Prague/Budapest/Vienna Untour, May of 2001
by Bob Silver, San Jose, CA
May 8 and 9, 2001
We left SFO on May 8 at around 6 P.M. from the beautiful new International Terminal. We flew on a British Airways 747. They really squeeze a lot of bodies into Economy class. We had our seats changed to bulkhead seats which provided a little more leg room. The seats, themselves, were still quite narrow. The individual entertainment centers at each seat were fun with a wide variety of movies, TV Programs and other features. Meals were OK.We arrived at London Heathrow, Terminal 4 at 12:45 P.M. local time. The walk into the terminal from the plane was very long. Then we took a bus to Terminal 1. This was good, because we had a lot of time to kill. We hung around the airport, made a phone call and then departed for Prague. The flight was 45 minutes late in departing, because five people had to leave the plane due to having expired visas, and it took that long to find their luggage. The 3+ hour flight was fine, but the food they served us was awful. From this point everything improved dramatically.
We were met at the airport by the Untours rep., Alena Peslova. She and an associate drove us to our apartment, about 20 minutes from the airport. She was very pleasant and spoke excellent English. Our apartment was in the Lesser Quarter AKA Smaller Quarter. It was a block from the Charles Bridge and just below the Castle. It was a block from the Malastrana Square bus stop. It was next door to a McDonalds and a movie, neither of which we partook of. Alena told us where and when the orientation would be the next day and she left.
The apartment was on the 5th floor of a fairly old building. Accessible by elevator. The apartment had a good sized bedroom, bathroom, toilet room (typical of all European apartments), living room-dining room combination and a well-equipped kitchen. We met the woman who owned the apartment. She was an M.D., and was preparing to leave for a holiday. She gave us a tour and briefing about the apartment. It required four different keys to access the apartment from the street. She explained the color coding of the keys (which key for which door). She gave us a second set of keys, which we later discovered were coded differently from the first. after a few days we got it figured out.
The apartment faced the rear overlooking the typical red tiled roofs of Prague. Because it faced the rear it was fairly quiet. The apartment was comfortably furnished. There was a TV, with no English language channel. The refrigerator was stocked with milk, butter, cheese, cold cuts and juice. There were also some rolls. We later found this to be standard Untours practice. After the owner left we took a little walk in the neighborhood, found a small super market, and stopped at a sandwich shop for sandwiches to take home.
After dinner we read the materials that Untours had left in the room, They included restaurant info, guide books, and even cash for the taxi fare back to the airport next week. We went to bed early.
May 10
As is our usual practice we awoke early. We had breakfast in the apartment. Then we took a walk around the square. We saw beautiful old buildings and the large church. Next we walked to the Kampa Hotel for the orientation. There, three Untours reps conducted the orientation providing us with maps, guide books, concert tickets, restaurant information, tickets for local public transportation and instructions for using it. We found all the cities' public transportation to be excellent. Easy to use, clean and safe. We never used any other form of transportation for three weeks.At the orientation we met some of the other Untourists who were staying at other apartments. We met people from Philadelphia, Dallas, Boulder, Colorado, and Canada. We had a chance to book a half day tour (conducted by Untours) and got information about a restaurant near the Dvorak concert that we booked for Friday evening before the concert.
After the orientation we went to lunch near the Kampa Hotel. Service was slow. Bob ordered something called a salmon burger in English, but it turned out to be salmon tartare-yich.
We took the tram to the Prague castle. About a ten minute ride from our apartment. It is truly a city within a city. In addition to being the former home of royalty and now the President, it has a cathedral (magnificent St. Vitus with beautiful stained glass), museums, shops, restaurants, and gardens. We spent some time walking around and taking in the beauty. The castle is on a hill and the views of the city below are marvelous.
After returning to our apartment for a rest, we went out looking for a place to have dinner. On our side of the Charles Bridge there were numerous restaurants of all varieties. As we walked along, a woman from a small art gallery stopped us to ask if we had some "fire". She meant a match. We didn't have any, but we asked for her recommendation of a place for dinner. She suggested Kampa Park. We walked a short distance to get there and found that they had no space that day. We booked for Sunday night. We picked up some matches and returned to the art gallery. We kept on looking for a place to eat, when the woman from the gallery came after us. She gave us another choice for a restaurant a few blocks away. It was U Vladare, serving typical Czech food. It was excellent and very reasonable. On each table there was a rack holding large pretzels to eat as a bread.
May 11
Breakfast at the Bohemian Bagel. Quite good. seemed like a young folks hangout. There was an internet cafe there which we later used a couple of times.Back to the Kampa Hotel to pick up the city tour sponsored by Untours. 8 of us Untourists went. We did a complete overview of Prague (Old and new) under the leadership of a young Untours rep. We ended up in Old Town Square around noon. This is a bustling, happy square full of both tourists and locals. Lots of young folks. Picked up our opera and Laterna Magika tickets. Went to the Jewish Quarter for lunch at a sidewalk cafe.
Visited Mucha Museum. On the way back to our apartment we passed through Old Town Square, where we were entertained by a Czech Dixieland band. It was a very incongruous experience listening to American music surrounded by beautiful Gothic and Baroque architecture that was four or five centuries old. Spectators of all ages and nationalities were rocking to the music.
Walked back to the apartment over the Charles Bridge, which had wall-to-wall people. We changed and went out to an early dinner, because we had concert tickets. Ate at JB's restaurant around the corner from where the concert was held. It was a somewhat formal restaurant and the food was good and very inexpensive. Several Untourists joined us for dinner.
The concert was at Dvorak's Museum. It was presented in the form of a play. The concept was that a number of performers were rehearsing for a concert featuring Dvorak's music, both operatic and folk. Four opera singers and a marvelous violinist performed in costumes of the late 19th century. It was very delightful, and lasted for a little over an hour.
May 12
-sunny and cool. Took the tram and metro to the Jewish Quarter. We found a pastry shop, where we ate breakfast. We were somewhat disappointed at not finding more pastry shops in Prague, especially in our neighborhood. After breakfast we walked to the Hotel Intercontinental, where we were to pick up our tour to Terezin. On the way we met some other Untourists (small world).Our tour group was comprised of two Canadians, two South Africans, one Brit and the two of us. We traveled in a comfortable minivan. Our guide was David, a young Czech, who was very knowledgeable. His regular job is tech support for a telecommunications company. The ride was about one hour. On the way we passed the area, where Heidrich, the Butcher of Prague, was assassinated.
Along the way we stopped at a Jewish cemetery and a cemetery for Soviet soldiers killed in World War II. The camp was called Tereisenstadt by the Germans. It is in the Sudetenland annexed by Hitler in 1938. The town is now called Terezin, which is the Czech name. Within the complex are small museums housing memorabilia of the camp, including many pictures, poems and stories written by the children who were imprisoned there. This camp was not a death camp per se , but 75,000 or so perished here from illness and maltreatment. Basically, it was a distribution point for the death camps. The camp gained fame as a model concentration camp that the Nazis showed to the Red Cross and other observers.
We had a nice lunch in the town, and then visited a secret synagogue built by Danish Jews. For a time they received superior treatment by the Nazis. Next we visited the Small Fortress, which had been a prison long before the Nazis arrived on the scene. Under the Nazis the prison was used to house dissidents and other criminals. We saw cell blocks, living quarters, cleaning facilities, and solitary confinement. The Nazis had perfected to an art form the degradation of human beings they did not like.
We returned to Prague to eat and get ready to see the Laterna Magika show. It is a combination of live performers, film, lights and mirrors. It is a unique Czech invention, and it is considered a "must see". It was a unique experience that we both enjoyed, but have difficulty explaining what it is.
We walked back to the apartment along the Vlatava river. The castle on the hill was illuminated, and the city was sparkling. Prague is truly an architectural delight.
May 13
-another beautiful sunny day in the 70's. We took a tour to the town of Cesky Krumlov in the far south of the Czech Republic about 100 miles south of Prague. We traveled in a minivan with two other people, who were from Melbourne, Australia. Henry talked a lot , mostly about his children. His wife was pleasant and not too talkative. The driver, Daniel, spoke excellent English.Krumlov is on the Vlatava River at a point where the river meanders so much that it appears the city is an island. It is a lovely medieval town that has been designated by the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage. The city dates back to the 13th century and has been restored several times. The main feature is a large castle that is second only to the Prague Castle in scope. First, we walked around the town, which is very touristy with lots of shops and restaurants. We had nice lunch by the river. We took a tour of the castle, but it was spoiled by the fact that our guide spoke too fast, moved too fast, and had a distracting accent. We were able to get the gist of the tour nonetheless. We drove back to Prague on picturesque country roads passing through farms and small villages.
We had a light dinner at Bohemian Bagel (again) and went to the internet cafe to send e-mails to our kids. We ended the evening by walking along the river to get some night views of the castle and the city. While walking we learned that the Czech National hockey team had won the World Championship and the celebrations broke out.
May 14
-sunny and warm. The victory celebrations continued through the day. We went downtown to Wenceslas Square, which is not a square, but a promenade reminiscent of the Champs d'Elysse in Paris. Many fine stores and hotels, and restaurants.We visited the main post office which was another architectural splendor. Unfortunately no photos were allowed inside. During the day celebrations for the hockey victory continued with a huge rally and rock concert in Old Town Square. There was also a motorcade for the team. Young people continued the celebrating all day long.
After lunch we went on a tour of Prague's Jewish Quarter.
Our tour was comprised of the two of us and our guide, Pavla. The so-called Jewish Museum is actually all of the synagogues and the cemetery in the old Jewish Quarter.
We started at the Spanish Synagogue. Beautiful architecture and a lovely interior. It is in the Moorish style. Next we went to the Maisel synagogue, then to the Pinkas synagogue, where the only interior wall decoration is the stark listing of the names of 77,297 Czech victims of the Holocaust. We also visited the old Jewish Cemetery, the Alte-Neu Synagogue, and the Bikur Cholim. Our guide was a young woman who is studying Jewish Heritage and Psychology. When asked if she were Jewish, she replied that she had Jewish grand parents. With the fall of Communism organized religion is making a come back, slowly.
We had a wonderful dinner at the Kampa Park Restaurant, right on the river. We met Ruth and Dick Friedman, two other Untourists.
May 15
-cloudy and cool. We went on a guided shopping/walking tour with a guide we had met at the orientation. Visited several shops selling glass, marionettes, jewelry and porcelain. We made a few purchases. The guide took us to the Prague diamond center. It was very interesting. I'm sure we could have gotten some good buys, but we passed. We did buy some lithographs from our guide for a lot less than the diamonds.We tried to have lunch at a Kosher restaurant and for the first time found the place taken over by tour buses, and we couldn't get in. Went to a Czech style restaurant that was fair.
Finished up shopping. Bought a marionette for Hallie and a hockey shirt for David. Returned to the apartment to pack and have a light supper before going to the opera.
Took the metro to the opera and encountered our first drizzle. We saw Verdi's Nabucco, which is not performed much in the U.S., but it is very popular in Europe, because of its nationalistic theme. It was also being performed in Vienna. We has excellent seats. The State Opera is in an ornate and classical opera house. The opera was good. Voices were excellent, but at times the orchestra overwhelmed the singers. It was funny hearing an Italian opera with Czech super titles that we couldn't understand.
Returned to finish packing.
May 16
-bright and sunny. The taxi came to pick us up at 6:30 AM to take us to the airport exactly as promised. We had plenty of time to catch a 9:30 flight to Budapest. All of the Untourists went on to Budapest together.By the time we arrived in Budapest and dropped everyone off at their apartments, it was around noon. We lucked out. Our original apartment, a studio, was no longer available to Untours, so we got a lovely, spacious two bedroom apartment located in the same vicinity as the original. It had been recently renovated with new baths and toilet and a new kitchen with a well-stocked refrigerator. We had more room than we needed. Only problems was that the cable for the TV was broken and never repaired, so again no CNN. We were a block from Vaci St., the main pedestrian shopping area. There was also an Internet Cafe nearby, which we used a few times.
We had a 90 minute orientation at the Elisabeth Hotel near our apartment. The main Untour person, Zsuzsa(Susie), was great. They gave us maps, instructions, restaurant recommendations, touring recommendations, etc. Took lots of notes. We signed up for a city tour for the next day.
We went to a supermarket around the corner from our apartment. We encountered a farbissener cashier, who gave me a hard time, because I did not have any small bills. Hungary has made great strides since the end of Communism. Lots of restoration and new construction, although the buildings are all in need of a good sand blasting. Many of the older people were happier with Communism; steady work, free medical care, good pensions, so they have an attitude problem.
Went to dinner with two other couples from Untours at the Karpathia Restaurant, a traditional Hungarian restaurant with strolling gypsy violinists. Very good.
May 17
-very warm and humid. Took 3 hour city tour with our Untours guide. Hit all the high spots-running: the Great Synagogue, museums, City Park, Baths, Sports Stadium, Parliament, Castle District, Gellert Hill, then back to Pest to the Central Market Hall. It had two full floors of meats, produce and souvenir items. We had lunch in the cafeteria of the Market Hall.Walked to Gerbaud, the famous bakery/patisserie. It turned out to be farther than we thought. Bought some pastries to take home for later.
Took the Metro to the Opera House. It is a magnificent 19th century building. The seats were hard. I guess that guarantees that patrons will stay awake. We saw Madama Butterfly and it was a wonderful performance-Italian with Hungarian super titles.
After the opera we stopped for some gelato right across the street from our apartment.
May 18
-very warm and humid until about 10 PM, when a front went through and cooled things off.In the morning we took the Metro and a bus to the Castle District in Buda. It is on a hill overlooking the Danube and Pest. The views were beautiful. While walking we ran into the Andersons, fellow Untourists. The castle was severely damaged in W.W.II and is finally undergoing a lot of repair and reconstruction.
First we went into the National Library. We spoke with a young man who worked there. He was very bright and helpful. Spoke excellent English and enjoyed speaking it. He gave us some advice as to what we should see in the area. He gave us a brief history less as well.
He suggested we visit the National Museum next door, where the history of Hungary is portrayed on several floors. We wandered into a room where the museum was conducting a reception. They had juice and cookies, which they offered to us. We never found out who the reception was for, but it certainly wasn't for us.
Later we met the Friedmans (another Untour couple from Dallas). They had organized a family reunion with people from Vienna, Budapest, Israel and the U.S. We walked the Fisherman's Bastion and saw St. Matthais church. Lunch at a typical Hungarian restaurant. OK, but touristy.
Next we went back to Pest to visit the spectacular Parliament Building. It is modeled after the British Parliament building and it is situated right on the Danube. The architecture is magnificent with beautiful interiors, paintings, frescoes, sculptures and furnishings.
The process of getting inside was somewhat torturous. First, we waited in line in the hot sun to get to the ticket office. Then we returned to the outside line to wait for our English language tour to begin. While in line we met four young men from the US who were old college buddies and were now visiting one of them, who works in Budapest. Had a nice chat with them. We also met a young Frenchman from Grenoble with whom we spoke. Later that evening we ran into him again at the ballet.
Our tour of the building was funny. We were in an English language group, but immediately behind us was a French speaking group. We got the tour in stereo-one channel English and one French. An interesting fact of the Parliament building is that it was built with two equal parts; one for each house. Now the legislature is unicameral, so half of the building is unused.
In the evening we attended a performance of Swan Lake at the Opera House. It was a wonderful performance; beautiful costumes, dancing and music. We did have a slight problem that distracted somewhat from the enjoyment. There was a man sitting in front of us who kept moving his head back and forth partially blocking our view. Overall we loved the show.
During the show, the front went by lowering the temperature drastically. Bob did not have a sweater or jacket with him, so we returned to the apartment directly.
In both Prague and Budapest the Metro is on an honor system. We had a pass, but rarely had to show it. On this particular evening after the ballet we were stopped twice in the subway by Metro police within a space of 10 yards. As long as you show you pass/ticket you are OK.
May 19
-sunny and mild. We went to Buda to look at the famous Gellert Hotel. It is named for one of the bishops who founded Budapest. The hotel is a classic 19th century building and it is famous for the spa/baths. We looked, but chose not to partake. While wandering the grounds we met a young Chinese couple from Washington, DC. They had just arrived in town on a business trip. Since we were now seasoned tourists in Budapest, we gave them some advice on where to go and what to see. We later met a couple from Seattle. Returned to Gerbaud for a sinful lunch. Bob had an iced coffee that was like an ice cream soda. Had some salads followed by a delicious hazelnut/chocolate bombe. We were going to shop on Vaci St. but discovered that most stores close at 1 PM on Saturday. Instead we went back to our apartment to relax. Went to dinner at Lou Lou, a small intimate restaurant on a side street away from the main tourist areas. The meal was outstanding. During dessert (we rarely missed dessert) Sandy noticed a woman at another table, whom she thought looked like a former Cupertino neighbor, Lucille Parness. Bob, of course was skeptical. Sandy thinks she sees familiar people everywhere and she is usually right. After some discussion she went over to the table and sure enough it was Lucille. Hallie used to baby sit for her kids. She left her first husband and was now in Budapest on business with husband #2. To add to the coincidences, when we told them we were on an Untour, her husband said that while on a tour of Terezin, he met some people who were on an Untour. It was Betty and Art Anderson. SMALL WORLD! Well that was all we could handle that day, so we returned to the apartment.May 20
-another bright sunny and mild day. We met our group to go on a tour of the Danube Bend area, which is about one hour from Budapest. We had a group consisting of 10 of the 12 Untourists, and rode in a comfortable minivan. The first stop was outside of Szentendre (St. Andrews). where we visited a reconstruction of the various types of homes and farms from the different districts of Hungary. Interesting, but touristy. Next we drove into the village of Szentendre. Very cute and very touristy. Many souvenir shops with a few nicer shops sprinkled in. Highlight here was a visit to the museum housing the works of famous Hungarian sculptor/artist, Margit Kovacs. It was a marvelous experience. Her wok is creative, whimsical and moving. She obviously had a great sense of humor, and an ability to capture the emotions of her subjects. After walking around a bit we drove to Visegrad just at the bend of the Danube River. We had a pleasant lunch a cute Renaissance style restaurant. Everyone was given a paper crown to wear. It looked like the type of thing your kids get at Burger King. Food was pretty good. We all had a good time and a lot of laughs. After lunch we drove and then walked up the hill to the Visegrad Castle overlooking the Danube Bend. It was beautiful to see and the weather cooperated 100%. Next we went to the beautiful Catholic Cathedral in Eztergon in the most northern part of Hungary. It is just across the river from Slovakia. This is the site of Cardinal Minzentdy's burial. The crypt houses relics from his reign and those of other recent Cardinals, We then went into the main church, which is huge, but far less ornate than many other great European cathedrals. We also toured the treasury of the church which houses priceless jewels, gold and silver religious objects. We returned to Budapest over country roads and got to see a part of rural Hungary.May 21
-another sunny, humid day. This was our day for the City Park, Heroes Square and the Zoo. We went there by metro. We spent most of the time in the zoo. It covers a huge area in the City Park. Many of the structures were being renovated. They have a very large collection of birds from all the world. They had a good assortment of animals, but not any large quantities. For lunch we went to Bagolyvar Restaurant. It was recommended by our Untours guides. It is next door to, and supposedly shares its kitchen with the world-famous and very expensive Gundel's restaurant. The food and ambiance were outstanding. The place is managed and staffed 100% by women. We took a bus back to a main shopping street near the opera. It was not very impressive. We returned to the apartment for rest and relaxation. We even ate our light dinner in the apartment. In the evening we attended a Folk Concert at Danube Hall that was arranged by Untours. They presented singing and folk dancing that represented various regions of Hungary. Sandy liked it. Bob thought it was repetitious. Afterwards we went for coffee and ice cream with six other Untourists. Have to eat don't we?May 22
-sunny and a bit cooler. Sandy and I had booked a Jewish tour of the Great Synagogue and the Jewish Museum. While standing in line for the tour we met a threesome consisting of a pain management physician from Alamo, CA, a female professor of non-verbal communication from NYU, and a young aspiring male actor, writer and professor of communications from NYU. They were kind of interesting, but weird. We never figured out the exact relationships, but I suspect the two NYU types were involved. She was quite a bit older than he. The pain doctor fancied himself to be an expert on Judaism. He wasn't really and he picked on the wrong hayseeds from San Jose to try to impress. First we toured the Museum with a 40 something docent. The thing that impressed us was that there has always been anti-Semitism in Hungary, and it is on the rise again, with one of the political parties called the Anti-Semitic party. The Great Synagogue is ornate and spectacular. It is Moorish in design and is the second largest synagogue in the world. It is now a reform synagogue. It was heavily damaged in WW2. The Communists had no interest in fixing it up, but since the fall of Communism the synagogue went through a major refurbishment, which was only recently completed. Behind the building is large courtyard with a Raoul Wallenberg memorial and a marvelous sculpture titled Tree of Life. It was built by actor Tony Curtis as a memorial to his father who came from Budapest. The tree is covered with silver leaves, each representing a local person who died in the Holocaust. We also visited a small neighborhood orthodox synagogue. It was a stark contrast with the Great Synagogue. We had lunch in a Kosher style restaurant tasting samples of traditional Kosher food. It was not memorable. We returned to our neighborhood for last minute shopping and packing. We bought a beautiful Herend dish for ourselves. Only a real expert will appreciate the cost. (we are not experts) Herend is the most famous Hungarian China manufacturer, and they have many stores in Budapest. We had a farewell dinner for 10 of the 12 Untourists at Restaurant Apostok, a traditional Hungarian restaurant. Food was good and the price was reasonable. We ended the evening with a cruise of the Danube. Budapest was almost as beautiful at night as it was in the daytime. It was really cold and we had to bundle up. There was very interesting video describing the sites and history of the city. We then bid farewell to three couples who were not going on to Vienna. We do plan to see the Andersons when we go to Denver in January.May 23
-clear and cool. We were picked up at our apartment at 9:00 AM by a minivan. Our group consisted of only three couples. It was a three hour ride to Vienna via freeway. We stopped at the border of Hungary and Austria so we could clear customs and recoup the VAT on the plate we bought in Hungary. Our apartment in Vienna was the best of the three we had. It was spacious, clean and functional. The Kohns had an apartment on the same floor. After unpacking we went to lunch at a restaurant around the corner, The Goulash Museum. We returned to the apartment to relax. Later in the day we walked to St. Stephen's Platz, which is the center of the city and is only two or three short blocks from the apartment. This is a huge square for pedestrians only. Many fine shops and lots of performing artists. We did some window shopping and had a light supper. Returned to the apartment early. This apartment had a TV that carried CNN.May 24
-clear and sunny. We started the day at a cafe, where we had our Untours orientation. Our guide, Claudia was very helpful. She gave us advice on sightseeing, upcoming events, restaurants, coffeehouses, and shopping. afterwards we walked to the Tourist Bureau to find out about Jewish tours. We walked to St. Stephen's Platz for a lunch at a seafood fast food joint (lox and shrimp). We took the tram around the Ringstrasse and saw all the major buildings, museums, palaces, opera house, etc. We bought tickets for a Mozart concert the next night. We stopped at the Sacher Hotel for an obligatory Sacher Torte. It was good but not great. Next we went to the House of Music, an interactive museum of sound and music of Vienna. It was interesting, The sound part was very technical, but the music part we understood. They had separate rooms featuring, Mozart, Beethoven, Strauss, and Mahler. We returned to our apartment to rest up before dinner. We went to a funky restaurant called Figmuller. It was very near to St. Stephen's Platz. You could have anything you wanted here so long as it was wiener schnitzel. You couldn't go to Vienna without eating it. The piece of meat was literally larger than the plate they served it on. We couldn't quite finish it all. After dinner we walked around a little before returning to the apartment.May 25
-starting to get warmer. We took the U-bahn (subway) to Schonbrun Palace, the summer home of the Hapsburg royalty. These guys really knew how to live. We toured the palace's lavish rooms filled with ornate furnishings. Next we toured the beautiful gardens and grounds. Then we walked up the hill behind the palace to visit the Gloriette, a huge gazebo like building overlooking the palace and the grounds. We beat the crowds and returned to our apartment. We had lunch in the neighborhood at a very nice Italian restaurant, Norma. We walked around St. Stephen's platz some more. Some beautiful, but expensive shops. We just looked. Went grocery shopping and pastry shopping. Tonight we went to the Mozart concert at the Musikverein. This lovely concert hall is featured on an annual PBS Christmas concert. All the performers are dressed in the style of Mozart's time. The concert was like a Pops concert. Lots of familiar music, some opera, and even a little audience participation. Afterward we took the tram to a very nice pastry/coffee house called Cafe Landtmann. It was delicious. Bob had a Mozart torte and Sandy had a Huseran torte. We took the tram back to the apartment. Along the way a group of middle aged Austrians got on. They seemed to have had a lot to drink and were very rowdy. We were quite uncomfortable until they got off.May 26
-sunny and mild. As usual, we got an early start and went to the Belvedere Palace/Museum. It is in the middle of town and you get there by trolley car. We got there just as it was opening. It is another ornate treasure. It specializes in the work of Austrian painters. It is famous for the works of Klimpt and Schiele. Due to a slight communication problem we got separated for a while, but found each other after about 20 minutes.We walked the grounds and returned to the MAK Museum of industrial design, where we had one of our best meals for lunch in a lovely garden restaurant.
Finally, our legs and bodies gave out, so we spent the afternoon back in our apartment. We had tickets for a Strauss/Mozart concert, so we decided on a light supper. We found a pizza place that was about to close, but the owner stayed open and baked us a fresh pizza. It was owned by a young Kurdish couple from Iraq. They have been in Vienna for about eight years. They said that the city was beautiful, but the people were not very nice. The Austrians still have many of the characteristics and prejudices from the days of Nazism. He said the people still idolize Hitler. They are going back to Iraq. You can imagine how bad it is for Kurds to go back to Saddam Hussein.
We went to a Strauss/Mozart concert in a hall in the Hofburg Palace. Had some difficulty in finding it. Our map was wrong. Concert was enjoyable, but Bob thought there was too much Strauss.
We wanted to try another famous cafe, Sperl, but after a long walk, we found it had closed early for lack of customers. We returned to our area, and so it shouldn't be a total loss, we had delicious ice cream before going to bed.
May 27 (Sunday)
This was our day to spend with the Kohns. They had done more research than we had, so we let them take the lead this day. We went to St. Augustine's Church for a beautiful mass/concert. Music and voices were wonderful, but we left after about 45 minutes. We stopped by the Opera House to check on a tour and found out our only chance was this afternoon.. We spent some time at the Internet Cafe. While Bob was checking e-mails, Sandy saw the woman next to him was looking at a web site about Polish Jews. naturally, they struck up a conversation.Went to Demel Cafe for lunch. It was exactly as advertised. Waitresses almost looked like nuns. We had a light meal followed by a not so light dessert. We were joined at our table by a pleasant German couple. The wife spoke a little English and the husband spoke none. We spoke no German, but somehow we were able to converse a little.
On to the Opera House for a tour. There seemed to be hundreds of people waiting in line, but we were able to get in. The building is beautiful and we had a good guide. The entire tour lasted about an hour. Back to the apartment to rest up before going out with the Kohns.
We took a tram/metro/bus ride to Grinzing, a wine town in the hills overlooking Vienna. The specialty is Heurigen, wine pubs featuring new wine. We went to one pub for wine and music and then to another for wine and food. The place was pretty full and we had a nice buffet dinner.
Next we continued up hill to Kahlenberg for a spectacular view of Vienna by night. In both Grinzing and Kahlenberg we were helped by locals to find our way around.
We returned to the apartment around midnight.
May 28-Monday
Gray and humid.We spent the morning shopping. Sandy bought a Klimpt needlepoint for herself and bought Bob a beautiful vest for a belated birthday present. We bought a take out lunch and brought it back to the apartment.
We went on a Jewish walking tour, and whom should we meet in the line but Joyce and Jay Maskell. (John Friedmann's daughter). They were making a whirlwind trip of Prague and Vienna to retrace their mother's early life in those cities. The tourguide was a young man, who spoke excellent English. He was not Jewish, but he was well-versed in the Jewish history of Vienna. He made a point that he was angry at the Austrian Government for not facing up to their major role in the holocaust. He said they were being dishonest to the Government and to the Austrian people, whom he said considered themselves to be victims rather than perpetrators.
He traced Jewish life in Austria by defining three major periods: (1)12th Century to 1421. During this time Jews were considered equals until they were driven out in 1421. (2) Jews returned to Vienna in the1600's and they played a major role in Vienna (3) 1938-1945, when they were almost eradicated. They went from 190,000 before the war to about 20,000 today. Most were killed. A few went to other countries.
We saw the infrequently used main synagogue and the Jewish Federation Office. It was not destroyed by the Nazis because it housed all the archives of the Jewish Community and was helpful to the Nazis in identifying Jews. It also was in the middle of a main commercial block and the nazis were afraid if they burned it, it might spread to the commercial buildings. We walked to Judenplatz and visited an excavation of an old synagogue. We also visited the Holocaust memorial inspired by Simon Weisenthal. It looks like books on shelves with the titles on the inside.
We visited the Jewish Museum (small) and had coffee and hot chocolate at Hawelka, the oldest coffee house in Vienna.
As an example of how the Austrians have concealed their role in the Holocaust from their citizens, there was an Austrian gentile woman of about 50 and her daughter in her early 20's, who took the tour. We met them on the street later and the mother who spoke little English came up to us in tears and apologized for what had been done to the Jewish people. She said she never knew it until now!!!
Later at the Internet Cafe we ran into an American woman who was researching Jews in Poland by accessing marriage records.
We went to dinner at Rozenberger's Cafeteria near the Opera House. Lots of variety-average quality.
Returned to apartment to start packing.
May 29-Tuesday
Hot and humid. Went for a very nice breakfast with Claudia from Untours. She briefed us on our pickup to the airport tomorrow morning.After breakfast we walked through Julius Meinl food shop. Incredible selection of all types of gourmet foods, wines and other goodies. It shouldn't be a total loss we bought some chocolates.
We walked to the Hofburg Palace, but we couldn't go in. It is closed on Tuesday. We did get to walk the lovely grounds. Next we crossed over the Ring Road to the Historisches Museum. We saw an El Greco exhibit. It is a gorgeous building and perhaps the most beautiful museum we ever saw. Unfortunately, it was so hot and humid in the museum that we had to leave after a short visit.
Next we went to Kuntshaus Wien. A most unusual place designed by an avant garde Austrian artist/architect, Frederick Hundertwasser. Interesting artwork and architecture. We returned to our apartment to finish packing.
We had a farewell dinner with fellow Untours travelers, the Kohns and the Friedmans at Plachutta. It is a restaurant that specializes in different types of boiled beef. It is served in a tasty broth with veggies and bone marrow. It was a pleasant new dining concept that we all enjoyed.
We finally had to say "good-bye" to a fabulous three week Untour adventure that far exceeded all of our expectations. Pickup is at 6:20 AM tomorrow.
May 30-Wednesday
Bright and sunny. Picked up right on time by a Mercedes taxi. Uneventful ride to airport. We flew to Heathrow on British Airways. We couldn't recoup our VAT because we packed the items and couldn't show them to customs. We should have known better.When we arrived at the terminal in London for our flight to SF, we encountered chaos. We were told to go to Customer Service to find out what was happening. We learned that all 747's to the US had been grounded for a suspected mechanical problem. We milled around from one line to another seeking information as to what we should do. We were told they would put us up overnight if necessary. At one time our flight was called to a very distant gate. When we arrived at the gate we were told it was a mistake, and we should go back into the terminal. You have never seen so many angry, disgruntled crowd. BA really messed up by first saying nothing and second saying the wrong things. After awhile things quieted down and we were booked on a flight for the next day. They put us up in a brand new Hilton Hotel a short walk from the terminal. They also gave us lunch, dinner and breakfast.
Somehow we were assigned seats in a class better than coach and slightly below business class. After all the delay, we finally departed and had a smooth flight home. The Silvers just can't seem to fly without encountering some kind of glitch. But we made it and almost immediately started planning an Untour to Portugal in 2002.