German Update 4
On Christmas morning we opened gifts after a terrific breakfast. Four of my gifts were not here yet. One was shipped on November 30th, another on December 7th. I know it took six weeks for a package I shipped before I left Michigan to get here, but I expected a little better. One package arrived on the Monday after Christmas and the other three I am still waiting for. However, there were enough gifts to make the morning a Merry one. About 10:30 we gave the dogs a good run, got in the car and left for Prague. I’m glad I didn’t have to drive as there was a light snow and the roads were pretty slippery. In Erbendorf we are about an hour from the Czech border and about two hours from Prague. Because of the roads the trip took about two and a half hours. We drove into Prague and went straight to the Opera House where we had tickets to see the ballet Swan Lake.
First, I’d like to say this opera house, built in the late 1880’s is magnificent. It is not large but it is ornate and full of gold leaf everywhere. The acoustics are unbelievable. There was a wonderful small (about 45 piece) orchestra that was really good. I can’t wait to see an opera in this venue. Just a breathtakingly beautiful house. It is the home of the Czech National Opera and the Czech National Ballet, which was putting on today’s performance. They do a magnificent job. The ballet was flawless and beautifully staged. These people are not only graceful but are strong and high on endurance. They are highly skilled athletes with great skills, balance, discipline, and grace. The music was outstanding. The whole experience was topnotch and I enjoyed it immensely.

After the performance in this truly enchanting theater we walked to the subway station very near the opera house and then had a lengthy discussion about where to go for dinner. All this is at the head of Wenseslas Square, a historic part of Prague but about a mile to “downtown” or “old town.” The Square is named after the good king. Sarah and Jess knew some great places in old town but it was decided that we would find something on Wenseslas Square and then head for home. We lucked out and found a huge Czech restaurant in the square that had a very modest front. We walked in and the restaurant went back several hundred feet and then tripled in width and continued back even further. It was very big and had very good food. We had a fine Czech dinner and then headed for home. We got home about 9 or 9:30 and immediately called son Brad on Skype. Brad and his family were in Tucson with son Scott and his family, along with their mother and sister, Ann. We had about a 45-minute video discussion with sons, grandkids, daughters, daughters-in-law, and even a former wife. What a great way to end an extraordinary day. Christmas, 2010, a day that will never be forgotten.
Sarah and Jess worked for three days between the holidays as we planned our New Years trip. We decided on going to Budapest and Vienna. We left about 5 AM on Thursday morning (New Years Eve was Friday) and drove through the Czech Republic and into Slovakia. For many years after WWII these two countries were combined as Czechoslovakia and controlled by the Soviet Union. When the Iron Curtain dissolved in 1989 the glue that held these two diverse cultures together was gone. About three years later the two separated peacefully becoming two independent countries on Jan 1, 1993. Slovakia, the less cosmopolitan and more rural of the two suffered considerably with unemployment hovering around 20%. The leaders, however, were gradually changing a very centrally controlled economy under the Communists to a market economy. In 2003 Slovakia adopted a “Forbes Style” flat tax of 18% as opposed to the VAT adopted by most other European countries. By 2005 unemployment was in the 5 % range and industry was flooding to Slovakia. It became a major car manufacturer with VW, Peugeot, and KIA all building large plants there. Sony and Samsung both have large facilities manufacturing LCD and Plasma TVs. The Slovakian economy has been the fastest growing economy of the European Union since 2005 and has continued to hold that position through the latest worldwide economic downturn.
We stopped for 3 or 4 hours in the Slovakian capitol, Bratislava. What a lovely city! Situated on the Danube about 100 miles from Budapest and 70 or so miles downstream from Vienna. They have preserved the old walled part of the city and it is very beautiful and friendly. However, I’m afraid in the near future this will change as there is construction everywhere and new people are moving in all the time. This is definitely a city on the move.
The above picture is the “White House” or palace that serves as the center of government for Slovakia. It is one of many picturesque buildings in this lovely city.
This statue directly in front of the French Embassy in Bratislava shows a barefoot French soldier with his hat over his eyes and clearly depicts the Slavic attitude towards the French. This is on Embassy Square in Bratislava and they are preparing for a big New Years Eve celebration, which will be centered here.
After a fine lunch at a small café we departed Bratislava bound for Budapest, about a two-hour drive away. Arriving in Budapest we drove directly to the hotel Sarah had reserved. What a pleasant surprise! It was a very nice urban hotel and when we checked in they asked if they could switch us to a two-bedroom suite over the two rooms we had reserved. The suite was a two-bedroom, two-bath, large common area suite. It even had jetted tubs. It was so nice it almost made me want to stay in and enjoy it. However, common sense prevailed and we immediately left to do some exploring. We walked to a New Year’s Market in the retail section of Pest, a very toney area..
Budapest was originally two cities; Buda on the west side of the Danube and Pest on the east. In 1849 the first permanent bridge between the two cities opened. It was only the second permanent bridge on the entire Danube river and it’s first suspension bridge. It was considered one of the “wonders of the world” and is known as the “Chain Bridge,” named after the chains that served as the suspension cables suspending the roadway. It led eventually to the combination of the two cities and to Budapest becoming a world power. The bridge was destroyed by the retreating Nazis in 1945 and rebuilt in 1947. The bridge provides pedestrian walkways and continues to be a main connection between Buda and Pest although 5 or 6 other bridges have been built.
We walked to the New Years Market and saw many great food stalls. Between the grilled sausage, steak, pork steaks, and vegetables, we admired several candy stalls with about every version of marzipan imaginable. As they prepared for New Years Eve many places were setting up to sell silly wigs (it seems that tinsel hair is all the rage in Eastern Europe), horns, champaign, wine, and mulled cider. We walked by the first MacDonalds to open behind the Iron Curtain, and it is still thriving 25 years later.
We returned to the hotel in the late afternoon. Sarah and Jess decided to go to the Baths. I decided on a hot shower and a rest. Budapest is built on a geothermal dome and as a result has a number of baths. These baths date back to Roman times and are famous throughout Eastern Europe. Spas are very important in Europe. I used to work with a great man from Austria who had been captured by the Russians at the end of WWII. After five years in a Russian gulag he got back to Austria, found his wife and daughter but couldn’t find work. The Austrian and German economies were struggling during the post war period. He had a cousin who had come to Detroit and was working at the old Deluxe Tool and Die who got Deluxe to sponsor him to come to the US. All this took several months of correspondence and finally Johan asked his cousin where Detroit was. The cousin informed him that it was very near Mt. Clemens, which cleared everything up. Most Europeans knew of Mt Clemens because of the mineral baths there but had no idea where Detroit was.
The next morning we set out on a 5-hour walking tour of Budapest starting at the Hungarian Parliament.
The building is huge, deceptively large, and today’s parliament uses approximately one eighth of it. It was built in a time when “grandeur” was the rage and cost was no object. This view is from the opposite side of the Danube (the Buda side). On the other side of the building is a square housing their eternal flame honoring those who died in the 1956 revolt against the communists which was very brutally put down by the Soviets.
This is the Hungarian Eternal Flame with the Hungarian Parliament in the background.
On this same square in 1956, Hungarian students erected a Hungarian Flag with the communist coat of arms cut out of the center of it. The communists had added the symbol to the flag years before. AVH (Hungarian Secret Police) and Soviet troops on the rooftops of nearby buildings opened fire killing 53 on this spot. The Hungarians don’t forget easily. The flag with a hole in it became the symbol of the Hungarian Freedom Movement, which although effectively crushed by the Soviets continued in pockets and underground in Hungary for years.
We walked on and visited several churches and buildings that were of beautiful construction. Then we stopped at the Budapest Central Market, a totally fascinating place. Having long been a lover of Detroit’s Eastern Market, Sarah knew I would love this place, and I did. It was not only a beautiful building, it housed restaurants, eating stands, butchers, bakers, and just about every kind of fruit and vegetable stands imaginable. It was a bustling place and really fun to visit. We had some goulash, the national Hungarian dish (not at all like the goulash in the US), and some Polish stuffed cabbage for lunch and watched intently all the people and the shopping going on. It was great fun.


A bit later in the day we went to the Hungarian National Opera House. Another building of the late 1880s and “grand” just doesn’t do it justice. It is another magnificent opera house similar in many ways to the opera house in Prague, which was built about the same time. When this was built, Hungary was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Emperor, Franz Joseph, found his home in Vienna, which already had a magnificent opera house. He didn’t think they needed another opera house but the Hungarians were very insistent. He relented and gave permission with one proviso: it couldn’t be larger than the Vienna Opera House. The Hungarians proceeded to build an opera house slightly smaller than Vienna’s but much more beautiful. The Emperor was upset but allowed it to stand. It is remarkably beautiful.

The interior is very ornate and extremely beautiful. Hungarian craftsmen did all of this magnificent work as the guide pointed out, proudly, several times.
We returned to the hotel. I was very tired after our “walking tour,” and rested a bit. It being New Year’s Eve, Sarah and Jess readied themselves for a big night on the town. I walked out with them to the nearest Doner Kabob place and had two for New Years Eve before letting Sarah and Jess move on. I went back to the hotel and went to bed early.
New Year's morning we got up and had another terrific breakfast at the hotel (breakfast came with the rooms, and it was a really fine breakfast), checked out, and headed for Vienna. Arriving in Vienna about noon we checked into our hotel. Not as luxurious as Budapest but functional. We immediately left, walked to a nearby subway station, and took the subway to Saint Stephens Square. Here is the magnificent St. Stephen's Church or Cathedra (it is called both).

This beautiful Cathedral was first constructed in 1160 but various projects of reconstruction and repair continued on until 1511 when the building was completed as it stands today. What a beautiful place.
After a tour of the Church we walked a brief distance to Figlmullers, a very famous restaurent. They have added a second and third location and are famous for their schnitzel. We all know wiener schnitzel, which is a vienna style schnitzel or cutlet. In German Vienna is Wien, hence the wiener schnitzel. Figlmullers which was founded over one hundred years ago is the home of the wiener schnitzel and is known all over Europe for their schnitzel. Of course, we had to have some and I certainly enjoyed it. It is really good and very distinctive.
Even Sarah enjoyed her schnitzel very much.
These schnitzels are as good as they look. They use special rolls to grind up to make the breading and then cook them three times at three different temperatures. They are outstanding, as is the service. The original Figlmullers is small, crowded, and staffed by a group of formally dressed waiters who are all business and no nonsense. We waited about 20 minutes to get in. In summer, a three to four hour wait is standard.
On to the Hofburg Palace, the home of the Habsburg empire and the Sisi museum. Franz Joseph ruled from 1848 until his death in 1916. He was married to his cousin, Elizabeth (Princess of Bavaria), also known as Sisi, until she was assassinated in 1898. The Habsburgs ruled from the mid 1200’s until the end of WWI in 1918 and survived the unrest of the late 1700’s, which saw the American revolution, the French revolution, and others, because they were progressive leaders who ruled and built the empire through marriage and not through force. Maria Theresa, who ruled from 1740 until her death in 1780, had sixteen children. Those surviving to adulthood were married of-- with empire in mind. One daughter, Marie Antoinette, married the future King of France and lost her head over it. (Editor's note: Groan) Two of her sons would succeed her as Emperors. She reformed the practice of serfdom and was always aware of the “people.” Later Franz Joseph, as emperor would start his day at 4 AM and generally work until after dark. He spent one day a week meeting with any member of his kingdom who requested an audience. All he required was that they appear in clean clothes.
The entrance to the Hofburg Palace
There is a beautiful collection of silver and china, which surprisingly is one of the most interesting things on display at the palace. It takes a lot of china to serve the number of meals the palace served and the china and the silver show the changing tastes over 500 years. This part of the museum was my favorite.
We walked to a small Vienna café and had a snack before heading back to the hotel. The next morning we started fairly early and returned to the Hofburg Museum to take a closer look at some things. We then walked next door to the Spanish Riding School. This facility was built over 400 years ago by the Emperor to welcome the school from his brother, the King of Spain. So, for over 400 years this has been the home of the Royal Lipizzaner Stallions. Only several days before, they had scheduled a performance on Sunday, Jan 2. They normally don’t do any performances in late December and all of January and February. Even so, there was no way to get seats. The stadium is very small and tickets are normally very difficult to obtain. For scheduled performances, tickets are sold out months in advance. Luckily standing room was available and we bought three tickets (this was done several days before, shortly after the performance was announced). They sell tickets to the exercise periods every morning and those are usually available. However, we were in luck and got to see a formal performance that morning. What a treat. These are beautiful animals, which have been trained to perfection. The stallions generally don’t even begin performing until they are 12 years old and perform well into their 20s. The performance was impressive and I consider it a privilege to have watched the performance in this historic setting.
After the performance concluded we walked the short distance to the Vienna Opera where I took a tour. Sarah and Jess went to do some shopping. The Vienna Opera House is another fabulous building. It was virtually destroyed by Allied bombing in WWII and then rebuilt. Of course, the rebuilding was well done but couldn’t replace the workmanship done a hundred years before.
This is certainly a lovely, historical building and it is well used. Over 300 operas a year and a number of ballets and symphonies are performed. Often there are two performaces each day. This building is the center of culture in Vienna, a very cultured and historic city. Vienna is considered by many as the most cultered city in the world. Historic buildings and museums abound. Music is everywhere and is celebrated everywhere. What an experience to feel the atmosphere of Vienna. It is truly a wonderful city with a sense of why it exists and where it comes from. I can’t say enough about the city. It is clean, it is friendly, it is easy to get around in, it is beautiful, and it is fun to be there. What a place.
We returned to the car and headed home, about a 5 hour drive. What an extraordinary trip. Sarah, again, did a magnificent job of making arrangements and being our tour guide. It was a great experience and Christmas and New Years certainly will never be forgotten.