We're on our way home

This is the last entry for what has been a short blog. Still, it’s been fun writing it. Our 38 days turned into 15, but I reckon we’ve not been idle for a single minute, except for when I was sleeping off the effects of whatever it is I had. It is truly amazing how much sightseeing you can pack into two weeks, and this has been one of our best holidays ever.

We have arrived safely in Doha from Munich for our one-night stopover before we head home to Melbourne. We saw a doctor in Munich yesterday, at the request of the travel insurance company, and I was given a clean bill of health. It’s a pity we made the decision to return early, but we made this decision on the information we had available to us at the time, a time when I was feeling quite awful. In any event, Germany’s not going anywhere soon and it gives us the perfect excuse to return to finish what remains unseen.

The culture shock in Doha is far greater than we’ve experienced anywhere we’ve travelled. There are strict dress codes, which includes long pants and long-sleeve shirts. Considering it’s 36 degrees and 85% humidity outside, this doesn’t make a great deal of sense. We also managed to arrive during Ramadan, which means we cannot eat or drink in public during daylight hours. Actually, nothing selling food even opens during these hours. I don’t think Doha is the sort of place I’d want to visit for more than a day, and we’re already looking forward to Melbourne tomorrow.

And since this is the last blog entry, the final word is for Alison. Al makes most of this travel possible. Although we are both responsible for booking it all, it is Alison who makes certain we get here and get around. Her meticulous attention to detail means we always know how to get to our hotel, which platform to be on, and where the best eats to be found are. Without her, I’d be hopelessly lost. And when I was unwell, Alison was beside me every minute, making sure I was not suffering too much. I couldn’t imagine wanting to do this without my best friend with me, and that’s exactly what she is. I do feel I let her down on this trip, with my decision to return early, but she’s never once made me feel guilty or responsible. So, Alison, thank you for another memorable trip. Here’s to the next one.

Munich, a beautiful city with a shameful past

Yesterday was our fourth day in Munich, with one more day to go. In fact, there’s only one more day left until we leave Europe, but more of that later.  Munich is such a great city, and we have had a wonderful time. Although the city looks very old in places, most of it was flattened in the allied bombing raids of 1944-45, and so much of what you see is reconstruction. Apparently after the work, the people of Munich decided to rebuild their city to its former glory, rather than go for a more contemporary style, and we’re glad they did.

The Rathaus, which is a bit like city-hall. Some of it was destroyed in the war and rebuilt since.

Munich has many parks and gardens, but the gold medal garden must go to the English Garten, with an area of almost four square kilometres. It is massive and when we were there on Saturday, with the sun warming the city to a balmy 27 degrees, it appears half of Munich was there also. Very popular in the gardens are the numerous biergartens, where you can buy several litres of beer and a meal to wash it down with. Seriously, not even Darwin comes close to this place for the consumption of the golden ale, and people drink it a litre at a time. Not wanting to appear aloof, we decided to do as the locals and ordered our own litre of lager, which accompanied our sausage, potato and a giant pretzel. I had no idea Alison could drink that much (even the locals were impressed).

The biergarten in the English Garden. It got far busier than this a little later. You can buy a range of meals to wash down your beer with.

The English Garden with thousands of people enjoying the sun, some of them nude, which is very much tolerated in Germany.

This was Alison's fifth litre of lager. The locals were so impressed they wanted her autograph. Shortly after this she removed her top and started dancing on the tables - I left around then.

Two days ago we took the train to the Nazi concentration camp at Dachau. Dachau was one of the largest camps operated by the SS, and the only camp to operate for the full duration of the war. Having taught this part of modern German history for many years, I was quite familiar with the role of concentration camps in the Nazi regime’s reign of terror, yet nothing really prepares you for the reality of the camp. In fact, not even a visit to one really allows this. We were two people amongst a sea of tourists, all intent on capturing the superficial reality on their iPhones and S9s, many actually taking selfies in front of the very furnaces used to cremate those lucky enough to have died rather than endure the unendurable. The physical environs of the camp, as shockingly depressing as they are, cannot really ever adequately convey a sense of the raw inhumanity which took place within the camp’s walls. As a privileged and wealthy tourist, how can I ever hope to comprehend the systematic and institutionalised brutality of one histories most feared regime. It is all the more poignant, as Munich was the spiritual heart of Hitler and his movement. He lived in Bavaria and Munich was always where he received his greatest support. I have visited the Holocaust Museum in Sydney many times, and it is not until you actually talk with survivors of this terror that you get some sense of what it must have been like. Even so, some things are beyond the comprehension of onlookers.

The front gates at Dachau, through which all inmates would have marched, with its infamous and cynical slogan, "work sets you free".

Although the dormitories were removed in the 1960s, walking down this lovely boulevard of trees belies the horrors which took place behind them.

The crematorium, which houses the furnaces and the gas chambers. The furnaces were used every day, but the gas chambers were never used. Why, we don't know.

Yesterday, in what was one of the highlights of all our overseas trips hitherto, we took the train to Germany’s highest peak, the Zugspitze, high in the Bavarian Alps. At 2962 metres, it is almost 700 metres higher than our own highest. Nothing really prepares you for the view from the top which on a clear today, such as today, you can see over four hundred peaks in four countries. The mountain itself is right on the border with Austria, so you can easily walk between the two borders at will. We ascended the mountain by Europe’s tallest cable car and descended it by cog-railway. I have always loved the Australian Alps, but I’m still to get my breathe back after what we experienced yesterday.

Germany is such a lovely and lush country. Our trip on the train yesterday took us right past rural scenes right out of The Sound of Music. Rotund looking cows with bells around their necks, grass so lush farmers can cut it for hay every few weeks, and paddocks complete with timber sheds used to house the stock in winter time. We couldn’t help in our minds compare it to the brown, grassless paddocks back home.

That's me standing on the top of Germany, or it might be Austria; the border was in a corridor joining the two.

 

The Zugspitze, German't highest peak. I think I'll let the photos do the talking.

One of the rapidly receding glaciers, the direct result of global warming.

As I said, we leave Munich tomorrow and prepare to fly home to Australia three weeks ahead of our plan. I was quite unwell on the flight over and by the time we got to Hungary I was very weak with a dizzy head, and a severe bout of IBS, perhaps brought on by travel anxiety. I spent a lot of the first few days sleeping for hours at a time. Faced with almost six weeks of travel, and a short window in which we could cancel some accommodation without loss, I made the decision to return early. As it turns out, five Imodium tablets per day has finally slowed the embarrassing need to frequent the toilet and I am now feeling much better. However, with flights changed it is not possible to continue on. Nevertheless, Alison and I have had a wonderful two weeks, so much so it seems like we’ve been here a month. It has made me realise that I have some issues with travel anxiety that I need to address for next time, and we both hope there will be a next time.

Vienna by rooftop

Alison and I have three cities which stand out, above all others, as our favourites: Paris, Prague and Vienna. There is no doubt, Vienna is a beautiful city, made all the more impressive for us this time as we have at last seen it bathed in sunshine. What a difference this has made. Our first visit two years ago saw all the trees bare of leaves, and the skies dark with rain clouds. This time around, there is greenery and vibrant colour everywhere.

One of the many lovely fountains in the Volksgarten, literally the people's garden.

The Volksgarten's roses are in full bloom.

We haven't felt the need to do much this time, as we've seen most of the big attractions before. This has meant we could walk around at our leisure, eating our favourite ice-creams, sitting in our favourite parks, etc. Today, we will return to the Schonbrunn Palace by tram, and who knows where we'll head after that. We leave Vienna tomorrow for Munich, via Salzburg, another place we remember more for the atrocious weather than for the city itself. Hopefully, tomorrow will be kinder to us.

A view along the Ringstrasse, a beautiful boulevard which goes past many of Vienna's most lovely buildings.

Our hotel, which is lovely, has a delightful rooftop terrace, where we have spent an hour in the evening watching the sun go down over Vienna. It has been magical, and we still have to pinch ourselves sometimes that we're actually here. 

Vienna from our lovely rooftop terrace, just before the sun set for the day.

This is Vienna's national library.

Alison looking very impressed by a statue, whose head I cut off trying to take the photo.

Just like coming home

We returned yesterday to our old friend Vienna. Being back seemed as if we never left, with all of the memories of the first visit returning. We even managed to find our way through the streets without too much recourse to a map.

Our bus trip from Budapest, which was supposed to be a leisurely three hours, turned into a six hour marathon which started when our bus broke down five minutes out of Budapest. Instead of dispatching another bus to transfer us passengers, we had to limp back to Budapest and wait three hours until the next scheduled bus was ready to leave. Nowhere to sit, and not even enough Hungarian coins to pay for a toilet (note to all aspiring travellers to Hungary, there is no such thing as a free number one or number two), we were forced to sit under the shade of a tree and devour what little sustenance we had with us, namely half a roll each and a packet of nuts. When the bus did finally arrive, some of the passengers from the first bus got into arguments with those on he second bus as the former had now lost their seats. What a scene. Of course, by this time the peak hour traffic in Vienna meant a further hour's delay.

Nevertheless, it was so good to be back, the previous six hours quickly drifted from our consciousness. Our hotel room is lovely and large and immaculately presented (like just about everything in Austria). It even comes with a Nespresso machine, with a supply of pods to choose from.

We have decided that we're not going to do that much in Vienna, since we have realised just how much we did the first time. Instead, it will be a slow strong along the Ringstrasse, some parks, and about three dozen of our favourite amarena gelato ice-creams (which we discovered on our first trip two years ago) from our favourite gelato shop. Vienna feels just like being at home.

Lovely Vienna with Hofburg Palace in the background. 

Whit Sunday in Budapest

Our body clocks were still having trouble adjusting yesterday, which meant we were awake at just after 5.00 am. Rather than waste the time, we decided to get an early start to a day of sightseeing. We began by taking a tram and a bus to The Citadel, a monument atop the highest point in the city. The view from the top was spectacular, and reminded us a little of the view over Florence from the Michelangelo piazza.

The Danube from The Citadel

And the same view at night

We also caught the subway to one of Budapest’s famous spa baths, Szechenyi Thermal Baths, where we had intended to take a swim. However, I think every other resident of Budapest, and every tourist to the city, had much the same idea. The baths were so crowded that Alison took one look at the pools and decided we’d give them a miss. After all, I'm sure the water wasn't that straw colour for nothing. Unfortunately in some respects, we arrived in Budapest during a national long weekend holiday, for the Pentecost festival of Whit Sunday. It has meant that every venue has been totally packed, but it has also meant that almost all of the shops have been closed, so even buying groceries has been a challenge.

The thermal spa pools - if you think this is bad you should've seen the line for the ice-cream.

Yesterday afternoon we did what it seems every visitor to Budapest does, we took a boat trip down the Danube. The Danube at the height of the tourist season is a bit like the Hume Highway at Easter, bumper-to-bumper vessels. Some are your typical 45-minutes up, 15-minute back jobs, while others are barge-like, designed to take wealthy passengers to Vienna or beyond.

To top off our day yesterday, we took the same bus back to The Citadel for the evening view of Budapest. In a word, it was breathtaking. It is, indeed, a very lovely city be it day or night.

Today, our last day before we depart tomorrow morning for Vienna, we visited Buda Castle and Matthias Cathedral. These make up one huge complex, made all the more interesting (and busy) due to an Hungarian folk festival which ran over the weekend. There were lots of performances of traditional Hungarian music and dancing, as well as myriad stalls selling all manner of Hungarian food. Very yummy, although as I’ve had an upset tummy since we arrived, I thought it better not to indulge. But oh, how I wanted to.

Buda Castle.

The most impressive Hungarian Parliament building.

We finished off the afternoon with a trip to beautiful Margaret Island (obviously not the Hungarian spelling). This is a natural island in the middle of the Danube which attracts literally thousands of visitors each day, particularly during beautiful weather, which we were very lucky to have experienced during our stay. Tonight, we will head back to the Danube for an evening cruise, taking in the vista by night. It should be memorable.

The Japanese Garden on Margaret Island.

Although our stay in Budapest has been brief, we feel as if we have experienced quite a lot of what makes Hungary such an interesting destination. I knew the city would be charming, but I really had no idea of just how lovely it would be.

Tomorrow we’re off to Vienna to reacquaint ourselves with the Austrian capital. Fingers crossed the weather is a little kinder to us this time.

A lovely gyros for dinner - no longer hungry kids in Hungary

We’ve arrived safely in Budapest, the capital of Hungary after what seemed like an interminable plane flight. Twenty-one hours of flying time and twenty-four of total travel time really took its toll on us ageing, cashed up, self-funded retirees, but our sense of entitlement was, thankfully, unharmed. (Bit of a joke, sure, but it is interesting to note that planes are increasingly full of seniors spending their imputation credits on taxes they’ve never paid).

Looking towards Pest from Buda. In the background you can see the Elizabeth bridge (I think they named it after my daughter - must have known we were coming)

Budapest is really two cities in one, and in fact they were very separate until 1873, when the two cities either side of the Danube were officially joined. Hungary does have quite a famous history, having been part of the powerful Austro-Hungarian empire since the mid nineteenth century, only ending with their defeat in 1918.

This is Buda Castle, and in the foreground is the beautiful Danube.

The skies opened shortly after we arrived, with a couple of belts of very loud thunder, which left us with pretty flooded streets, but kindly, the rain eventually stopped leaving us with a lovely afternoon and evening – it’s daylight saving hours over here in Europe. Although we were pretty tired, we managed a lovely walk along the Danube, over the beautiful Chain Bridge and past Buda Castle (which is, obviously, on the Buda side of the city while we are staying on the Pest side). It was a lovely way to see this quaint city, topped off with an expensive Greek gyros on the way home. Two of these cost us 1400 forint, so much of our spending money for the next five weeks was blown in one afternoon (google it, haha).

A small market, with yummy Hungarian food, we discovered just near the castle.

We’re really only here for a short stay (we leave Tuesday for Vienna), so there’s lots to pack into two days. We definitely intend to do a trip(s) on the Danube, and the other must-do are the heated spas, which Budapest is famous for. Apart from that, it’ll be a case of more walking and rubber-necking. The buildings here are lovely, but probably a little less spectacular than, say, Prague, and not as well maintained. There is a real mix of ornate 18^th and 19^th century, plus a few remaining Soviet-era architectural relics. Of course, Hungary was part of the Soviet Warsaw Pact, until it all fell apart in 1989. And who can forget the famous ‘blood in the pool’ water polo final in Melbourne following the Hungarian uprising of 1956?

The beautiful Chain Bridge, one of the original bridges joining the two cities.

And then there was sun.

All in all, our stay will be short but full of things to see. It better be, we didn’t travel all this way for nothing!

Two sleeps to go.

Well, not long now until Alison and I head off back to Europe, this time to spend five weeks touring Germany and Hungary. We'll also be spending a few days in two of our favourite cities, Vienna and Prague, and hopefully this time we'll get better weather than our first visit to these cities.

We begin our circumnavigation of Germany in Munich and finish four weeks later in Dresden. On the way, we visit Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Koblenz, Hamburg, Berlin and Leipzig. We hope to take in Germany's beautiful forests, it's mountains, rivers and cities. We're also looking forward to some of Germany's history, both famous and infamous.

We hope you enjoy reading about our travels and looking at our photos. Feel free to email us, as we love your comments.