My First Post! — Patti Part Two

Just practicing my skills at posting so thought I would write about my last BIG trip in May 2014 to Eastern Europe! It was my first big trip alone - so testing myself to see how I would do traveling alone and finding my way around in a foreign country. Planning my time, visiting the sites, eating alone etc. Well happy to report it was great!

My first stop was in Budapest. One of the most striking sites is seeing Parliament from the top of the hill of Buda. Did you know Budapest is actually 2 towns divided by the Danube River? Buda which is very hilly and Pest which is flat.

Parliament! I took the tour - well worth it!

I loved the Opera House! Took the tour and learned so much history. Paid extra to hear a "mini" opera which was plenty for me.

Those of you that know me well won't be surprised to see that this was my lunch after touring the Opera House! The famous Dobos Torte in a beautiful old book shop.

And of course a cappucino with a glass of water - not a shot of vodka!

While in Budapest I happened across Melissa McCarthy filming the movie Spy! My one big moment when I totally acted like a tourist - standing there with my mouth open and saying "That's Melissa McCarthy!" to strangers standing next to me that did not speak english!

Right outside the Opera House! But in the movie they says it's in Rome. NOT TRUE!

Budapest was so much more beautiful than I had prepared myself for - and really reasonable too. Still recovering from getting out from under Communist control but a great feeling of optimism from the people.

Next I headed via train for Vienna Austria. I had been to Vienna 30 years prior, but for a very brief amount of time and didn't remember much. In my opinion it is one of the most beautiful cities in the world! I spent the bulk of the 3 days I was there within the ring of the old city. It's where all the museums are and very walkable. Here are a few pictures of the main things I saw.

The Albertina Museum - residence of one of the Hapsburg daughters.

The largest emerald in the world - over 2000 carats! Part of the Hapsburg Treasury.

On to St. Stephen's Cathedral!

This stone pulpit is covered in carvings with symbolism. The railing is carved with toads and lizards and a dog at the top to protect the sermon!

The Schonbrunn Palace is very similar to the Palace of Versailles outside of Paris. Spectacular!

A picture of me in the gardens behind the palace to prove I was there!

It was a little chilly that day but still gorgeous!

And no trip to Vienna would be complete without a stop at the famous Demel's for a pastry and coffee.

My choice - the apple studel and cappacino!

Next stop - Prague! I had heard so much about the fairy like spires and cobblestone streets of Prague - it was really what prompted my trip to eastern Europe. Prague did not disappoint - although my feet did get sore from walking on the cobblestones! And there was so much to see I was absolutely exhausted - so I should have not taken on quite so many sites. But now that I am rested it was totally worth it! Here are a few of my favorite pictures!

I am kind of a picky eater and don't really eat much beef or pork so I did have a few struggles finding things to eat. There is a lot of pork in varioujs forms, sausages etc. Just not really my cup of tea but they also had wonderful desserts and I enjoyed those very much. Also tons of beers!

Very expensive bohemian crystal - the little glasses are about $1600 US dollars - I didn't get any!

My last stop was Berlin. I must admit I was pretty tired and not very excited about Berlin. I had heard that so much of it was destroyed in the war that it was really like a big modern city - so imagine my surprise when I found that was so not the case. I loved Berlin! Might have been my favorite city and that could be because it was such a surprise to me. There was such an energy in Berlin, and I found it to be beautiful and very historic. I found the people to be very resilient and in a very short period of time - 25 years since the wall came down - to have accomplished a great deal. In fact I would love to go back and spend more time. It's a very large city so I barely scratched the surface. Here are a few pictures of some of the main things I saw.

Favorite meal of the trip! From Ka De Ve - an amazing store! Similar to Harrod's in London I would say.

It was such an amazing trip - it really sparked my interest and enthusiasm for travel. I went alone but didn't let that stop me from doing or going anywhere. People are very willing to help someone that is alone and I never felt uncomfortable. I planned my time in advance by reading up on the cities and deciding what were the most important things I wanted to see and do - but then staying flexible to accomodate any changes due to weather or how I was feeling. Now I'm deciding where to go next!