My Trip to Eastern Europe In September, 2006 I went on a guided tour of six countries that during the Cold War years were considered Eastern Block countries. The countries I visited were Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Germany (the eastern part), and the Czech Republic. I was especially interested in visiting this part of Europe, because my ancestors were from the area that was once known as the Austria-Hungarian Empire (before World War I). Both my parents were ethnically Hungarian. However, the part of Hungary where the maternal side of my family lived is now part of Romania (which I did not get to visit). Here are my impressions of the tour. Vienna, Austria – Across from our hotel was a beautiful park in which there are statues of famous classical composers such as Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and so forth. The largest of these statues is the Viennese composer of The Blue Danube Waltz, Johann Straus. The park itself is very pretty. Since it was a pleasant day, I found the walk through it very restful and enjoyable. That evening I ate dinner in a Viennese cafe. I had to laugh at the menu. Almost all the meals were some kind of goulash. On our way to Budapest, Hungary, we passed many wind farms. The Hungarians seem to have the right idea about non-fossil fuel energy production. Budapest, Hungary – Budapest is an extremely beautiful city. It was once two cities, Buda and Pest, on opposite banks of the Danube River. There is a bridge spanning the river that if you stand in the middle of it, you get a marvelous view of both sections of the city. On the right is Pest, which is the modern and commercial section of the dual city. To the left is Buda, the old part of the city. There you can see the magnificent parliament building with its golden dome, St. Stevens Cathedral and Buda Castle. Later we rode a tour boat on the Danube for a different view of these sites. When we toured these buildings, I was especially amazed at the interior of the parliament building. Very beautiful and ornate! In the evening we ate dinner in a restaurant that featured strolling violinists. One other site in Budapest Id like to mention is Heros Square in Pest. It is an enormous statue of several barbarian horsemen riding like the wind. They represent the original founders of Magyar (Magyar is what Hungarians call their country). Krakow, Poland – On the way there we passed through Slovakia. The border guards as we entered each country seemed very stern and all business as they collected our passports. In Krakow we visited an interesting castle, a fourteenth century cathedral and other interesting sites. We visited the Wieliczka Salt Mine in southern Poland. The mine produced table salt from the 13th century until 2007 as one of the worlds oldest operating salt mines. The mines attractions for tourists include dozens of statues and an entire chapel that has been carved out of the rock salt by the miners. By rubbing your finger on the walls and licking it, you can taste the salt. We paid a visit to the Auschwitz concentration camp. It is very sad that people can do such horrible things to their fellow human beings. In another more cheerful setting, we visited a small inn to watch (and participate in) folk dancing and singing. Out tour guide, who was Polish, dressed in a native costume. When we arrived we were greeted with a complimentary glass of vodka. Na zdrowie! Warsaw, Poland – There we visited a monument to the Warsaw ghetto uprising during World War II, the Palace of Culture, a Chopin memorial and the Royal Palace. In the early evening we enjoyed a Chopin piano concert. Berlin, Germany – There we visited Checkpoint Charlie, the crossing from the American occupied sector to the Russian occupied sector after World War II and the border between West Berlin and East Berlin during the Cold War. There are bricks in the streets showing where the Berlin Wall stood, and a museum showing some of the ways that East Berliners used to cross to the West. Outside the museum are souvenir stands. I bought a Russian soldiers winter hat. We also visited the Reichstag and the parliament building. A new part of this includes a sort of tower with a spiral ramp and glass walls. From the top, much of the city can be seen. One elderly lady became dizzy before she reached the apex and had to turn back. We also had dinner in a lively local cafe with a band. Prague, Czech Republic- There we toured St. Vitas Cathedral and the thousand-year-old Prague Castle. We went to the central square to view the Astronomical Clock. Although it shows moving figure at the striking of the hour, it is not as spectacular as the town hall clock in Munich. Nonetheless, Prague is a beautiful city with much history. Czesy Krumlov, Czech Republic – A pretty medieval town by the Vlatava River. While walking about, I encountered some young people dressed in medieval costumes and took their picture. Vienna, Austria – After returning to Vienna, we toured the city. The tour included Scheonbrum Palace and gardens, and St. Charles Church. In the basement of the church, are the tombs of the Hapsburg kings. Each tomb is more elaborate than the one preceding it. That sums up my trip to Eastern Europe. Altogether it was a great experience, educational and fun. Many of the building in this part of the world are very modern since they were built after World War II and some after the fall of the Communist regimes. Our hotels in each were especially beautiful and comfortable.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 12:50:09 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015