:

One last thing ... This is a picture of Krisztina and me at the Gerbeaud cafe in Budapest. This is a place that my Gram and Pop Zim visited and highly recommended.