Berlin Apartment - Cute!

Tuesday, October 29:  We have taken today to rest and a make plans for our time in Berlin.  The apartment is so cute and it has a happy feeling - very eclectic decor.

                        

    And the view from the large window in the lounge -

   A late lunch at the KaDaWe and a walk around the neighborhood was a nice ending to our day.

On to Berlin!

   Off to an early start - first folks left at 5:30 for Atlanta - and the rest of us left at 7:30 for our flight to Berlin.  Since we got to the airport early, we had time to have coffee on the deck at one of the airport coffee shops) before securing boarding passes, checking luggage, and getting through security - in pretty good time, too.

  

   We had a good flight - and arrived in Berlin.  We took the bus into Berlin and our host (the owner of the apartment) met us and drove us to the apartment.  He showed us around the apartment and then took us for an orientation walk around the neighborhood for about 2 hours. Bernd gave us some great tips for restaurants, navigating the giant department store KaDaWe that is less than a block from us.  This apartment is in a great location for transportation, shopping, restaurants...

  Long day - early to bed!

Sunday - last day in Budapest

    We were off early to visit the museum "House of Terror" which told the story of the facist and communist occupations after WWII.  It is a well done exhibition in the building that was actually the headquarters for the Arrow Cross government and similar organizations later. 

                     

    And afterwards a walk through one of the many parks - then lunch.

      

     

   We visited the Great Jewish Synagogue of Budapest, third largest in the world - beautiful.

  

     

                                

                  

       And the Shoes on the Danube memorial along the river promenade -

                         

      Then back to our apartment to prepare for morning departures - Berlin or Atlanta!

                         

                   

   

Budapest on a Saturday

 This morning we started with a late breakfast at the First Strudel House of Pest on our street about half a block from the apartment!  It was delicious we had 2 kinds of strudel, juice and coffee.  The strudel is chocked full of filling - lots of fillings to choose from and the pastry is very thin - delicious!

      

  We also watched strudel being made - it was apple 😊

      

  I stayed in our neighborhood for a while checking out a bookstore and other shops before I went literally around the corner to St. Stephen's Basilica.  It is the largest church in Budapest and can hold up to 8,500 people.

                                

   

       

     I met Ginny and Robert at the pier for an afternoon boat ride on the Danube River.  Since it was a beautiful day, we sat outside for the leisurely cruise up the river and around Margaret Island (Margitsziget).

       

    

      

      Then a short visit with our neighborhood constable at the end of the day 🌀

                                     

Friday in Budapest

  Friday, October 25:  We went to the Central Market Hall in a beautiful old building, full of fruits, vegetables, spices, and meats on the ground floor with souvenirs and cafés upstairs. 

   And music with our lunch (mine was sausage and Hungarian dumplings with dill - yum!) at the cafe in the market.

  

  Then checking out more sights - even a photography session with a model -

  

And a snack for Martha and me at Gerbeaud, one of the oldest (since1858) and most famous coffee houses in Budepest, while the others headed in other directions - beautiful building and service.  The weather was perfect for sitting outside.

P

  A nighttime walk along the Danube River -

   Our days are full,  looking around and taking in as much as we can!

Walking Tour of Budapest

 Thursday, October 24:  Today our guide, Andrea, met us outside our apartment ( on the Pest side of the city) to begin our walking tour including a tram ride to the Buda side across the Danube River.  About 2 blocks up the street from us is Liberty Square which honors Hungary's freedom struggle. Liberty Square was one of many parks and memorials remembered October 23 on the national holiday.  There are several statues - including one of Ronald Reagan.

   We walked further toward the Hungarian Parliament building and surrounding government buildings.  Andrea also helped us purchase a transportation ticket good for all public transportation within the city for 72 hours.  Then we boarded the tram and headed to Castle Hill to see Mytyas Church, Fisherman Bastion, the Royal Palace and much more.  We had lunch with Andrea in Old Buda at a bistro before we came back across the river.  

   

  And then a bit more looking around on our tour before we headed back to the apartment for some rest!

   

   

   Viscontaltasra (Goodbye) for now !

Kutna Hora - day trip from Prague

Monday, October 21

   Krysti, our guide met us at our apartment (with a van and driver) for the day trip to Kutna Hora. The town dates from the 11th century when a monastery was settled there, silver began to be mined there in the 12th century.  In the morning we saw St. Barbara's Church and the surrounding gardens, the older part of town, and had lunch in a Hungarian pub.

  

   

   And then on to the Catherdal of Our Lady and it's Ossuary in Sedlac also known as the Bone Church.  Interesting place.

   When we returned to Prague, we enjoyed a nice visit with Krysti in our apartment.  A beautiful day and we really enjoyed seeing the villages and farms outside Prague.

Off to Budapest 🚂

Wednesday, October 23:  This morning we are off to Budapest for our next part of the trip. 

  This part will be by train from Prague to Budapest.  This is a local train with several stops and which takes about seven hours.  We left Prague at 9:40 am and will be in Budapest about 4:30 pm.  This train is nice with large, reclining seats, a train hostess and conductor.  

  I'm writing this part on the train as we're going through forests, farmland, and small villages.  There is a mixture of  hardwood and evergreen trees and the colors of the leaves have been beautiful -particularly the beech trees which are turning bright yellow.  In fact, it's hard to write - I'm too busy watching the scenery!

   We arrived in Budapest and were met by our taxi driver at the station and whisked away to our apartment.  October 23rd is a national holiday in Hungary and there many people out and about late.  The apartment is located on October 6 Street - another important date in Hungarian history.  We are right across the street from part of the Central European University.

 

  We meet Andrea tomorrow morning for a walking tour and lunch😊

  

Prague - Early Morning

  October 20:  Sunday morning we divided up - some went to Castle Hill to explore more and the others went in search of weekend markets.  Our group went to see the Astronomical Clock in action on the hour - and we watched 10 brides posing for pictures near the clock tower and having fun !  Afterwards we crossed the  Vltava River on the Charles bridge, then turned to walk along the river for several blocks, passing Children's Island to cross another bridge near the dancing building aka the "Fred and Ginger" building.

  

  

  We also went to the see the "Infant of Prague" statue at Carmelite Church in Malay Strana, an anti-nazi memorial at the Orthodox Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius, and a walk back through Old Town Square after a late lunch.

  

   We'll be off to Kutna Hora with Krysti tomorrow.