Sunday, October 21, 2012

Vienna, Part 1


Vienna, Part 1

“Gently flows the Danube”

We woke to a mist covered Danube, which quickly cleared to a view of the beginnings of fall foliage.  After a studel making demonstration and a German lesson (I knew a lot of the vocabulary because of my grandparents’ German & Yiddush), I walked a mile to Vienna.  Actually I walked 7 laps on the track on the top deck of the boat, which equals 1 mile and we WERE on our way to Vienna.

‘Low bridge, everybody down,” was a reality as we passed under 4 bridges outside of Vienna, bridges so low that the captain’s wheel house had to be lowered.  I had to sit down on the track so as not to be decapitated.


In the afternoon we went on a driving tour of Vienna, which is absolutely a beautiful city filled with many, many museums and music venues.  In the 1990’s Dan and I spent a number of days in Vienna and were able to see a lot, but there were many new places for us to see.  Vienna is considered one of the greenest, cleanest cities in the world, and it lives up to its reputation. 

We got off the bus and walked to the National Library.  I was wondering why they would take us to a library, but it was well worth the trip.  The architecture was magnificent with thousands of volumes of books (now all digitized) on the shelves.  Glass showcases highlighted special exhibits:  a map of Roman roads, ancient Arabic writing, medieval Hebrew writing, etc.  Our guide took us past historic buildings, down a closed pedestrian  street with very high end stores, through the famous Lippizaner (sp?) stables, where the horses poked their heads out from their doors to stare at the the tourists.  (When we visited Vienna before, we went to a performance.)  She pointed out the famous coffee houses and told us we could absolutely NOT go into Starbucks in the heart of the tourist area.  I had no problem with that as I think Starbucks is the most overrated product ever!

In the evening we went to the outskirts of Vienna to what is called a Heurigen, a wine establishment going back at least one hundred years, that serves “young wine,” that is no more than a year old.  We all sat in a beer garden type setting in a long narrow room with vines and brick walls.  We tasted 4 wines, 3 white and one red.  I liked the first 2 because they were light and dry.   The meal consisted of rolls with 3 different spreads, marinated canned string beans, carrots, German potato salad, and cabbage, followed by a good soup broth, a less than mediocre weiner schnitzel, ice cream with berry sauce, and a small pastry.

 An accordionist and soprano entertained us the entire night.  The music was actually quite good with traditional Austrian songs like “Bicycle Built for Two,” “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” and “Havnagilah!”   At one point all the women lined up on one side with all the men on the other in a very narrow area between the 2 tables.  The accordionist led us in the hokey pokey, the chicken, Zorba the Greek, the can can, and the Russian kezatski (sp), which Dan last danced at our wedding.  You have to understand that Dan and I were probably the youngest people there.  I must admit that the AK’s (loosely translated as old people) were good sports.  While we were doing a dance arm in arm, the lady next to me lost her footing.  It was only the strength of my left arm that saved her from total collapse.

Today, Sunday, was one of those magical travel days from beginning to end, but more of that in my next blog.

Friday, October 19, 2012

Budapest 3


Budapest 3

Of the 160 people on board, we are divided into color coded groups for touring.  Dan and I are in the orange group, which is appropriate for Amsterdam.  Vantage is extremely well organized, and because people of my generation and older were taught to follow directions, everything goes smoothly. 

The weather today was perfection—high 60’s, sunny with no wind.  We much prefer this to Italy’s 190 degrees and 100% humidity.  We started with a city tour of Pest, the flat side of the city.  Although we had been here before and toured a little on our own yesterday, we saw new sights.
Our city tour guide was excellent—funny, articulate, informative, and she could speak understandable English.
We went over to Buda, the hilly older side to a lookout with a great view of the Danube and Pest.  Budapest has 7 bridges (think this is the right #).  One was inspired by the Golden Gate Bridge.  Last night we sailed under 5 of them all aglow with lights.  Pest looked very smoggy today.  When I commented on this to the guide, she said, “We don’t have smog; it’s too expensive to drive.”  When I asked her what I was seeing, she said “mist.”  Ha!!!!  The streets are filled with traffic, and I know smog when I see smog.

We had a little time to wander on our own.  I rarely buy stuff anymore on my trips, but I went to an out-of-the way antique store that had some Judaica. I found a beautiful silver yad (Torah pointer) made of Russian silver with a small piece of turquoise in it; the date on it said 1884, and it had the appropriate silver marks and a mark that said it was made in Moscow.  The proprietor showed us a book to verify its authenticity.  I couldn’t resist it although I need a yad as much as I need a hole in the head.  I love buying old Judaic artifacts because I like to imagine the stories that go with them. 

On our own, Dan and I walked to the famous covered market, a huge building with hundreds of food stalls.  The radishes were the size of golf balls, and Dan created a puddle when he drooled over all the smoked meats.  Upstairs were many vendors selling Hungarian crafts.  I tried on a beautiful hat, but it was 160 euros.  I can do better at TJMaxx.  There were a lot of tempting goods (embroidered linens, jackets, vests, purses) but as I mentioned, I’m past the souvenir buying stage.  Debbie (my daughter) would have gone nuts!  Since soft drinks are 3.5 euros on the ship, Dan bought 4 cokes for 80 euros each and I bought a small amount of Hungarian paprika.

When we came back to the ship, the Captain greeted us at the gangplank to tell us we had missed an important announcement.  We were supposed to set sail at 2 for Vienna, but we were delayed because they found a “bump” in the river.  Dan and I couldn’t figure out how there could be a bump in the river—maybe a sandbar, debris??  We finally left at 4. 

Tonight at the Captain’s cocktail party, he was at the head of the receiving line.  When we asked him what he meant by the “bump” in the river, he said, “It was the fault of you Americans 70 years ago.”  We thought he was being funny because he loves to joke around, but then as he told us more, we realized that what had been found was a “bomb” dropped by the Americans during WWII!

Dinner was literally a 7 course meal:  “amouse bouche” (sp?) of tapenade, salmon tartar with caviar, sea bass with ragout of carrots (yummy) a palate cleanser of sherbert, candied fruit in sparkling wine, delicious roast veal and risotto, crème  brulle with ice cream and a piece of waffle with berry sauce, and chocolate truffles.  I ate the sea bass, sherbert, veal, (no risotto) and the crème caramel.  Burp

Tomorrow we arrive in Vienna—if we pass successfully through the locks—about 1 PM and go on a city tour at noon.   How do you say, “Hasta luego” in German?
 




Thursday, October 18, 2012

Budapest 2


Budapest 2

This morning we walked from our hotel to the old Jewish area.  Everywhere we walked we saw workers cleaning the sidewalks, maintenance men watering the city’s hanging plants, and a lot of construction and remodeling going on. I haven’t looked into the current economy of Hungary, but on the surface it appears to be thriving.

Prior to WWII, there were 200,00 Jews in Budapest with    about 200 synagogues.  Like Jewish communities everywhere in Europe, the majority of the population died during the war because of starvation, illness, or extermination.  I don’t mean to sound like Lithuania revisited (for those of you who read my Lithuanian blog), it’s just a fact that becomes very real when you travel in this part of the world.  For my non-Jewish friends, I want you to know I visit cathedrals for their beauty and history wherever I travel. Tomorrow our tour is taking us to one of the more interesting cathedrals on the Buda side of the river.    In Turkey, Tunisia, and Egypt,  I found the diversity of the mosques fascinating. When it comes to religious edifices, I’m an equal opportunity explorer.

The Budapest Grand Synagogue is the largest in Europe, and Budapest has the largest Jewish population in Europe. 
If you sit toward the back, you need a telescope to see the bimah (altar).  Included in the price of admission is a tour available in multiple languages.  While we were waiting for the English language tour, we heard guides call out, “Aleman, Français, Español, Italiano, Ivrit (Hebrew).”  The sanctuary is so large that 6 tours were going on simultaneously and yet we weren’t disturbed by any of them. It was truly a Tower of Babel but not a noisy one.   Our tour guide reminded me of the guide we had in the synagogue in Roma.  Yes, she spoke English but with such an accent that she was difficult to understand.  There were 30+ people in our group and surprisingly about 1/3 were not Jewish so part of her tour was explaining the symbols and traditions.   She would ask questions and Dan, the A+ Bar Mitzvah student, would shout out the answers.  Surprisingly there was a large organ in the synagogue.  Jews were not allowed to play it because for religious Jews it is a violation to “work” on the Sabbath, but it was OK for non-Jews to play it, which many famous musicians did including Saint Saëns. 

We also visited the Rumbach  Synagogue. The entire interior was torn down, but the remnants were left scattered all along the sides of the sanctuary in magnificent ruins.  I wanted to take a souvenier—a hanging lamp, a mosaic tile, or part of the door, but Dan restrained me from committing grand theft.

My favorite synagogue was a large, Orthodox one in the Moorish style somewhat similar to the one in Vilna.  The cupola as well as the stained glass in the ceiling were breathtaking.  The best part of this synagogue was our guide.  We were the only visitors and she gave us a personal tour in excellent English.  She was born in 1944 in the Budapest ghetto, the last remaining ghetto in Europe.  Her father escaped from the Ukraine and walked for 3 months back to Budapest.  I’m not sure how she and her family survived without being deported but obviously they did.  Her mother had been a non-religious Jews, but vowed that if her husband returned alive, she would attend the Orthodox synagogue.  He did, and she did.  Forty to fifty families worship there today, but it is so cold in winter they move to a smaller building next door.  Obviously it is unheated.  Two levels of balconies for women surround the sanctuary and only men are allowed to enter the front door.  For me and most of my friends, this patriarchal perspective is a major problem in Orthodox Judaism.

After a short taxi ride from our hotel, we arrived at our ship, which was built this year.   While our room isn’t huge, it is a comfortable size with a desk, dresser, his/her closets, and a decent bathroom, much larger than some cruise ships I’ve been on.  My only concern is that the walls are paper thin.  If there were younger people on board, we might be treated to “interesting” noises, but since the average age is about 110, all I’m hearing is someone’s loud coughing and TV’s turned up to extra loud because the guests’ hearing aides aren’t working. 

After lunch in a lovely dining room, we explored the ship, which took all of 5 minutes.  The common rooms are light, airy, and comfortable.  If the weather is nice, which it is today, there’s a top deck outside with shelter from the sun.  I’m still looking for the swimming pool, casino, and spa.

Back to the age of the travelers, the bad news is that the average age is 110  the good news is that the average age is 110, which gives Dan and me hope that we’ll still be traveling if we live to be that old!

Later:    We went to a champagne reception and got an introduction from the captain, cruise director, and others on staff.  The captain was hysterical.  He said, “Don’t put anything in the toilet unless it comes from you.  If you do,we’ll all be in shit.  We have a special device to unclog the drains.  We’ll use it to find what you put in the toilet and deliver it to you.”   I kid you not!!!   Then we got a lecture on not smoking on board.  Later in the evening, he was walking on the top deck with a cigarette dangling from his mouth! 

Dinner was delicious.  We ate with two widows and an elderly husband and wife.  Aren’t they all!   I’m afraid I often have preconceived ideas about people, which often turn out wrong.  That happened in this case.  One of the women was a chemist, the other an economist; the gentleman attended the Coast Guard Academy, the Monterey Naval school for an advanced degree, and commanded a boat in Viet Nam.   My initial impression was that they were a bunch of hicks!

After dinner, we cruised the Danube past all the beautiful nighttime lights.  Magnificent!

Good night


Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Budapest 1


Budapest 1

KLM has the best business class!  We were in the “dome car” to get a better view of the clouds.  We had an enormous amount of individual space and large compartments by the windows to keep our personal items.  Dan shared the lobster appetizer with me, and we had a traditional yummy Dutch dish for the main course.  Instead of an after dinner drink, I topped off my meal with an Ambien and awoke to breakfast and landing.  We had an hour layover in Amsterdam, which was perfect. 

We were in Budapest over 12 years ago, and the changes are obvious.  The people no longer have the dour Communist demeanor, which they still retained in the 1990’s.  There are many lively outdoor cafes and restaurants and a vibrancy to the city lacking so many years ago.  The women still can’t compare to the Italians, but they have more style than in the past.  The “uniform” seems to be jeans with legs tucked into boots topped by short trench coats and neck scarves.  While it was very pleasant in the daytime, it cooled off at night.  Even Dan returned to the hotel for a jacket.  Speaking of which…..don’t tell Dan, but I literally brought about 8 jackets—3 outer and 5 to go with outfits!   My excuse is that I can’t stand cold!  The reality is I need to make a fashion statement!  Below is a poem I wrote a few years ago:

Packing

I promise not to pack too much
I really, really try
But even in Hawaii, there could be a snowstorm on Mount Haleakala
 So to my swimsuits, shorts, and muumuus, I add
A parka, gloves, muffler, and hat

I promise I will take only what I need
I really, really try
But even in Alaska there could be a heat wave in July
So to my jeans, sweaters, and heavy jackets,
I add a-sundress, (will one be enough?) sandals, and shorts
I promise to pack only the essentials
I really, really try
But on the cruise, there are two dress- up nights and a costume party
So to my workout clothes and lounge wear, I add a full length gown, a cocktail dress, stiletto heels, a dressy purse, and shawl
I promise to pack clothes to mix and match.
I really, really try
But will there be laundromats in Croatia?
So to my five pairs of slacks, 7 tops, 3 dresses, I add 2 more of each—just in case
No matter where I travel, I will really need my entire closet with me
So although I promise not to pack too much
And I really, really try
I cram my suitcase with clothes for all contingencies
And set off for either Argentina, Antarctica, or Africa
Prepared.


Despite the cool weather, we ate outside, and somehow it was comfortable.  Each table had a blanket available for use.  After walking around the area near our hotel, we chose a strudel restaurant because it had 4 ½ Trip Advisor stars (my bible away from home).  I had yummy chicken strudel; Dan, of course, had a steak!  Both were excellent.  We washed them down with an excellent Hungarian beer and split an apricot strudel for dessert.

How to describe our hotel?  First of all, on Trip Advisor it rates #3 out of all the many hotels in Budapest and we got it at a good price.  We were upgraded to a super deluxe huge room with enormous bedroom and bathroom.  The bedroom has 6 comfy chairs, a canopied bed, great lighting.  The ultra modern bathroom has a fabulous bath (I tried it out) and a separate shower and toilet so that one of us can s---- while the other uses the sink.   In addition, the large entryway has a good-sized closet, safe, coffee maker, and all imaginable amenities.  But…..
The décor!  It’s as if the TV program Design Star had a contest to see who could come up with the best design for a whore house, and this hotel was awarded the losing entry.  The chairs are covered in cherry red chenille.  The small sofa and matching lamp are in a garish black and red design.  The curtains and bed canopy are cut out circles of white with dotted swiss swags.  On the plus side, there are black out shades that open and close at a touch of the button, high celings, and good heating/AC.

Why am I writing all this frivolous stuff?  Well,  Dan and I woke up at 4:30 AM and couldn’t go back to sleep soooo you get to share in my stream of consciousness…..




Monday, October 15, 2012

Observations


Observations

1.     If Hitler were alive today, he would drop dead because there is almost no sign of his blue-eyed blonde Aryan race in either Austria or Germany.  The people are all shapes, sizes, and colors.  The Italians, Spanish, Scandanavians, even the Lithuanians all have a “look,” but I didn’t see anything of the sort on this trip.  Of course, I’m excluding those who are “foreigners” in each country eg: Turks.

2.     If you live on the West Coast, snow is fun.  A highlight for us was the snowy day in Regensburg.  For the people from the Midwest and East Coast, it was a drag, reminding them of the winter to come.

3.     You can’t tell a book by its cover.  I mentioned this in other blogs.  The people on the ship looked like lower middle class hicks, but they were in reality highly educated, well-read, and intelligent with the means to travel a lot. 

4.     I think if you combined the travels of everyone on the ship, you would cover every possible destination in the world from the northernmost outpost at the top of the world to Antarctica and everything in between.  Some of the comments:  Gallapagos?  “Been there twice!”  Falklands “done that”, China “three times.” Angor Wat “of course.”  Tasmania? “you bet!”  Also a number of people we met were leaving for their next trip within a month of returning home.

5.      There is life after 85.  I know I commented on the advanced age of our fellow travelers.  Dan and I were in the younger 20%.  But it was encouraging to meet couples married for 60-65 years happily and healthfully (which is really the key) traveling.

6.     If I were single, heaven forbid (pooh, pooh, pooh), I would go on a riverboat cruise.  There were MANY single women and more surprisingly men.  There were also widows and widowers married to each other—some of whom met on cruises!

7.     If you are 60+, riverboat cruising is a great way to travel—no unpacking, no seasickness, wonderful excursions and food, comfortable room (at least on Vantage) and a good balance between activities and downtime.

8.     If I had to chose between traveling when it is hot or traveling when it is cold, sometimes wet, sometimes snowy, I’d choose the latter.