May 2007

We're not sure if it was the stress of the recent road trip around central Europe or the smell of Goulash cooking wafting in from the neighbours but Gradma just couldn't reisist trying on the flower-patterned over-frock the cleaning lady had left behind and went into a full blooded eastern european frenzy of cooking.

The lunch that resulted certainly was delicious!

After lunch we went out to visit Laci andc Teri on their estate (75m X 15m) just outside Budapest. It was a beautiful spring afternoon, birds singing, fruit growing, palinka brewing...

Tomorrow we are off on another 2 day road trip inside Hungary. More on that soon!

Getting lost driving into Vienna was nothing compared too driving into Prague. My God! Haven't those guys heard of street signs? It wouldn't hurt to put one up every now and then so tourists stupid enough to try to find their way into Prague by car would have a fighting chance. Steve took some comfort in the fact that an english speaking high school student he cornered for directions could not identify where they were standing on the map we had, when we were in fact less than 1km from our destination, but it didn't help. We got there in the end and it was a great place. Prague what a city! The number of tourists! The Beer! The Absinthe! The totally undecipherable Czech language! It's a Ted town if ever I saw one!
On our first afternoon Monika graciously came over to our lodgings and took us wandering down the the castle hill to Charles Bridge for a bite to eat and then back up again. The next day we went through the castle itself and then met Monika again at Charles Bridge and had a fantastic lunch and then an extended walk around the Stare Mesto taking in the astronomical clock and a spot of shopping.

Next time we come we'll arrive by helicopter directly to our hotel.

Steve's driving along the autostrada from Budapest to Vienna was exemplary, but Sue's navigation into the heart of the Hapsburg Empire was a little difficult to follow (ie we didn't know where we were on the maps so it was a little difficult to find the place we wanted to reach). Steve, being a male refused to ask for directions, but Sue had a very informative conversation with a Pizza shop owner somewhere in Vienna that got us back on track. What can I say about our accomodation at the Hotel Franz Pension except that they must be Teds. Turn of the century furnishings and fittings (the 19th century I mean) that are all hanging together by a thread (a window in our room fell off when Steve tried to open it) but fantastic location right next to the Votiv Cathedral and the Ring Strasses so getting about was easy as jumping on the No1 or No2 tram (depending if you wanted to go clockwise or counterclockwise around the ring). By the end of the first afternoon we had walked past the Rathaus and Hofburg Theatre, through the Hapsburg Palace and over and through the Stephans Kirche and still had time for a stop off at a fashionable cafe where the best strawberrys in the empire are carressed and coddled into milkshakes from heaven (really they were that good, and for 5.70Eur a shot it would want to be).

Dobrey Den! We've been on the road for 5 days now and I have finally been able to get an Internet connection again in Moravia in the Czech Republic. Steve is too cheap to pay for one so he makes me wait until he can connect to a free one. At least we are staying in a nice town called Mikulov, check out the photo. We had a great couple of days in Prague with the charming Monika selflessly acting as tour guide (what is such a nice girl doing hanging out with Normie?) (Only joking Norm we know your just a big Ted at heart!) Look out for updates in Vienna and Prague too.