Vienna, my new favorite city of the world! (AUS)

Dinner in Vienna with Ottilie Schawe

I arrived in Vienna today at Noon, after taking the morning train from Budapest.  I still need to continue with my photos of Budapest, but my first impression of Vienna is one of pure amazement.  It must be the most beautiful capital city in the entire world.  I have been awed by other cities, but nothing compares to the opulent beauty of Vienna.  I took a very brief walking tour near Stephansplatz, which is the center of Vienna, and walked into a few churches.  They make the churches of Rome look like last year's models.  I am very impressed with the city.  I look forward to my next few days here, before returning to Munich on Friday.  

As you can see from the photo above, I had dinner with Ottilie whom I met on the train ride from Munich to Budapest.  She is a psychologist from Munich who was attending a conference in Vienna.  As I wrote in an earlier posting, she sat across from me on the train and conversed for most of the ride.  She and I decided to have dinner tonight in Vienna before she leaves for Munich tomorrow.  We had a delightful dinner at Do & Co. Restaurant, which is in the shadow of the Cathedral of St. Stephen.

Before I get to photos of Vienna, here are photos of Budapest taken on my second day of sightseeing.  I hope the WiFi here is faster than in Budapest.

Store display window of water pipes...a little local color!

St. Matthias Church and Fishermen's Bastion

Some more local color...a cafe on the street corner which leads to the Citadel, the highest point in Budapest.

View of the Danube from the Citadel.

A sculpture in a park near the Hungarian Parliament.

Dome of the Hungarian Parliament  (FYI, the front of the building is covered in scaffolding as it is in the process of being chemically cleaned to the same brilliant white you see here.)

The Pest side of the Chain Bridge.

A live tree trunk which looks like a piece of sculpture.

Street leading to the Basilica of St. Stephen.

A display of orchids in a hotel lobby.

At Sunday brunch.

The Sunday brunch area for kids.

Jaws was right behind my chair in the dining room.

A lithograph displayed for sale in a store window.

More photos of Budapest in the next posting, then to the photos of Vienna....

On the Danube and More of Budapest - Part 3 (HUN)

The 2 photos which are above are not from the upper deck of the boat on the Danube.  They were taken at the end of the day, after I returned from the cruise on the Danube and sightseeing on my first full day in Budapest.  They were taken in the hotel lobby where I stopped for a glass of wine.  Now to the Danube...

Waiting at Pier 11 for the boat to arrive.

The Elisabeth Bridge, one of 5 bridges in Budapest crossing the Danube and uniting Buda to Pest.

The Royal Palace is very impressive from the river.  Thd Palace is on the Buda side of the Danube.

The Pest side of the Danube, facing the Royal Palace.

The landmark "Chain Bridge" which leads to the foot of the hill of the Royal Palace.

The magnificent building of the Hungarian Parliament.

Church of St. Anne

After the panoramic cruise on the Danube, I walked along the embankment, visited the Basilica of St. Stephen, and took photos of some skateboarders in a local park before returning to the hotel.  As an historical note, St. Stephen was the king of Hungary who converted his country to Christianity.

Basilica of St. Stephen

Plaza in front of the basilica.

Interior of the basilica's dome.

The pulpit of the basilica.

And now from the sacred to the secular, at a local park with a skate board area where these guys were showing off their skills...

Time to head back to the hotel on Europe's second oldest subway system.  The first was constructed in London.  All aboard the Yellow Line....

Day 2 of sightseeing in Budapest in my next post (from Vienna!)....