Monday, June 16, 2008
Baths Closed
out. The mosaics were nice.
Day #2
stupid idea. I appear chipper in the photo below, but I wanted to die
on this riding day. It was much shorter than the first day, but I
felt like I had broken my ass, and added some bags of cement to my
panniers. The lovliness and novelty of being outside was seeming less
buoyant than the previous day. I was sad camper, and I dragged through
the day. It also highlighted the sadness of biking through wine
country-- I decided to seek some balance, maybe 4 glasses was too much?
Cute Little Towns
Linz, before Grein ( where I spent night #1). Super cute though! It
is where I had late, 2nd lunch.
The Danube, Lovely Travel Companion
alongside this legend of a river.
Tigress Woods
t-back top) and somehow it all managed to be Nike. Combined with my
Nike fleece, I looked like a chubby girl who had somehow scored a
sponsorhip. Awesome.
Bike Trip
lost too much time in my London detour, so I was going to scrap it.
This last minute adventure was totally spur of the moment, but it was
super lovely to get into the fresh air and get some exercise.
Below is my kit. I felt overpacked before I hit the road, but once I
saw others out there, I realized I was quite petite with the equipage.
This is the train dropping me in Passau.
Eurostar 2008
etc... It was sadly (for me) dominated by the Eurostar, which Austria
is hosting along with Switzerland for the rest of June. Although I
can get into team sports, and there was no real disruptive hooligan
madness or whatever, the city was covered with huge inflated socccer
balls and adidas sneaker simulacras, etc. All the major attractions
were affected. As soon as I hot there, I felt a huge and overwhelming
need to escape, and quickly realized I could not spend the 4 nights I
had planned.
Really, this is no reflection on Vienna, which I found lovely, but I
think the culmination of so much time in cities, and the masses of
football fanatics painted in their nations colors, zigzagging drukenly
through the metro just made it clear that I needed an intra-holiday
holiday. I went to a bike rental place, and sketched out a 3 night, 4
day plan to bike through Lower Austria. I packed my panniers and was
on a train to Passau by 7am the next morning.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Waiting at the Locks
never crossed one by boat. On the way to Vienna, I did it 2x.
Anyegin (aka Eugene Onegin)
strolled by the opera where I was looking at ticket prices. I had no
intention to buy one, was just curious, but a guy came up to me and
said something in Hungarian. After a blank look from me, he asked if
I wanted a ticket. It was almost curtain call, and his friend had not
shown up. He was attending the opera with his parents, 'did I want to
come?'. Um, yeah. The ticket was an amazing seat ($80 usd), his day
bought me water and cake at intermission, and his mom outlined the
story for me so I could follow. It was a killer travel day.
This is What Caught My Attention
saw this, which was the first of many tables devoted to a local wine
festival. Yum.
Schezenyi Baths
was a bit "family fun" for my taste, but it was a perfect activity for
what started out as a hot day. By the time I took this photo, the
clouds had rolled in, and then the rain poured for about 20 minutes
while I took refuge in a cafe.
Terror Haz
of the exterior and interior of this place is very impresive. They
also have interesting movie footage of interviews with survivors.
Last Day in Budapest
day in Budapest. I started with simple plans, I would go to a museum
(Terror House, which documents the Nazi and Soviet atrocities
committed in Hungary), and then to chill out at a bath. Well, I did
both of those things, but on the way home from the bath I walked into
the middle of a huge wine tasting festival (I had to taste the wine).
And then I met a guy who had an extra 8th row ticket to the Opera (who
says no to the eighth row?). So... I got a little more in than
expected.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Flea Market
out of town. It was great. One of those real, 'this is the crap my
family has owned for centuries' type of place, where magnificent
things share space with the mundane. Old men and wonen who don't
trust you unless you bargain. I Iive for this stuff.
Pool of my Dreams
Olympic gold medalist for Hungary. It is a beautiful structure, and
easily the most amazing pool I have ever swum in. We happened to
arrive on the day of an open diving practice, and were told that some
of the people training were from the Olympic team. We lingered until
after 5pm, keeping on saying we would stay for 'just one more dive
from the 30 meter platform' by our favorite diver. Such a treat to
see. Great day.
Bikes, and Other Loves.
the middle of the Danube between Buda and Pest. It was such a nice
day, lazy-- but also brim-filled with many things I adore in life. I
love bikes, parks, gardens, swimming, markets, and food and drink.
This is so constant about me-- but I have been shocked to realize it
so fully on this trip. I think of myself as a whirling dervish of
interests, changing my passions every few years-- but these things
have remained lifelong loves, and I have lived enough life now that
this statement actually means something. I gave myself a little gift,
and decided to let the rest of my travels be governed by these loves.
I can spare myself the obligatory "sights" of the places I visit- from
here on out it is bikes, swimming, flowers and grass, books, picky
belabored-decision style shopping, and yummy food and drink. I might
throw in some architechture, and modern art as well.
Bicycles, Wine, Sights
asses up to Buda's highest point. There is an awesome statue of a
woman lifting a sheath of wheat above her head. She is patinaed
green, and is a beacon for the whole city. When I first saw her, I
took what she was holding for a shield. She is wonderfully-lit at
night, and we kept going up and up, until we were just underneath.
Homeade Dinner With Canadian Alison
will call her Canadian Alison). Yummy Bikaver wine (my favorite T
shirt in the 90s had a Bikaver logo, but I did not realize it until
Budapest :), pasta with a girgonzola sauce, and I made a summer veggie
salad that made me sad for home. Finally, some yummy dessert. Looks
good, huh?
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