I enjoyed Paris largely on my own today. Which is to say that the biorhythmic patterns of my travel companions and I have not yet aligned. They say they were “sleeping” until 1pm while I woke at 4:30am.

But the gift of a morning in Paris is not to be dissed. Cafe and croissant in our tiny hotel courtyard, followed by a neighborhood stroll. Watching kids head to school, the youngest in their adorable uniforms. Walking to Parc Champ du Mars and the marvel of the Eiffel. I stayed largely on the Left Bank. Lunched at a local patisserie (the baguette sandwiches unparalleled here!!) and then headed to culture when the sleepyheads hadn’t showed themselves!

The Musee d’Orsay is one of my favorite art museums. A train station repurposed in the 1970’s, it is a bastion of impressionist art taking over where the Louvre leaves off. It sits on the Seine and has wonderful light in the sculpture hall. The train station clock gives it a timeless quality. I remember discovering it with Harold, visiting with Vicki, then Jesse and Mary. Great art is hard to beat.

The afternoon was beautiful as I headed back to Rue Cler. Relaxed with a drink until I found Gene and Mary looking for the same way to end the afternoon. Life is good.

Small traditionally French bistro dinner at Au P’tit Tonneau. Lovely food and service Nice end to the day!

Our travel went well. No cancellations, delays or baggage lost! But when you’re pining to travel it’s easy to forget what a long sit in the airplane seat it is to get here!

We’re well prepared to stay healthy (added masks and antigen tests to my packing list) and fully “armed” as our bivalent immunity kicks in!

Paris greeted us with nice weather and the familiar sites on the way into the cite and our Rue Cler neighborhood. It really is a lovely little area. I enjoy it each time I stay here. Vibrant and full of late night diners who we passed on the way to an early to bed evening. Feels so nice to be here!!

Bon Nuit!!

If it turns out I’m as rusty at blogging as I am at getting ready for international travel, it’s gonna be a rocky ride! Covid changed a lot of things …… certainly dampened my traveling spirit! But I’m ready in my heart and soul if not in my suitcase yet. I’m leaving tomorrow no matter what with traveling partners Mary and Gene. We’ve really just done west coast travel with Gene, but Mary and I will make sure he has the time of his life with what he refers to as “The Lucy’s” (that’s how he refers to our travel faux pas’ ala Lucy Ricardo of I Love Lucy fame and I won’t deny it’s sometimes been apt!) Next stop Paris! Voici de bons voyages!!!

May you live all the days of your life.

Jonathan Swift

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So …. as I’m beginning this trip blog at the end of the journey, seems fitting that it’s the Irishman Swift whose quote speaks to me. It could easily be the caption for Victoria’s photo, though we called it “Embrace”.

There are layers of meaning to the trip to the U.K.

Victoria’s ashes have been gently given to the water at Urquhart Castle Bay by special friends, Scott and Brian – me beside them (July 10, 2019). It’s a place at which she was especially exuberant and joyful when traveling there following her FCO performances in England and Wales. She was delighted with each turn of the road and new view. Very free spirited. And feeling such aplomb at performing in historic or sacred spaces – solo and all. I can see that and a repetitive motif of open arms in her approach to life in that photo and place.

And here you can see we found the Scottish countryside where the photo was taken. A roadside viewpoint on Loch Ness (date 2016).

We spent the morning on Loch Ness in the care of a man almost a caricature of the perfect Scottish gentleman. Gordon was born on Loch Ness in the home he still resides in with his private jetty, and history and knowledge of Loch Ness. We had a lovely tour around the loch before he settled us into the shadow of Urquhart Castle to place Vicki’s ashes. They settled and turned so that it looked as though the beautiful package was sailing away from us.

I said our first celebration of Vicki’s life was about the people she loved and those who loved her. Created in large part by Brian and Scott. (September 9, 2018). Then September 24, 2018 Mom and I scattered ashes at McPhillip Beach on the Oregon Coast where some of Dad’s are, on his birthday. Honoring family and her Oregon home. And, for me, this place for a part of her is about the life she did not get to finish. The bliss yet to be lived. One more precious package is left.

Travel Partners

Scott and Brian agreed to accompany me on this journey. But in the interim both experienced other losses. And still they chose to join me. I cannot express what that means to me. I’d have made the trip alone, but sharing it with two Vicki loved so dearly means so very much. They have my grateful heart and friendship.

Closing this journey…

For a long while the words of the song she provided the solo beginning for on the chorale tour have been floating in my mind. I hum it and hear Vicki’s voice.

No time to tarry here, no time to wait for you, no time to tarry here for I’m on my journey.

No Time arranged by Susan Brumfield – Vicki’s solo included “Oh, I really do believe that just before the end of time, we will hear the angels singing in that morning”. I hope she heard angels.

Budapest …. the last days!

Just mostly knocked around the last two days of our stay here. Absorbing the district near parliament and returning to Buda for the National Gallery.

Parliament was closed one day and we saw school children performing songs and a little color guard pageantry. The courtyard was filling up with kids as we watched and unlike the US there weren’t many parents in the audience as far as we could tell.

Another touching sculptural piece along the Danube Promenade honored those Jews killed and dumped in the river (sometimes tied to one individual whom they shot and pushed in) after the Hungarian collaboration with the Nazi’s failed. There is a conflicted historical perspective demonstrated in Budapest. The Shoes honors victims, but this next memorial is protested popularly as symbolically blaming the German Nazi’s rather than the complicit Hungarian government for deaths.

I visited the National Gallery on my own. Found it interesting that it was curated essentially by wartime era and appreciated the impressionist work by Hungarian artists and the spacious building. There was a thread of social justice painting and sculpture in the ’20’s or so that seemed to ring of our current 1% dialogue – a sculpture called Homeless I especially appreciated.

I’d returned because I was intrigued by a photo exhibit called Every Past Is My Past. It started from a collection rescued from a defunct Kodak plant and expands still from photo finds and donations. As much family and community history was lost in war, some of it is restored in this photo collection. The collection is growing online as they attempt to identify places, people and dates in the photos they’ve found. It was fascinating. Real people from late 1800’s through the 80’s.

We used the subway more these days – we said because we were going from place to place across town, but it may have been our energy levels in the heat a little bit. No apologies. Walked miles and miles over these three weeks!! The Line 1 is actually a UNESCO Heritage Site as it’s the oldest electrified European subway (1896). Beautiful wood and tile stops.

Our final adventure was the Szechenyi Thermal Baths. We enjoyed the vintage hot spring pools, but I’m not sure it matches up to Rick Steves’ other 🔺🔺🔺 European sights. We tried everything but the lap pool and sauna. Our couple of hours there was enough for me, but I’ve never been very good at poolside. The most interesting part was figuring out how to get in! They were ahead of their time though as a water park. (No photos – wasn’t willing to risk my cell phone/camera. Life as I know it would end chaotically if it drowned and I failed to pack my waterproof shield😮)

But it pretty much looked like this postcard. Mary and I had agreed there’d be no bathing beauty photos anyway!

Final traditional dinner in our neighborhood.

With a strudel and lava cake finale!

And our adventure ends. I’m glad of this experience of Central Europe. It often made me thoughtful. And I enjoyed the people we engaged with. A good trip. And a good travel partner – thanks, Mary!

Pozegnanie. Rozlouceni. Ferwel. Bucsu. Farewell.

Headed to the airport in the morning early. The adventure is ending – with an easy trip home we hope. It’s been both a grand tour and a sobering experience. We’re glad to have made the journey.

This will have to do until I finish the last couple days blog on the plane trip. See you all soon!

Buda

Headed to Castle Hill and the Royal Palace on the Buda side of the Danube. It was a gorgeous morning, destined to be 80ish with an 87 humidity index. But it made for spectacular views against the kek (blue) sky.

Mátyás-templom (Matthias Church) is an understated beauty. Preferable we think to the gilded glory of so many cathedrals. This is subdued and somehow seems more spiritual because of it. It’s called Matthias after a Renaissance era king, rather than a saint, though it has an official church name as well.

Somehow like a cathedral through a sepia lens.

Adjacent is the Fisherman’s Bastion with sweeping views of Pest and the Danube. You just stand there and soak it in.

A short walk away is the Royal Palace, destroyed many times, used by conquering military’s over the years and notable mostly for its grounds.

Buda didn’t take as long as we’d expected, so we headed to the Vasatcsarnok or Great Market Hall. Three floors of fun shops, though the linens and clothing were definitely representative of traditional Hungarian crafts they seemed manufactured rather than artisan.

We were in search of paprika – available in most any container and type ie spicy, sweet and smokey. Purchases were made!

There are fruit, veg and meat markets here that are definitely for Hungarians. It’s a bustling and fun place! We didn’t choose to dine in the many food stalls – the traditional Hungarian fare seemed too heavy for the hot afternoon.

An early night for us!

jó éjszakát!


Pest (Pronounced “Pesh”)

So, this is our fourth currency this trip!!! Zloty’s (Poland), Koruna (Czech Republic), Euro (Slovakia), and the Florint (Hungary). The Florint has the most inflated exchange rate to wrap our dollar bound minds around. It’s like Monopoly money! I mean I started the day out with 50,000!!

We had a great day today. We explored the Pest sights on our side of the Danube.

Andrassy Blvd (Broadway and 5th Avenue rolled into one), Liszt Square,

Heroe’s Square and

City Park. We saw Vajdahunyad Castle, located the Rick Steves 🔺🔺🔺 rated Szechenyl Baths for our planned public thermal bath house experience (which we’ve carried bathing suits around four countries for) and wandered about the park.

Szokokut Fountain on Margit Island dances away to primarily English and American Pop for some reason. We heard the Herman’s Hermits tune No Milk Today! That’s a little odd, don’t you think? Could’ve stayed around for Rolling Stones, Guns and Roses and, of course, the Beatles……

We got ourselves on public transit to Margit Island and were drenched in an afternoon thunderstorm on the way back into Pest. Not to be deterred, we went to the Opera House. It’s less than a block from us and they didn’t seem to mind we looked like drowned rats……..

The Opera is in renovations at present so we had a tour (sans the famous gold leaf auditorium) and learned about the social life of the Opera before we heard a 10 minute version of Figaro on the grand staircase. It was actually just enough operatic entertainment to leave us smiling and humming rather than worried about understanding the language and storyline. Beautiful voices and coquettish acting.

This afternoon we deserved our before dinner “rest” (code word for nap if that might happen when you get your feet off the ground……..) and dressed for an evening out.

Didn’t have to go far to have a great meal and enjoy a more energetic vibe of a place called Menza. Goulash in Hungary is indeed yummy.

And home. It really was a nice day!

But not everything is ‘tourist happy’ in Budapest.

We walked by the South Korean Embassy early today. It is enshrined with flowers, candles and poems for the victims of a Danube evening cruise that capsized just before our arrival. At the time of this writing seven are hospitalized, seven are dead and the others of the 33 South Korean tourists and two boatmen are missing, presumed dead. The Danube is cold this early in summer and currently burgeoning- so swift and dangerous for smaller boats. It happened near the Parliament building. Victims/bodies were found up to two miles away. The Chain Bridge also has flower remembrances on it.

And the end of our adventure begins…….

An essentially uneventful train to Budapest ( which isn’t to say I didn’t spend an unusual amount of energy checking and rechecking platform assignment etc!!!). It sounds beyond exotic to me that I’ll be in such a romanticized city. The scenery is much the same – those green rolling hills.

We’ve gotten ourselves oriented slightly to Pest (one side of the Danube in this metropolis). But we’re glued to our maps and still get off track by a couple blocks at a try! Part of the fun – after you sort it out.

You can tell it’s Saturday night!

The historical Szechenyl Ianchid or Chain Bridge links the two cities Buda and Pest – turned Budapest in 1873.

Looking up to the castle district on the Buda side.

Sven István Bazilika (St Steven’s Cathedral).

Budapest seems larger and grander than anything we’ve seen this trip. The buildings are sweeping and ornate. It’s gonna be wonderful to explore!

Bratislava

Began our day by securing our train travel out of Bratislava. Used the bus to get to the station with instructions from our kind reception guy, Dusan. Took us some 10 mins to sort out the right bus line and make a ticket purchase, bought our train ticket, then helped someone else get to the zentrum via bus. We then felt so emboldened we thought we might be able to get to the castle and walk down rather than hike up without really seeing a metro map. Well, only one stop beyond zentrum we found we were in Aupark and the no mans land near the UFO. Somehow seemed destined to be, so up we went.

The view from the Communist era UFO. Actually nice and what we’d thought we’d appreciate from he castle grounds.

This view is a little different. Can you read “Are you enjoying the view?” That’s what we were treated to from the toilet!!!!

Since we were nearly there we walked on the Danube promenade to the Eurovea- the modern area of the city attracting guests and energy. Passed a flotilla of cruise ships. We had a relaxing riverside lunch with a breeze and people watched. The joy of no plan or timeline is a pleasure.

Back into the city and saw the sights in sun. Just knocked about until our afternoon break.

The Peeper is no longer in a puddle!

We approached our final evening here differently. As groups arrived here for the weekend, we stopped at one outside cafe after another for a drink and absorbed the ambience and feel of a Friday night in the city. Saw some more groups of men partying (either stag or college frivolity including some outlandishly silly costumes). About 9’ish the crowd looks to be a clubbing crowd and a certain boisterousness begins. It’s fun!

We managed both a fancy afternoon dessert (Mary discovered a regional specialty – a meringue roll split to hold a caramel or berry mousse – nice) and an ice cream cone on the last saunter up Michalska Brana to our hotel.

Were off again tomorrow!

St Michal’s gate as we leave Bratislava. Our hotel recepcion manager, Dusan, took us out of old town with our bags and nested us in our taxi to the train. He was a smiling, helpful part of our stay!!