Keeling Travel Blog

April 20, 2019, Saturday

We got up early and went to breakfast here in the hotel. They had a very nice buffet that came as part of our room. Custom omelettes were available. A young lady was playing a piano which added to the ambiance nicely. We had a good breakfast.

Our tour guide met us at 9am sharp as promised in the lobby. We then went for a walking tour of Prague. Our hotel is in the New Town on the edge to the Old Town. She explained the history of Prague and the buildings as we walked. As I noted yesterday, the New Town was built in the 1500’s as they torn down the Old Town city walls (cannons made the walls not as important as in the past).

Prague has survived centuries of domination by many powers. Prague has no central industry but the city is the capital of a country that has strategic importance in its location in Europe. Prague was not bombed or hurt in either World War as no industry was in the town. Back in history the same things happened. No major battles were found in Prague so the buildings were not damaged by war. Original buildings back to the 800’s exist here, most in the 1400 to 1500 in the Old Town area and just in the New Town area.

Prague was the home of many of the Holy Roman Emperors over time particularly Charles IV (1346-1378) who made many improvements to the city, build a bridge named for him, built many buildings that remain today.

Sweden invaded and occupied Prague for a short time. Then the Habsburg appeared.

The Habsburg Dynasty of Vienna acquired the lands of Bohemia (current Czech Republic and the surrounding countries) years ago. Before then various powers controlled the area. Marie Theresa fought the Bohemians and won when she became Empress as the Bohemian government said only a man could be Emperor.

Prague was under the Habsburg Dynasty until after World War I. Then the independent country of Czechoslovakia was created in 1918. It floundered but remained independent. Hitler annexed Czechoslovakia in 1938 with the agreement underwritten by the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain (“Peace in our times”) at the Munich Conference.

At the end of World War II, Czechoslovakia became under the rule of the dictator Tito and within the “Iron Curtain” under Russian control. In 1967, Tito was dead and the new leader Alexander Dubchek loosened the tightness of absolute control leading to the Prague Spring. Students were allowed to express themselves as never before under Communist control. The Russians responded in August 1968 with a full invasion of the country with troops and tanks. All forms of independent demonstrations and “improper thought” were repressed severely. This happened during the Democratic Convention in Chicago when Hubert Humphrey was nominated and the students there were rioting in the streets against the Vietnam War. I remember the time very well as I was in college then also.

Several dissent students committed public suicide in January 1969 bolstering a rising tide of insurgency within the country and they formed a formidable underground movement which lasted until the Soviets left in 1989 with the Velvet Revolution again led by students backed by the underground. The new government of Czechoslovakia was formed but soon Slovakia wanted to be a country of its own as it has been put in with the Czechs in 1918 with no say. The country was divided into the Czech Republic and the Republic of Slovakia in 1993 by mutual agreement of both parties.

Prague is the fourth most visited European city by tourists after London, Paris and Rome. Many people from within Europe travel here. The currency here is the Krona but businesses also accept the Euro with both prices listed on the menus and at the stores. Prices are considered lower than other countries in the area drawing many tourists and young people. Prague is trying to establish itself as a UN site for various branches of the UN, as an economical center and as a tourist center.

We walked through Old Town and saw the Municipal Building, really five buildings combined into one, each part build in a different century. The Astronomical Clock is here. We watched it chime and saw the motions it went through. It was interesting but we saw a much better clock in Australia at the Victoria Mall. We walked through small and large streets. The Jewish Quarter has the oldest continuously running synagogue in Europe. I found this interesting as the Nazis occupied Prague. Over 300,000 people of the Jewish faith lived in Prague in 1900, only 3,000 live here now. Very few returned after the war, going to Israel or the US. Prague has about 1.2 million people here now.

The Jewish Quarter is very nice tree lined avenue with the most expensive retailers in the shops, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Rolex, Gucci and so forth. The Jewish Cemetery is here also but no burials have taken place since mid 1800’s.

We walked over the Charles Bridge which as statues of the Apostles on it. A Crucifix of Jesus is in the center of the bridge. Since it is Easter time, I found this very significant. When the Habsburg came and took over the city, they demanded the people convert to the Catholic Faith. They put the statures on the bridge. Several crosses are made of tile in the pavement before the beginning of the bridge from the Old Town representing people who refused to convert and were killed in an open event to the public.

The Prague Castle overlooks the river and is up on the highest hill overlooking the city. The home of the Prime Minister is prominent also and overlooks the river. We decided to go to the the Castle at a later time. A large cathedral is also present. Not to say anything bad about the church or the castle but we have seen several and they are not high on our list now. They also involve a good deal of walking up hills even with the public transportation.

We took a tram back into the city so we would not retrace our steps and also to avoid taking all those steps. She brought us to a large square where some Easter markets were located. She gave us advice about the subways and trams and places we could go on our own. It was around 1 pm now and we were tired. We said goodbye to Andrea and then we looked at the Easter Markets.

Sandy was a bit disappointed in them. There were more food items than handmade goods. The quality of the goods is far less than the ones we saw in Vienna and far fewer of them. She wanted some bottled water and we found a small grocery on our way back to our hotel.

We were tired and we took a long three hour nap. It was well needed and we both were refreshed after awakening. We realized we have been on the go, on the go all the time and we decided to just chill the next few days. We had thought of going to a Methodist Church here for Easter service but it is on the other side of town and we will have to make multiple changes on buses and trams. We discussed an Uber but did not know if we could get back from there so we decided to just celebrate Easter in our room with humble prayer and thought on Sunday.

Sandy noticed an ad here about Thai massages. They offer foot massages. We went to the lobby around 4:45 pm and had cocktails. They had a sign saying all cocktails before 6 pm were 99 Krona. We both got vodka tonics but were charged 160 each as “they are specials not on the list”. I did not argue but tomorrow if I want a cocktail I will confirm first. Then we went and had foot massages. We relaxed and throughly enjoyed them. We have been walking over 10,000 steps a day almost every day now. Sandy floated to the elevator with a huge smile. I was glad to see her so happy.

Sandy wanted some new compression stockings so we went to the mall. We finally found some after several stores but she did not like the selection. It has to be just right to wear comfortably. We went to the food court and ate supper there, nothing great but satisfying. We bought some desserts and took to the room and had tea with them around 9 pm.

Easter is this weekend. Several shops had special cakes for the holiday. Now Jackson, this is for you: They had many specially designed cakes. They would have been great to be but on “Nailed It” TV show you like. Look at them below and see if you agree. And ask your Mom and Dad about Louis Vuitton bags, the LV bags:

The internet service here is very poor and slow and haphazard at best. I am doing this blog and I do not know if the pictures will load or not. If they do not, that is why. I can upload in Rome I hope.

We went to bed around 11 pm. We watched an episode I had downloaded in Vienna of the first of the third season of the Good Fight. We checked our apps and Sandy walked over 15,014 steps today and mine said 14,768 steps, 6.1 miles. No wonder we were tired. I think we will get foot massages tomorrow as well.

Friday, April 19, 2019, Good Friday

We got up around 6 am today to get ready for our departure to Prague. We finished cleaning up and packing. We had breakfast and were ready for our pickup by the driver at 7:30 am. He took us to the airport and we checked in there on time with no problem. We went to the Austrian Airlines lounge and Sandy had some eggs and other items. I just got an orange juice. I tried to post my blog from yesterday but it would not allow me to do it in the lounge area. I tried twice.

We had another turboprop airplane today. We went down two steps areas with our luggage and then to a waiting bus. Sandy did not appreciate the steps. We drove way out on the tarmac to the propellor planes. We had only a short walk up the ladder into the plane. Sandy and I were in Business Class, the only two occupants. We had leg room. At first the stewardess was not going to let Sandy take her roll bag onto the plane but Sandy said it had medical equipment and she was allowed to board with it in hand. The stewardess placed it under the seats in the second row. We sat in the third row. The plane was small and the rest of the plane was full of people.

We were served a plate of food and I also got some champagne. Sandy got coffee. The flight was about an hour long. We got to Prague and met by another bus and taken to the terminal. We used the lift here. Our luggage seemed to take forever to arrive and then we discovered it was way down the luggage arriving area in another room. I got some Czech Krona from an ATM machine. We went through what they called Customs, just an area with a green light saying nothing to declare. Our driver and guide were waiting for us. They drove us to the hotel, the Hotel Majestic in the New City part of town (the old city is the really old part, the New City dates from 1500).

Our guide accompanied us in the hotel. Our rooms were not ready. She said Easter weekend is a big thing here and many people come to Prague to celebrate, have fun and see family. She went over our schedule the next few days. She will take us on a tour of the city tomorrow and a walking/shopping tour. She gave us some pointers on what to do in the city before the room was ready.

After she left, we decided to get Sandy some distilled water. There is a mall area just around the corner from the hotel. We walked there, about 700 meters away. The Easter Market is going on and we saw many stalls with hand made items, many food vendors of all sorts of sausages, other food items and just a lot of stalls with various items. We went into the mall. It is five stories of stores and restaurants. Many American brands are there, Foot Locker, Nike as well as British brands such as Spencer and Marks. The food court was on the top floor and had Pizza Hut, McDonalds, Burger King, KFC as well as local brands and local foods. The pharmacy was on the lower level. They sent us to a larger store, a drug store with no pharmacy and Sandy got her water.

We saw an Uno Pizza area on the fifth floor and I had a taste for pizza. We went there but it was not the Chicago Uno but a Mediterranean Uno that featured pasta dishes and pizzas such as anchovy pizza, fish pizza and other items I did not really want. Since I had pizza on the brain and the sign of the Pizza Hut type of pizzas looked so delicious, we went there. I know, we are in Prague and we should partake of the local foods, but sometimes you just want something familiar from home. We got a large pepperoni pizza and a Pepsi for about $8.90 American. It was good and it was satisfying. We walked around some but we were tired.

We walked back to the hotel and noticed Jenny had called last night. We were in bed and I did not realize she had called. We called her and had a good long talk with her. She got on the video and showed us her yard. She was expecting rain. She has been putting out mulch over the last several days. It looked good what she had done.

We tried to call Blaire but the phone said she was busy on the line. We called and videoed with Rita. She was at school but had time to talk to us. Blaire then sent a message she was available. She was working from home. We videoed her and talked to her and Jackson. Seth was in the background. They were expecting severe weather and were hunkering down for it. We were getting notices on our phone here of bad weather back home.

We took a long nap. We were tired. The room is nice and the bed is comfortable.

We got up around 8:30 pm and went downstairs to the restaurant in the hotel. They had an Easter Czech Special of split pea soup, chicken with potatoes and dressing and a chocolate mousse dessert which we ordered. Sandy also got coffee and a black currant sorbet dessert. I ordered a beer with the meal. All were good.

We got back to the room around 9:30 pm. I did my blog from yesterday. The internet here in the hotel is slow when posting pictures. It took a while. I wanted to include more pictures from yesterday but it was getting late. We have to get an early start tomorrow as our guide will pick us up at 9 am here in the hotel.

April 18, 2019, Thursday

I tried to do this earlier and it would not upload.

We got up late and ate breakfast. We washed clothes and watched some TV. We did a little shopping and went to the bakery Jesse and Meredith found and got some pastries and sandwiches. We came back to the room and had lunch. Sandy did some cleaning up of the apartment. We decided to go to the Imperial Jewels Museum at the Imperial Palace. We took the subway to St. Stephens Plaza so Sandy could get some more lemon wafers. We walked over to the Imperial Palace from there.

After the Habsburgs were removed from power, the Crown Jewels and Gowns were acquired by the state. They are stored in the museum here. The most amazing thing is how well preserved the ceremonial gowns, table coverings, tapestries have been kept over all these years. Many were made in 1425, almost 600 years ago and they look in perfect condition. The exquisite embroidery and detail is unbelievable. Some gowns date back to the 1200’s.

The Holy Roman Crown worn by Charlemagne in 793 is displayed, made in the 600’s. The Crown worn by the Emperors of Austria, Hungary is displayed as well as other Crowns they wore depending on the country it represented. Precious jewels sewn into gloves and other attire for coronations, investitures and special ceremonial occasions were displayed.

We took many pictures.

We got there around 2:30 pm and stayed until 4:45 pm. The displays had plaques in German and English. The ticket agent told us we did not need the audio tour supplement as we could read the signs and plaques. She was correct.

We took the Circle Tram home to the apartment getting in around 5:15pm. We had tea and some pastries. Sandy continued cleaning and some packing and repacking. We had a early dinner and went back to the restaurant from last night. We had the beef tenderloin filet which was very good. We got back by 8 pm and then did some serious packing. I washed clothes and we went to bed by 10:30 pm. We have a pick up at 7:30 am.

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

We got up around 6:30 am. We have a tour and boat ride on the Danube. We had to meet the group at the State Opera House by 8:50 am. We ate breakfast and went to the subway to get our new passes. We thought if we took the Ring Road it would be easier. Well, I was wrong. First, we took the wrong tram. We quickly discovered it and got off and back on the correct one. But it was rush hour and it was slow. We got off and took the subway. We arrived in time.

We had a double decker bus and soon discovered 74 people were taken the tour. Our guide spoke first in English, then in Spanish and finally in German every time he had an announcement. We left promptly at 9 am and headed to Durnstein, Austria about an hour and fifteen minutes away. We got there as scheduled. We stopped for a toilet break and time to just walk around a little. The town was a short walk away but he kept stressing we had to leave at 11:10 am promptly and only the fittest should hike into town.

We looked at the long boats that were docked here. They go up and down the Danube and you see ads for them all the time. We decided we would probably not do well on these vessels for a long journey. We bought some local black cherry preserves from a lady who has an orchard and winery. Wine vines were all over and growing up trellised mountain hills.

We all got on the bus and headed down the road to board our boat. We passed it on the way. We got to the landing about five miles or so up the river. The boat came and we all boarded. We were to spend about and hour and a half or so on the boat. It was around 11:30 am. We decided to go to the second floor and order lunch. Most of the people went upstairs and sat outside. It was chilly, around 52 to 53 degrees with a strong wind.

We got the Captain’s Price Fixed meal of a green salad with tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers; the stuffed chicken with rice and green beans and a fruit cup with cottage cheese. A glass of white wine came with it all for around 15 Euros. It was very good. We then got an apricot ice cream sundae. While we were eating, we could see very well the sites and the buildings on either side of the boat. Announcements were made in German and English as to what to expect and what it was. We took pictures. We relaxed and watched.

We got off the boat at Melk (pronounced like MILK). A Benedictine monastery has been there since 1039. In the late 1600’s they decided to build a bigger and better building. It was dedicated in 1718 and rededicated in 1743 with the arrival of Empress Maria Theresa and her entourage, (She personally had 200 servants who took care of just her.). It was build in the baroque style of architecture with all the flourishes and gold leaf trim everywhere. An Imperial wing was built into the building for the Royals who visited and for important guests.

A huge library was built containing thousands of priceless books relating to religion, philosophy, math, science, the arts and so forth. The chapel is huge with a cathedral like atmosphere and gold leaf on most everything.

The monastery was further developed to allow “thinkers and philosophers” the atmosphere and location to use God’s help in their deliberations. A private school was started with strict entrance requirements but the cost was and still is underwritten by the state except for a small part. It is an honor to be accepted here from ages 10 through 18.

There are gardens as part of the monastery and we went over there first. We stopped in the entrance building that has a domed painted inner structure. Some tulips were blooming but not many flowers yet. Trees are just budding leaves or the leaves have just started to come out.

We had to wait until the English tour started. Most people went to the cafe for lunch but we had eaten, thus going to the Garden area. The English group was the largest and we were divided into two parts. No pictures were allowed inside and I bought a book about it at the end of the tour.

The bus left at 4:30 pm and we were there on time as everyone else was too. It is difficult to heard 74 people with all languages and have them be on time. We drove straight back to Vienna, arriving at 5:50 pm. We were back at the State Opera House. We took the subway and were in our apartment by 6:15 pm. We washed clothes and had tea. Meredith texted she would be coming over and we decided to wait about supper until she got here.

Meredith asked if we would do the boat trip again or something like it. I think that renting a car and driving up to Melk and stopping at some wineries would be better. You could take your time and see what intrigued you along the way better. The tour was good but I got tired of the guide saying something and then hearing two other translations all the time. On the way up he talked all the time. I found that distracting and irritating.

We went out around the block for dinner. It was a restaurant that Justin had strongly recommended. Griechenbeisl is the name, it has been in business since 1447. We ordered the smoked duck breast with macadamia nuts and Apple salad (the apple was very finely shredded) that was excellent. We also ordered a composition of spring salad with baby mozzarella don wild garlic pesto which was good. We got classic veal Wiener Schnitzel with potato-field salad which was also excellent. I got a large Pilsner beer as well. Justin told us to get cranberries with the Wiener schnitzel. The food was great. A woman was playing live music on a dulcimer . We were seated promptly. Many English speaking people were there. I would recommend eating here.

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

We got up around 7:30 am today. We washed clothes and ate breakfast. Meredith and Jesse arrived around 9:30 am to join us for a private guided tour of the St. Stephens Church and the Imperial Catacombs and Tombs. We had arranged with Justin, our guide, the other day for today’s tour.

Justin met us at 10 am as scheduled in front of the apartment. We walked with her from the apartment through our neighborhood. She pointed out things about the buildings we were not aware. One of the buildings nearby has an odd figure of part frog, part fish inserted into a huge nook with a picture below painted on the building of a man holding a mirror pointing to a frog with fishes in the pond. The frog has a fish tail.

The legend goes that this animal, part frog and part fish, would turn you into stone if you looked at it. This young man decided that it was a nuisance and something had to be done. He got a mirror and used it to find the frog/fish (she had a long German name for it but I did not write it down). When he found it, he let the frog/fish see its own reflection and it turned into stone. He took the stone structure and then they made a nook for it in the outside of the building.

She took us through many small little pathways between buildings, inside courtyards of buildings that now house private parking for the residents. One of the buildings was an old smaller palace where the son of Franz Joseph, the Crown Prince, killed his wife and then himself (they inbred like crazy, marrying their first cousins, aunts and uncles so they were often crazy themselves). The courtyard was weirdly very quiet with no city noise. She had us pay attention to the noise of the city before we passed through a large door way. There was a considerable quiet inside the car park/courtyard. She said during a busy summer with all the tourists, she will lead a group here and just let everyone reflect and enjoy the peace.

We passed several restaurants and bakeries that she recommended. One of them Jesse and Meredith had been to already, they used Trip Advisor and went. It is close by our apartment.

We walked to St. Stephens Church. She gave the history of it. It was built in the end of the 1300’s. Of course, it is huge. The city was under siege by the Ottoman Empire in the late 1400’s. They used cannon near the end of the day and put a huge hole in the roof of the church. The Emperor had the artisans and cloth makers design an exact match of the roof and had them work all through the night. They hung this huge tarp that from a distance looked like the roof. The Ottoman’s were put off saying if the Vienna people could repair a huge roof like that overnight, then they must process great powers. About that time, the Emperors reserve troops arrived from another area and the Ottomans withdrew. The Emperor and his troops revived and then defeated the Ottomans in battle a short time later.

We walked into the church and Justin gave the history of the interior. We took many pictures. Norte Dame’s Cathedral fire was two days ago and we wondered how this structure is protected and how it would do. We are so saddened by what happened in Paris.

Then we went down into the Catacombs. No pictures were allowed. Here the intestines of the Habsburg are kept in bronze containers. Their hearts are kept in another church where they were married and their bones are kept in the Imperial Crypt. I know it is unusual, but that is what they did. All the members of the royal family did this from 1200 onward. You did not have to be the Emperor, just a member of the royal family. Sandy did not go down into the Catacombs. She is very claustrophobic and she went to a coffee cafe.

We saw the containers. There were many. Only four members of the family have their entire body entombed here for various special reasons. One of the containers sprung a leak two years ago and it was replaced keeping the organs inside intact.

We then walked deeper into the underground area. During the Plague, people were dropped into deep holes in the ground instead of burying them. As they dug the catacombs and expanded them, they have rooms full of bones of all ages, years and years old. They had iron gated windows to look into these areas. I found it interesting, many were repulsed. In the period of 1763 to 1783 over 20,000 “common people” were buried under St. Stephens but the smell caused them to stop it. We paid our 8 Euros on the way out. The money is used to support upkeep of the church.

We met up with Sandy outside of the church. Justin pointed out some places to shop and get things. We then walked through the downtown center city to the Imperial Crypts. The bones and body of royalty are in the crypts. The sarcophagus of each royal member reflects the times when they died as far as the design and also their rank at time of death. The Emperors had crowns, their wives different crowns. Many children are in the crypt as life expectancy was not that good and some died within days or within the first year of birth.

The largest and most opulent sarcophagus is that of Empress Marie Theresa and her husband. It was during the height of the baroque period. It is gigantic. You could park two of our vans in it and have room for the Honda. Her nanny is buried in front of her tomb. It is the only non royal in the crypts.

Franz Joseph’s tomb is small but dignified. Several Habsburg that died in the last few decades are buried here as well. They are no longer royalty but they have the right to be buried here. They are a very wealthy family and involved in the country. Austria prohibited any nobility or royal titles after the war.

We said good bye to Justin. Then the four of us walked in the center city area. I got some more salmon open face egg sandwiches at Trzesniewksi’s but the others did not want any. I really like the sandwiches.

We stopped by Manner and got some really good Vienna Wafers. Sandy got the lemon which are fantastic, I got the apricot wafers which are good too and I also got salty caramel which were good but not as tasty as the others. Apricots are grown around Vienna and are featured with Easter goodies as well.

We stopped by the bakery Jesse and Meredith had found the other day and got baguette sandwiches and some really good Apricot and Chocolate croissants. Meredith got a special coffee. We walked to the apartment a short distance away and had a late lunch. We really enjoyed it.

They stayed a while and washed a load of clothes. We talked about our different trips and our experiences along the way. It was good to just talk again for a while and relax. They left late afternoon. Sandy and I debated about going out for dinner but we decided to stay in and eat some food we had. We watched the last few episodes of The Good Fight season two and went to bed around 10:30 pm. I did not do my blog tonight. We just wanted to chill a while.

April 16, 2019, Monday

We got up around 8:30 am today. We had a breakfast of Apple Strudel we got yesterday. Sandy had already had cereal and coffee. We washed clothes (started them) and went to the grocery store around the block to get some more salad, milk, strawberries, cheese and bread. We waited until the washer had finished running and hung up our clothes to dry. We made some sandwiches with meat we got from the grocery store. Then around 12:30 pm we headed to the subway station.

Sandy wanted to go to the Belvedere Palace and Gardens area. So off we went, first by subway then by train. It is a very large pleasantly appearing palace. The gardens are under construction now but there were tulips and johnny jump ups at the entrance. We walked around a while.

Then we walked down the street next to the palace. Many embassies were here, Turkey, Brazil, Barbados. We boarded a tram and went further into town. Sandy wanted to see the Karlskirche Church built by Emperor Charles I. We walked around the square there

The weather was very good today, about 61 and clear skies with a good breeze at times.

We went back to the apartment. Jenny and Seth had requested some Austrian Gummy Bears. We looked on the internet and found a store that only sells them which is located just a few blocks from our apartment. We walked over there and got some. We noticed the Post Office was just next door to our apartment and got some stamps for post cards.

There is very nice neighbor near the apartment with many of restaurants, shops and we found an another grocery store also.

We got back to the apartment and Sandy took a nap.

We left at around 6pm to join Meredith and Jesse at the Bank Brasserie and Bar for dinner. It is located within the Grand Hyatt Vienna. They arrived almost at the same time we did at 6:35 pm. We were seated promptly. We had a great meal. We dined for a good while.

We were celebrating Meredith’s birthday which was yesterday but most restaurants were closed for Palm Sunday. Jesse found this place and it was very nice.

Meredith got a rose wine, Jesse got a special house cocktail made with tequila, beer and other ingredients, I got an old fashioned. Jesse said his drink was very good, he got it in a special mug looking like a skeleton head. Sandy ordered Burrata as a starter, I ordered Scallops with sepia, peas, bacon jam and Meredith and Jesse shared hand cut beef tartare with truffle, grilled leeks and potato bread. We all enjoyed our starters.

Sandy and I split a prime steak with truffled mashed potatoes and asparagus. Meredith got a sweet potato dish and Jesse got fish. We all enjoyed our entrees.

For dessert Sandy and I split a chocolate soufflé with a side of caramel ice cream and Jesse and Meredith shared New York cheesecake (with a candle on it for her birthday).

We took our time, dined in style and talked and laughed and enjoyed each other’s company.

We walked back by St. Stephens Cathedral which we will go to see the Imperial Crypts tomorrow. We took the subway back to our apartment and they continued on to their hotel. We got back just before 10:30 pm.

Sunday, April 14, 2019

Today is Meredith’s Birthday. We got up around 7:30 am. Sandy had breakfast. We debated what to do today. Meredith said she would contact us later in the morning or early afternoon about what they wanted to do today. Sandy wanted to go to some of the Easter Markets in the town center so that is what we did. We put clothes in the washer and left.

It was cold, 45 degrees when we left and soon there was a light mist in the air. We took the subway to the market area. We had to walk a little bit to get to the market. They have two markets, a small one and then a larger one very close together. We had also wanted to go to a grocery store as our supplies were low. There was a store at the market area so we decided to do both.

We got to the first smaller market. The grocery store, which had said on the internet it was opened on Sundays, was closed today because of Palm Sunday. We have enough food in the apartment to get by today. Many people were holding stems of pussy willow which the churches use here for Palm Sunday as they are much more available locally than palm branches like we use at home.

Sandy and I walked around the smaller market place. One area had thousands of hand decorated egg shells in all sorts of extensive designs and patterns. They sold from about 6.60 Euros to 9.90 Euros each. They were beautiful. We did not buy any as they would certainly break before we came home but we admired them.

Sandy bought a couple of tea towels made in Austria. I noticed a food truck from Trzesniewski, the place we got the great egg salad open face sandwiches the other day. I bought several and had a great breakfast there. They were delicious.

We walked down the street a ways and went to the other, larger Easter Market. The mist was getting a little heavier now but no raining yet. We took our time and went through the area. We looked at each stall. Vendors were selling food both produce and cooked delights, cheeses of all sorts, hand made products that obviously took some skilled workmanship, clothing, etc.

We saw a sign advertising baumkuchen. It is made on special occasions such as weddings, religious holidays or special family events. They roll out a dough then place it around what looks like a rolling pen with a metal handle at one end. You order it and they bake it then roll it over cinnamon, vanilla flavored sugar, almond flavored sugar and so forth. It is served hot and put in a bag for you. You eat it by pulling on one end and it gently unravels nicely so you can eat it easily. It was good.

Sandy bought a huge pretzel stuffed with cheese and made with I would call pizza dough.

We also bought some more freshly made apple strudel.

It was feeling colder now with the wind blowing and the mist varying from fine mist to none to heavy mist. We made our way back to the subway. When we came up from the subway at our apartment it was raining. We have umbrellas and used them for the short walk to our door. We got back just after 11:30 am. We were cold. We decided to snuggle up and stay put in the warm apartment.

Sandy and Meredith had texted each other. We wished her a happy birthday. Later in the afternoon she and Jesse came by. They had gone to the gardens at Schonbrunn Palace. They did not explore the entire gardens as it was cold and the mist was getting thicker. We sat around and talked for some time. Jesse watched the Master’s on his iPhone. They left around 6:30 pm or so.

We fixed supper here. We had a pineapple and ham pizza we had bought the other day plus the salad and fixings. We watched BBC Entertainment on TV as it is one of the few programs we can get in English.

April 13, 2019, Saturday.

Today starts our seventh week since leaving. We got up around 8 am. We had told Meredith we would call her later in the morning and try to arrange getting together today. We washed clothes. The washer here does not have a dryer and the washer takes 60 to 90 minutes to run one load. It is small and you cannot wash but so many things. We had breakfast here in the apartment, cereal and milk, bread and jam, orange juice and milk we had bought at the local market.

I caught up on writing some reviews for Trip Advisor. I have not been doing it regularly. Sandy got better organized and looked at things to do today. Meredith contacted us and we agreed to meet at noon at a coffee cafe/bakery near her apartment. We looked up the address and it was just one subway stop from our hotel. The subway stop near us is just a block away, very convenient. We bought a three day pass for the subway and went to the coffee cafe and met Jesse and Meredith. Sandy got a coffee and a pastry, they did also and shared a roast beef baguette. We caught up on each other’s travels, or at least started the conversations.

We took the subway back to our station and then took the Ring Road Tram to the State Opera House. We walked around that area for a while. We stopped at the Sacher Hotel and got a six pack of the famous Sacher tort to have with tea later. Jesse needs a new winter coat and Meredith a sweater. Most of the stores are selling spring wear now. Sandy wanted to go to the NaschMarket which has been a market place area in the city since the late 1500’s. We split up around 2:30 pm and they went shopping and we went to the market area.

It was a short walk to the market from the State Opera House. The market area was very long. They had all sorts of food with a feature of Turkish food, many types of olives and Turkish desserts. There were stalls with typical Austrian food, strudel, wiener schnitzel, etc, Stalls sold all sorts of other foods, cheap gifts, etc. Sandy and I walked the entire length. We got some fresh apple strudel for tea later. We took the subway back to our apartment arriving around 5 pm. We were to meet Jesse and Meredith at 6 pm in our apartment for tea.

Sandy prepared fresh strawberries, kiwis, two types of cheese, the strudel and the torts to have with tea. They arrived on time and we enjoyed a nice long tea time. We FaceTimed Blaire, Seth and Jackson. They were driving to Wilmington to see Jenny. They caught up with Meredith and Jesse’s travels.

We chatted for a long time about our various experiences on our trip to date, the good and the bad, the food, the cultures. We had a very relaxed time discussing our adventures to date. We video called Rita and Andy and talked to them a while. Jesse and Meredith left around 10:30 pm. Tomorrow is Meredith’s birthday and they have not decided on what they want to do yet.

Sandy made us a light supper and then to bed.

April 12, 2019, Friday.

We got up before 7 am. We quickly took showers. Meredith contacted us and said they would be here before we left at 9 am for our tour. They wanted to use our washing machine. They got here around 8:30 am. It was really good to see both of them. They are doing well. We talked only briefly. We were trying to figure out the washing machine. We thought it was a washer/dryer but it is only a washer they found out later. We wished them well and we met our driver and tour guide, Jasmin at 9 am downstairs. We were in a new 2019 Mercedes car, very nicely appointed.

We were taken for a tour of the area, to the “new city” built after World War II, saw from the car the Danube and three other branches of the Danube, the cultural district and the Museums Quarter, the State Opera House, Museum of Fine Arts, Parliament (which is closed now for reconstruction and refurbishing to update the technology), City Hall and other buildings.

We were taken to the Schonbrunn Palace, the summer palace of the Habsburg Dynasty. It was enlarged by Empress Maria Theresa. There were having a market at the entrance celebrating the coming of Easter. Many school children were present enjoying the market area and getting ready for a tour.

The inner walls of the Schonbrunn Palace contains an area larger than the country/city of Monaco. The palace is huge. It has a very large garden behind it. The gardens are free and open every day. The palace has a charge. This is the most visited building in Austria. Thousands of people see it every day. The busiest time is in June.

Justin let us walk around in the market and then took us on a private tour of 40 rooms in the palace on the first floor. The second floor is rented out to people to spend the night or week or month. People can rent out areas of the first floor after hours for weddings, special events and concerts.

Justin did a great job and was very informative. She made the history very interesting. Emperor Fran Joseph died here in 1916 after serving as Emperor for 68 years. He was 86 years old at the time of his death. His son was Emperor only two years before the monarchy was dissolved after World War I. The government assumed control of all the property of the Emperor not listed as privately owned. There are descendants still alive who control many properties that were privately owned then and still are.

The rooms are decorated with gold leaf and are very elaborate. Only one part of the palace was severely damaged in World War II and was refurbished within a few years after the war. Empress Maria Theresa enlarged the palace from a hunting “cabin” to what is is today. Her father had five daughters and no sons. He ordered that his first born would be the next holder of the Crown. She was challenged by the rulers of Bohemia (present day Czech Republic and Prague). She led the military to a significant victory and it is recorded in multiple pictures with her on a white horse with a sword. She established the Lipizzan horse school or the Spanish Riding School which is still very famous.

She had 16 children, 4 boys and 12 girls. Austria perfected the diplomatic means of marring off children to their allies or enemies to make them allies. One of her younger daughters was Marie Antoinette.

Many of the original furnishings of the palace still exist and are displayed very well. The workings of how the royal family lived day to day was well explained by Justin. In between the rooms, the multiple drawing rooms were many passages for the servants to enter and leave with little interference to the royals yet keep them taken care of with luxury.

No pictures are allowed to be taken within the palace, outside you can take all you want. We bought a book about the inside of the palace on our way out.

Justin took us to the garden area. It is massive. It was bitterly cold (at least to us) with temperature of 48 and a very hard blowing wind. I had on my L. L. Bean down jacket and Sandy was wearing hers. It kept us warm. We did not venture very long in the gardens. It was midday now and Sandy just missed the extra heat and sun that she had gotten used to at the other countries.

We left the palace about 1 pm and went into the old city, the inner city and where the Opera House is located, the St. Stephens church, the Imperial Palace and the oldest part of the original city. The original city was occupied and developed by the Romans. When King Richard of England was on the way back from the Crusades, he was imprisoned in Vienna. The huge ransom of 150,000 silver coins lead to the city expanding and developing outward from the original city walled area.

In the times of Emperor Fran Joseph, the population of the city was around 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 million people. It is now 1.9 million people. The two wars decreased the overall population. The Vienna area has about 25% of the current population of Austria.

We walked around the inner area of the city with Justin showing us major landmarks. When expanding the subway system and area of Roman construction was found and preserved. It is right next to the Imperial Palace. The original slums and area where coal was stored near the palace “in olden times” is now the most expensive real estate in the city with many of the famous luxury brands and stores know throughout the world located here.

It was about 2:30 pm and I realized I had not eaten. Justin took us to Tresniewski’s for an egg salad sandwich with choices of various center toppings. I got ham and then salmon. The salmon had just a little horseradish in it and was excellent.

She gave us recommendations on a restaurant near us. She recommended the market area for tomorrow. She said most things were closed on Sunday except for restaurants, parks and many of the museums.

We got back to the apartment around 3pm. Jesse and Meredith had gone. We decided to find a local market. Our driver was able to obtain some distilled water for Sandy during the day. The supermarket was just a block or so away. We got food for tonight and the next several days plus milk, bread, butter and cereal.

Sandy made a great salad, baked some frozen lasagna and we had dinner at the apartment. Meredith called and they went to a laundromat to finish their clothes. We thought we had a dryer built into the machine like we did in Wellington but it is only a washing machine. We will try to catch up with them tomorrow.

We had an interesting day. We are still a little tired after yesterday.

April 11, 2019 Thursday

We had to get up very early at 2am in order to get to the airport on time for our 6:25 am flight. Before going to bed my CheckMyTrip app said our flight was going to be delayed to leave at 7:55 am. The Turkish Air site said everything was fine. The CheckMyTrip app still confirmed this on awakening. At 2:45 am the Turkish Air site then stated the flight was delayed until 7:55 am.

We were up and felt it best to get to the airport as scheduled so we could make sure we had a connection to Vienna. We knew we would miss our flight scheduled to leave at noon from Istanbul since we had only an hour and a half layover.

The Istanbul airport just opened on Saturday, April 6th. It is the largest airport in size in the world now. They say 90 million people will travel through it a year by the end of next year and expect that number to rise to 200 million a year in five to six years. Turkish Air flys to more countries than any other airline. They have one of the largest air fleets in the world. With any new conversion, they were obviously having difficulties getting things going smoothly.

Our driver, Raj, was at the hotel at 3:30 am as scheduled. We had a different tour guide to make sure our transition at the airport went well. It only took about 20 minutes to get to the airport. It was surreal driving so early in the morning and seeing NO traffic on the road at all in the embassy area. We were the only car on the road. In previous days there was significant traffic and horn blasting, people everywhere.

We thanked Raj when he dropped us off at the airport at the business class terminal. We gave him a good tip. He had really looked after us during the trip and we trusted him completely.

Our guide got us to the correct counter and Turkish Air had already reassigned us to a flight leaving at 5:40 pm and we were still sitting together in Business Class. We were pleased with that but that meant we would have a seven and a half hour flight from Delhi to Istanbul, then a six hour lay over and then a two and a half hour flight to Vienna. Oh well, it is what it is. We went through Customs and security. The security guard wanted everyone of my wires that connected to the iPhone and iPad and chargers laid out on a tray. I had several and he complained I had too many but let me through.

We went to the Turkish Air lounge upstairs. They share it with several other airlines. It was not very good, small, bathrooms not very clean. We had looked for the AmEx lounge but could not find it. We called and talked to Jackson, Blaire and Seth. Jackson had gotten the packages we had sent him from Australia. Then we called and talked to Rita. Both were by video phone.

While we were going out of the lounge we noticed the AmEx lounge was right next door and much nicer, cleaner and had more to offer to eat. We went downstairs and walked to the gate. The time had not changed from 7:55 am. We boarded a short time later.

The Turkish Air cabin was excellent! We had seats in 3A and 3B. There were two seats on either side of the fuselage and three seats in the center section. We had a small zipper case with our dark eye masks, comb, brush, toothpaste, toothbrush, lotion and etc. We had a small pillow, slippers in a separate bag. The leg room was fantastic. It was the most leg room from the seat to the next seat than any plane to date. It had an area under the shelf for shoes and to hold a good size bag. The seat had multiple positions it could go into including laying flat. They brought bedding later when I did want to lie down flat and go to sleep. It also had a regular size pillow with it plus a blanket.

The steward on the flight was very attentive to our needs. They even had a chief on board to make the breakfast and most anything within reason we may have desired. He had on a chief hat and managed all the food offerings. I asked for orange juice and was given freshly squeezed juice in just a minute or so. Sandy wanted hot tea. She was developing a head cold. We had thought it was a reaction to all the dust in Agar but now she had more sinus drainage and her throat was bothering her.

After take off around 8:30 am, we were given Denison Head Phones Noise Reducing. They had a very large monitor on the seat back in front of us (a good distance away remember). We ordered breakfast from a menu but could have chosen other things. We were offered fresh bread of all types. Breakfast was really nice. Sandy tried Turkish coffee. She was not feeling that well and I don’t think she could really enjoy it. She wanted hot tea and got that later.

I watched about 45 minutes of Ocean’s 8 movie then I was tired. I got my seat to a fully flat position, put on the bedding, put on my sleep mask and blanket and went to sleep for a few hours. It was much needed sleep. The seat/bed was comfortable. Sandy tried to rest but did not get much. She was not feeling well.

We were served cheese and fruits, juices, bread and other items by the chief. I did not really want much else. I was still tired. I finished watching the movie, it was OK but not great. I watched some CNBC Live broadcast from US. I had some more orange juice (very good) and some nibbles of other things. I had adjusted my seat to a lazy-boy position and was very comfortable. We landed around noon or so. Sandy and I were very impressed with the service, the amenities, the food and the staff of Turkish Air. I would recommend them.

The new Istanbul airport is huge. It goes on and on. Unfortunately they have no tram or train system inside and you have to walk and walk and walk. Since we were transferring to another Turkish Air plane we had to only go through security once and did not have to show passports.

We went to the Turkish Air Lounge upstairs. I keep saying things are huge, large, big and I am not exaggerating this at all. The airport is new, everything is clean. The lounge was very nice. There were areas to sleep flat with draw curtains around your little cubicle, there was a huge screen video room with reclining chairs, there were cubicles for regular computer use and using your own laptop, there were areas for showers, massage and of course many separate food stations of all types of food. The chairs were arranged in groups and sat very well. Small tables were around the chairs to place things. The beverage area was large with many selections.

Being Turkey, they featured Turkish food but had many other nationalities food types. There was a very large coffee area featuring Turkish coffee but also all types of coffee. The bread area had all types of bread. I had some type of Turkish dish that had tomatoes, peppers, onions and meat. It was delicious. I also had some flat bread like a crispy pizza with several different toppings. The service was great, the staff was friendly. They understood English.

It was a great way to pass the time since we were so delayed. I tried to call the people in Vienna to tell them we would be late. I could not get a human on the phone. I then called our tour agent in California and was switched to the emergency number. It was around 3 am there. I did get hold of someone who got our information and I found out later relayed the messages to the people here in Vienna.

We left the lounge and hiked to our gate, B18. I say hike as it was a very long ways from the lounge. They did have a few moving sidewalks but it was walk, walk, walk. The distance between each gate is long. Each gate has two sections so the plane can be entered in two different places. I cannot understand why they did not have a tram. They need to consider this.

We boarded with no problem. This was a smaller plane than we were in earlier and the seats here did not recline fully, but they were comfortable and also went into a lazy boy position. The TV monitors were small and pulled up from the middle between the seats. The tray table came from the other arm position. We had plenty of leg room, more than adequate.

The steward noticed that Sandy did not feel well. He offered her some “special tea” for her congestion which was well appreciated. He took good care of her during our two and a half hour trip. She was not invisible this time.

We were fed on this trip for dinner. We had a cheese and tomato salad, peppers with a separate cheese dish, bread, fresh strawberry preserves, olives and a drink. Sandy and I ordered the Turkish meatballs. I considered the prawns but felt the meatballs would be better. The meatballs were well seasoned, not spicy. I declined the dessert.

I watched some TV and kept a close eye on Sandy. Her sinuses were draining and her ears were hurting. I was concerned the drop in air pressure would make her worse. She did not say anything but I knew she was hurting. The steward kept a close eye on her and gave her a blanket.

We got to Vienna around 7:30 pm local time. We got our bags and went through Customs with no problem. We did not have to fill out a special Custom card like we did for all the other countries.

Our driver was waiting outside the Customs area with our name on a sign. He took us to the parking area. He had a new Mercedes van, nicely appointed. It was raining and COLD. It was about 42 degrees. We had been in 103 degrees the day before. We had not been in any temperature that low in some time. We had our coats packed in the famous L. L. Bean duffle bag. We pulled them out when we landed and were wearing them. We were glad we were prepared but the wind was blowing, it was raining and we could really feel the cold.

He drove us to our apartment we had gotten from our travel agent and Expedia. It is within the inner ring of the city in the older part of the city in the first zone. He talked to the apartment manager on the phone before we arrived. We were buzzed in, he said we had a tour at 9 am the next morning and left.

We went to the 8th floor of the building and got our keys to the apartment which was on the second floor. They have a lift, very small, but they had a lift (smile). We got into the apartment by 8:45 pm.

Meredith and Jesse were coming to Vienna today. They would arrive about the same time we landed. We contacted each other after we got to the apartment. They were just off the plane. They wanted to use our washing machine so we arranged to meet in the morning here. The map said they would be about 12 minutes away walking from their apartment.

We were tired, very tired. We checked things out and went to bed. My phone noted I walked 7,800 steps today and Sandy’s almost 9,000 steps. Today was the first time I did not write in the blog the day of the event. We were so tired. I did this the next afternoon.