Schloss Eggenberg

In the morning I tour Schloss Eggenberg. The state rooms are only accessed by guided tour so I sign up for the early tour. Eggenberg palace is another UNESCO protected building. It is a representation of baroque architecture. Schloss Eggenberg was created for the prominent Eggenberg family (yes the same one that had a presence in Bohemia – specifically Cesky Krumlov). The rooms are impressive but it is another in a long line of palaces that allow no photography so I have no photos to share. Many of the rooms were barely used over the years and it was a very large palace for the time when it was built. Regulations existed about having palaces with more rooms than what the current royals had so some rooms were not in use as a compromise. Also it was built with lots of math and astrology in mind: Hans Ulrich had items of the Gregorian calendar incorporated in the design (ie 365, 52, 31, 24, 7). Impressive because this was a time when the Gregorian calendar was not yet widely adopted.

We can take pictures in the gallery museum though. There is lots of religious themed art. I find Corpse of Saint Florian Guarded by an Eagle quite interesting.

There is also a large coin collection.

I stop at the Frankowitsch – Brötchenbar – Delikatessen to try their open face sandwiches for lunch. They are good. I love the spread on the sandwich Pumpkin seed oil. I also order a lox one because I love salmon.

After lunch I take the train up to Schlossberg the tall mountain area that overhangs into the town. I enjoy some great views from up there. I slowly walk down from level to level and finally get to those intimidating stairs. I am sweating just going down so I am not sure I would really enjoy going up this time of year but lots of other people are doing it.

Walking back to my hotel I decide to stop at a cocktail bar and try a couple drinks. Afterwards I walk around and finally get a night view of the city before I go back to pack. I head to Vienna tomorrow. Good night.

Salzburg

In the morning I do a walking tour of the city. First I splurge for brunch on the roof of my hotel.

Walking tour

I run off after the tour to see a concert in the nearby church. At some point tears come to my eyes. It is magical listening to a performance in this cathedral.

After the concert I try to eat a street dog but I don’t love it and throw half of it out.

That’s ok because I want to try a very large egg white dessert called Salzburger Nockerl: a dessert with egg whites, flour and sugar. It is interesting to try but not sure I would order it again.

I shop and buy the Mozart chocolates I’ve been wanting to try as well as some cheese.

Finally the last day in Salzburg I head up to the fortress. I walk by that quiet beautiful cemetery on the way to the funicular. I am glad I take the funicular because the walk is long and hot, all uphill.

I tour the fortress and surrounding grounds. As far as fortresses go it is average but what is impressive is the views it has over the city.

Marionette museum

I almost missed the state rooms and the magical theater. They are both very impressive.

Even though my admission ticket includes a return ticket on the funicular I am going to walk to the bottom because the goal is to walk down to the Augustiner brewery and have lunch. However for some reason I cannot find the path that leads straight to the brewery as suggested by others the other day. Instead I walk down through the old city, following along the cliff side. I see people making the difficult trek up by foot. The pathway is long and steep and it is very hot. When I reach the bottom I see the funicular line is quite long. I see now how walking uphill could be seen as a good alternative to the funicular line but definitely not on a hot day like today. I hope no one dehydrates on the way up. I pat myself on the back for my early morning start.

I walk towards the brewery and though I finally see another side of town I realize the brewery does not open for at least another 2.5 hours. I am hot and the hanger is about to set in. I settle for a beer and pizza across the street. Once again the food is impossibly salty. I’ve been eating out quite a bit so I should be used to the highly salted food but I guess I am not. Do other people not notice it? I could come back later to the brewery but I know me, once I head back to the other side of town I am not coming back, especially on this hot day. I walk back along the water and take it easy the rest of the day. Tomorrow I move on to Graz.

Exploring Bergen

Today is our full day in Bergen. Even though I have stayed out late I still wake up early as always. I catch the included breakfast at the hotel as we wait for our companions to wake up. Today people want to sleep in; I wish I could sleep in. We finally all meet up and I get a second breakfast where I enjoy some Norwegian pastries in the historic Bryggen area of Bergen. The pastries are amazing.

We start our sightseeing with a visit to another Stave church, this one moved from Sogn. Fantoft Stave Church was dissembled and moved to its current place. A fire destroyed it in 1992 but it is now rebuilt as it would have been. We had a challenge finding it since all our maps seemed to be sending us in different directions but we eventually get there.

We head back into town and have a goodbye drink with our friend T who has to head back to Oslo this afternoon. She is a new friend to me but I am very grateful that I got to meet her this trip. Hopefully we have time to meet up when we return to Oslo.

Those of us left get an early dinner then head to the Fløibanen, the funicular that will take us up the hill overlooking Bergen. We enjoy the views at top and listen to the music from the concert going on in the fortress below.

Loving these old phone booths turned into free library

We also have fun looking at all the trolls in the park at the top.

We are ambitious and decide to walk back down. Someone tells us it takes 45 minutes but I am pretty sure it is more like 1.5 hours for us. It is a beautiful walk down. Between the lush greens we also periodically hear the music below as we get closer to town. My friends don’t quite trust my navigation skills when I direct them back toward Bryggen, the historic area, but we make it there alive.

Two of us marvel the quiet wooden alleys of Bryggen. Some of it is destroyed, some of it is being restored but most of it exists in a form to give you a feel of how things were in this historic part of town. I love it.

We meet our other friend in a bar in Bryggen that has a singer playing cover songs, We hear many USA hits along with Norwegian and even Swedish songs. I desperately want to go to bed but I try to muster enough energy to stay out with my friend who has endless energy for a bit longer. Eventually it is time for me to leave too.

Tomorrow we head back to Oslo to finish up our travels together.

Budapest

I wake up, check out of my hotel in Ljubljana and head down to the bus station. I have an all day bus ride today and we are heading to Budapest, Hungary. We leave on time but while still in Slovenia we are stopped to check ids. It gives me a chance to run to the bathroom.

There are no border checks Slovenia to Hungary. I can’t believe I don’t have to go to the bathroom again. Either I am getting real good at monitoring my liquid intake or I’m dehydrated. At least I am not having to pee every 45 minutes!

I arrive in Budapest at what I believe is the most convienent bus station of the two stops. Google tells me to take the 3 line on the metro. I haven’t had a chance to find a bank yet; I have a new currency to deal with here. Luckily I can buy metro tickets with credit cards. I buy a 72 hour transportation ticket because I will at least be here that many days – It’s a good thing I do. I get stopped almost immediately by someone who works in fare enforcement. There are signs warning you everywhere of this but it is hard to believe until you get stopped. I meet a couple later who actually had to pay the fine because they couldn’t figure out the ticketing system.

From my stop it is about a twelve minute walk according to google but with my bags and me being me it takes about twice that, plus I stop to admire things around me. It becomes clear that my apartment is in the “happening” part of town, the Jewish Quarter in Pest. Hopefully I’ll have some stamina to stay out late a night or two.

After settling in my cute and convenient apartment I head out to get a proper meal. I’ve only had snacks all day. I go back and forth about what I want but end up at this nearby restaurant where I order something local, Chicken Paprikash. It is satisfying but I can’t say its the best dish I have ever had. I’ll have to try my luck again later with Hungarian dishes.

Budapest wasn’t originally on my itinerary this year because I didn’t have it high on my priority list. I noticed I had a extra slither of time to dedicate somewhere between Slovenia and meeting my friends in Norway. I feel like I already had good amount of time in Slovenia and Norway is too expensive to add extra days this year so Budapest seemed like the only logical choice.

Budapest is the capitol of Hungary and formed by the two former cities Buda and Pest (and also Óbuda). Buda and Pest are still distinct parts of town today separated by the Danube river. They used to be part of the Ottoman then Habsburg empire, a nazi occupied territory, a communist dictatorship and now a member of the European Union.

The next morning I am up way earlier than I should be. Today is my Buda day. I plan to spend the entire day exploring Buda on the hill. Buda is the name of the part of the city of Budapest on the west side of the Danube. It contains government buildings, the Buda castle, wealthy residents and some good museums. I start my day at a breakfast where I order some avocado toast, a staple from back home.

I start walking toward the funicular to get to the upper part of Buda. The famous chain bridge to cross the Danube is closed for repairs for pedestrians so I cross another bridge. I am enjoying the architecture on the way.

I take the funicular up and enjoy the views from top.

Not doing much research besides figuring out what time things open, I have no idea where to start today. I end up at the Buda Castle History Museum. I have booked a tour at 12:15 to see the newly restored St Stephens room so I wander the museum as I wait. One thing I notice is the ruins of the old town underneath the buildings. This and the fact that there are so many buildings destroyed from wars outlies an long history, one that the government wants to preserve. In fact today I discover all the nearby construction is because the government has a project to recreate each destroyed building as they were originally in place using the detailed records that fortunately still exist. It is a long and expensive project that I am not sure I have seen replicated anywhere in my travels.

The beautifully restored St Stephens room is a great choice to tour today.

After the museum I walk over to the labyrinth and I watch someone lock the doors of the attraction. Apparently it is closing for lunch. I’ll go somewhere else and come back.

I try to visit the Hospital in the Rock Bunker but it is thirty minute wait for the next tour. It is expensive, no photos are allowed and reviews say you are rushed through the whole thing by the tour guide. I decide to skip it or come back later if I change my mind. It’s late afternoon and I haven’t eaten lunch so I decide to try one of Jamie Olivers chain restaurants for lunch. Foods ok and what I would expect from a chain. It gives me the energy to walk over and look at the Matthias church and nearby Fisherman’s Bastion.

I visit the Fisherman’s Bastion (fortress) and nearby cathedral (Matthias Church), although I did not pay to enter either.

My lunch was light so I visit a stand selling langos, a food I want to try. Langos is basically fried bread with your choice of sweet or savory toppings – like a pizza. I order a standard one with popular ingredients of sour cream and cheese. I don’t have high expectations for this food item but I am pleasantly surprised; It is very good. While I eat I watch all the extra tourists that are in town today because the Europa final is tonight. Throughout the city I’ve been hearing Italian and Spanish.

You think I am done with eating but I had my eye on this cake earlier – Chestnut Chocolate Cake. It is unique and surprising good.

Now that I have food and dessert out of the way I head back to the labyrinth. Again I didn’t know what to expect but I get a very bizarre and creepy experience. The visit starts with statues of mostly famous people then leads into a wax museum type experience with wax figures acting out an opera….with the opera music playing in the background. You then have the choice to continue on the well lit path or follow the pitch black path. I am up for adventure so I went the dark way. When I say it is dark, I mean it is dark. There is an occasional green light on the floor but I spend the majority of my time with my hands against a stone wall following it around listening to water dropping. Occasionally there will be music playing and a hidden creepy wax museum figure behind some bars. There is a little rope part of the way you can grab to take you along so I started using that eventually. I got creeped out and returned to the light. Only after looking at the tunnel map I realized it isn’t a true labrynth so I really wouldn’t have gotten lost. In fact a tour guide tells me later that these tunnels actually connect many of the residential buildings in the city through basement openings. They utilized an existing cave system to create a sort of alternative entrance and exit situation for the city. Kind of fascinating to think about it.

Eventually I get to the whole vampire lore part of the tunnel. There is a story that Dracula (the man or vampire) was captured and kept here at one time but no official record confirms that – it is just a fun story.

I have a Buda Castle vampire tour scheduled this evening and still have time to kill so I do more walking and photo taking. I forget to bring my phone charger aI head to a bar to have them charge my phone and get a drink (It’s a necessity!). For a short while I am living like I did before cells phones were everywhere. I just have to people watch and enjoy my own company.

I grab my slightly charged phone and head back down the hill to meet my tour guide. We know right away it is him because of his long black coat and top hat. He gathers us then slowly takes us back up the hill telling us story after story of mostly vampires or vampire adjacent creatures in Hungary’s history. He even includes his version of the “true story” of Vlad the Impaler (Dracula). He is a good story teller and I enjoy seeing Buda all lit up for the evening.

The tour ends and I just miss the bus that would have made my journey back much quicker so I make the silly decision to walk back the way I came this morning (40 or more minutes). It is 10:30 PM and I am exhausted but I do it anyway, enjoying the city in lights. I am tired but I am very surprised I still have this much stamina when most days I do not. I will definitely pay for this tomorrow in body aches.

I finally get to my district and as I suspect it is lively but not as lively as I thought it would be. Apparently that Europa match is still on and they have just started overtime and penalty kicks. I watch for a bit while walking down the really long party street that is two blocks from my place. I really need to go to bed so I head back.

What a long day. I have a feeling I am going to get a late start tomorrow !

Zagreb, I love you

I am glad for a late start today because the rain does finally let up for my first tour which is a general city tour. The tour starts in the park Zrinjevac, one of seven city parks. Our guide talks about the upper and lower cities and Kaptol.

One of the sights is a meteorological box in the park. We are told how it was donated by a local. It holds information on things such as temperatures, sunrise/sunset schedules and more.

We go to a parking lot that once was home to a magnificent synagogue. When the nazis took over the city the religious building was destroyed brick by brick and cheered on by the nazi party. Also as a result of the nazi occupation the population of Jewish people went from around 11,000 to about a few hundred today. Most were sent to concentration camps, some in Croatia, and some migrated to other countries. The city has made sure the Jewish synagogue today profits off the current lot in order to one day build a new home. However due to the small numbers in the city it is unlikely that is happening anytime soon. Along with the Jewish people, the Romani and Serbs were also persecuted at the time of the war.

Our guide tells us about the statue in the main square, a leader on a horse that originally was overlooking the town in the opposite direction (looking at upper town). During the communist time of Yugoslavia the statue is removed from the square. Thank goodness it is not destroyed and kept safely in a museum. After Croatia becomes independent again the statue is returned to the square but this time pointing in the opposite dirtection because most of Zagreb now exists in that direction and the statue is overlooking the city.

We are told about the performance artist Tomislav Gotovac and the filming of “Zagreb I love you” (I later see this in Graz, Austria in a museum). There is a sidewalk plaque with a footprint noting this moment but I forgot to take a picture.

We walk over to Dolac Market which is normally bustling but due to the constant rain only a few vendors are set up today. We learn how women called Barica would traditionally sell the produce at the market. We also learn the origins of the traditional umbrellas of the city. It of course has love story origins but now you can see example of these umbrellas all over the market.

We stop by the Zagreb Cathedral, closed due to renovation.

Our guide takes us over to the tower near the funicular. It is close to noon and just in time to hear the cannon fire. One man does this job every day at 12:00 noon. It is very loud.

We then take the funicular up to the upper town. It is said to be the shortest funicular in the world.

In upper town many of the street lamps are still gas powered. There are people who come every night to light them as well as blow them out in the morning.

Ahead is a beautiful church, St Marks, from the 1300’s but the tiles the 1800’s. It is mostly covered in construction but the tiles are still visible. We learn that all these “under renovation” buildings are a result of a bad earthquake about 3 years ago. Only one life was lost fortunately because most were on lockdown and not at their place of business due to covid. The repairs needed to all their historic sights are in the many billions so it might be a while before we see Zagreb at its finest again. Hidden behind the screens I can tell there are some pretty impressive sights here.

Finally we end up at the little gate that has been turned into an alter to the Madonna since it is the only thing that is not destroyed in a fire.

As we say goodbye it starts pouring again. We run off in our different directions. I want to grab a quick lunch so I order a prosciutto and cheese sandwich from Pigvin. I eat my sandwich under the over hang until I see the rain lighten. Then I fight the winds as I walk back to my room with my sandwich. I think this is when my poncho gets its first rip. It is getting a workout today.

Art installation around town of solar system

After a couple hours of rest I contemplate bailing out of my afternoon tour because it is cold and wet and I am tired. I force myself to put my poncho back on and go back out for my afternoon tour : Communism & Croatian Homeland War Tour. I have never been particularly interested in history or wars for that matter. For some reason I cannot get enough of these tours during my time in the Balkans. While much of the history is way in the past, I think things are so interesting to me now because we are talking about a conflict that happened during my time, when I was old enough to be aware of the extent of what was happening, but I did not. I was a teenager not really concerned with what was going on in the world and the USA media and education system didn’t really seem to be concerned either. We only really learned of conflicts when they started affecting Bosnia. There were many conflicts going on in Croatia I knew nothing about.

I also didn’t know how much Croatia flirted with fascism in the WWII. They basically were a puppet state of Germany. They thought aligning with nazis would give them status as an independent state but what they found is that they were just another occupied territory.

The history is very complex and I would not do it justice trying to explain it. If you are interested look for resources on Croatia during Austria-Hungarian/Venetian era, during WWII, during communism (Yugoslavia) era, and during the war of the 1990’s fight for independence. Also as all my tour guides say look for non-biased sources and sources from different points of view….in the 1990’s in particular Croatian, Bosnian, and Serbian point of view (looks like I need a trip to Serbia in my future). Also as hard as it is don’t ever “take sides” in a discussion with a local. There are many perspectives that we cannot imagine. Basically we know nothing.

During this tour we stop in the bomb tunnel again. I learn that it was used once to host a rave and as a shelter during the wars of 1990’s.

The tunnel entrances were not convienent for everyone so we finish our tour in a bomb shelter in the basement of a local resident. There we get a in depth explanation of the history of communism (more Tito) and watch a movie about the war of 1990’s. Overall the tour isvery informative.

I am wet and tired and want to call it an early night. I pick a restaurant that looks good enough after I discover my first choice is actually a fancy Michelin place that is booked up more than a week in advance. At the local restaurant I have more Strukli and a big seasoned meat burger. The food is tasty but very filling. I can’t keep eating like this; I need to start asking for to-go boxes. Balkan people love large portion sizes.

Tomorrow I head to my next country in my Balkan adventures – Slovenia.