Hello friends, hope you’ve all been very well over the last few weeks I’ve been away. We had sporadic internet service over our holidays and I did try to stop by and leave a comment or two, but alas on going back I did notice some did not ‘stick’ and I do apologize. I’ll try to make it up over the following weeks.
Our holidays did get off to a rocky start, with our seats unable to recline on the ancient aircraft Austrian Air employ but that just meant everything else can be so much better, or not, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
In order not to bore you with a million-word post, I’ll condense our trip into three sections: Part I will be Vienna and Budapest; Part II Barcelona; Part III will be Lyon and Paris.
I’ll let you know from the get-go that our weather pretty much sucked! If it wasn’t dark gloomy skies and chilly temperatures then it was dark gloomy skies with chilly temperatures teaming with rain. But that didn’t slow us down as much as … oops! There I go getting ahead of myself again. We did have a few nice days, and you’ll see which one’s in the photos. Those of you on my Facebook have had glimpses of our holiday already…so now I hope you enjoy the narrative!
As you know, we landed in Vienna pretty much unscathed, even though beauty sleep avoided us; we had anticipation and adrenaline pretty much on our side, so we were ready for the experience. JT booked us into the Radisson Blu which is in the inner circle in Vienna; the cab from the airport was rather pricey, so if you don’t over-packed (like I did) you may want to take the commuter train which is much less expensive. Quite surprisingly our room was ready at the bright and early arrival time of 10:30am and we were quite pleased because we like to unpack and freshen up after such a long flight (8 hours from Toronto). We set out on a mission to find a lunch place and look around the city. We’ve been many times before (it’s a perfect spot to pick up a rental car and drive the 2-3 hours to Budapest, and it has many intercontinental connector flights to facilitate our adventures) so we were just walking around to air our heads and check out the new/renovated shops.
One of my favourite stops is the Julius Meinl specialty grocer right in the Graben. It’s a feast for the eyes and stomach. The chocolate section is unparalleled!
As you can see, Austria is not cheap. In fact, breakfast in our hotel was a lofty 28 Euros (about 35 Canadian dollars) per person. We decided to order one and share, and it’s a good thing we did, even one was more food than we both could eat.
We chose Danieli for lunch and Huth for dinner (which I’ve talked about in my first post about Vienna).
Here is a lovely picture of Danieli and my delicious salad.
Budapest was a trip to visit family. My dear uncle passed away over a year ago and I haven’t been back since so it was a rather emotionally stressful time for me. I am pleased to say that all went well, and although there were a few moments of water works, it went rather smoothly. My family lives on Rosa Domb (Rose Hill) in Buda, which is the quieter side of Budapest. They used to live in the heart of it all in Pest, but about 30 years ago decided to move in preparation for their retirement. They have a lovely four-story town-house. We packed 22kg (about 50lbs) into each of our cases, and the guest room is…you guessed it, on the fourth floor! Now these were likely the most luxurious steps of all the steps we encountered on our trip, there were worse. And I was very lucky that my cousin and JT carried my over-packed case all the way up (I’m re-thinking this packing business in the future!).
We ate like kings for the four days in Budapest!
My cousin treated the entire family to a evening cruise on the Danube. It was a lovely evening and the lights sparkled like diamonds. It was such a beautiful sight, I would recommend this cruise to everyone, although the dinner cruise is not recommended (we just cruised with a cocktail!).
Our last full day in Budapest, we visited the Castle District (Vár) and Margit Island (Margit Sziget).
Yes, we did get a lovely day or two in Budapest.
We left early the next morning to drive back to Vienna to catch a flight to Barcelona but not without issues. JT tried to carry too much luggage down and slipped and twisted his ankle (OK it may have been the precarious little rug at the foot of the stairs). We realized in Barcelona that it was indeed a sprain, but after some quick first aid and the purchase of a cane we were back on our way!
The other issue was that we had left 4.5 hours for a 2-3 hour drive and we ended up just barely catching our flight due to some really bad back up just outside of Vienna on the A4 (M1 in Hungary). It was a very anxious trip but we made it.
What a delightful read Eva – and some lovely photos too. I learned something… I had no idea Budapest was in two parts… Buda and Pest! That Andy Warhol bunny looks awesome… maybe it’s just me but the bunny looks angry as anything 😀
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Thanks Charles, an angry bunny? they are always so cute and cuddly…or maybe this one knows he’s going to be eaten!
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Thank you for sharing with us your wonderful trip to Europe. Even though it hasn’t started as well as you would have wished I see it was a big success (I could tell you also about some horrors of my recent trip… much worse than your seat issue).
I have never been to Vienna, but I intend to visit one day. It sounds like a beautiful city (I’m only afraid of their famous cakes and sweet desserts I couldn’t resist…).
Thank you for sharing your family moments. It must have been very important for you. The food looks luscious! I can imagine they served you the best dishes ever.
As for the hotel breakfast, from what I remember in every hotel in France breakfast costs at least 25 euros unless it’s included, so it’s not only an Austrian price… The worst is when the breakfast is awful and costs this price (our last French hotel visit…).
I’m looking forward to read more about the rest of your trip!
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Thanks Sissi. I was hoping you could weave a little of your Japan trip into your blog since you cook do many Asian dishes! I know I would enjoy it and suspect others would too. In Paris we had a lovely apartment so we ate breakfast in most of the time (to save calories mostly).
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If you had a choice between a Japanese breakfast and “continental”, the way we did in our hotel in Tokyo (if you ever go to Tokyo I will give you the name and address, it was perfect), you would save lots of calories too!
I had a tiny portion of rice, lots of vegetable pickles, vegetable salad, hard boiled egg and some fruit and grilled fish every morning and even though I wasn’t hungry for many hours, I did lose some weight also thanks to this breakfast.
I think all the hotels in the world should start putting the Japanese option on their buffet 😉
Also the Japanese meals in planes we took were so much lighter and fresher than the Western ones. Marinated fish, fresh fruit desserts, fresh vegetables vs. pasta with some greasy sauce, fat-loaded creamy copy of tiramisù or other heavy desserts etc.. No wonder most Japanese are slim!
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The Japanese style of eating sounds fantastic, easy on the digestion too, particularly important while traveling. Although I do love the European breakfast of cold cuts, breads and cheese, it does not help with ‘lighter’ eating.
I am very glad you had a great time on your visit to Japan, Sissi. It’s so nice to read about your trip on your blog.
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Eva, I LOVE that bread on the table and I am surprised how much you covered in only 2 days!
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Thanks Zsuzsa. Barcelona was one of our slacking cities, Lyon gets a little crazy!
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I’m sorry to hear that you’d overpacked.. that’s totally something I would do and I always forget these countries have much different staircases, etc.. even their elevators (if there are any) are tiny. But how can you pack enough shoes without lots of luggage, lol! I’m glad to see you ate well too. That visit with your family must have been emotional, they must have been so happy to see you, Eva! It was fun to read what you’ve been up to!!
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Thank you kindly Barbara, it was indeed a lovely trip.
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Welcome back (officially) Eva! Glad that you and JT made it there and back again. 😉
Thanks for the brief tour of Vienna and Budapest…giving me another reminder that I need to get myself back to the “Old Country!” btw love all that chocolate.
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Thanks Jed, it’s a feeling you don’t get from anywhere else.
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I know that feeling oh too well. 🙂
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Welcome back Eva! We’ve missed you! It sounds like you had a ball and that photo of you at the end is fantastic-you look gorgeous!
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Thank you kindly Lorraine, we tried to take advantage of some of your recommendations but were not able to due to bookings. We did have some traditional Lyonaisse food while there, very rich! And I found a incredible little show designer there, but couldn’t get to the shop in time…now to scrounge the net!
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How interesting that they have a light dinner, with cold cuts, bread and cheese in Hungary — yet a large lunch! The photos from the cruise are really beautiful Eva. Can’t wait to hear about the rest of the trip!
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Thanks Barb. We should plan a get-together before the macarons go bad or worse yet…get eaten!
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Oh my goodness the chocolate section… that’s all I’d need to see! ;-). What a gorgeous Italian restaurant too – I think I’d fall in love with that salad as well… I can almost taste it. Sounds like you had a pretty wonderful trip overall Eva (so many beautiful photos) – Welcome Home and I do hope JT’s ankle heals soon.
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Thank you kindly Kelly, I shall pass along your well wished to him. We took care over the trip with a tensor bandage and a cane so its doing great now! He doesn’t even limp anymore!
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Fantastic shots Eva, beautiful restaurants, food!!! I am so envious, i have not been to europe for a few years now and i miss it so.. Budapest.. i would love to go there.. wonderful pages! thank you.. c
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Thank you kindly C, it means a lot to me that you think so. I do love Budapest, my second home.
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What a lovely holiday but I’m sorry the weather was so miserable. Where are the blue skies and warm sunshine? Budapest looks incredibly beautiful – so much history there! I love the beautiful church. Great that it’s been restored. Love the meal of pork tenderloin and those chocolates in Austria! What an incredible selection xx
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It really was incredible Charlie, now when I look back on the photos I have to pinch myself that we were really there. I really wish I could travel once per year to Europe but sadly our bank account may have a different opinion!
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Welcome back, Eva! I’m glad you enjoyed time with your family in spite of some bad weather and setbacks, and the photos of the city and the food are great! The salad makes me want to jump into the photo to get at it, and the chocolate….well, it’s chocolate, which I love. I’d go crazy in that shop! Sorry about JT’s sprain, that’s a drag. I’m looking forward to the next installment.
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Thanks Betsy, I have to admit that being off line in Lyon for the most part was a welcome surprise…I’m usually connected all the time. Thank you for your kind wishes for JT I shall pass along all the lovely concerns for him.
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Welcome home, Eva! So nice that you had good weather for at least one day to enjoy with your family. Your photos of the city sights are really beautiful. The parliament building is spectacular. It is so hard to pack for a trip this time of year. Temperatures and conditions can vary widely in one location, while going to different cities/countries only compounds the problems.
I’ve enjoyed the first leg of our vacation together and can’t wait to see more.
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Thank you kindly John, it seems like a lifetime ago. I was hoping (and had indeed packed) for slightly warmer temperatures…but layering and my handy pashmina’s (in a variety of colours) got me through. The posts aren’t nearly as up to the minute as they were in Morocco, but then again, neither was our internet service. But at least it gives me content for a while.
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Despite any rough patches your holiday sounds incredible my friend 🙂
Wonderful photos!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
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Thanks CCU, it was indeed lovely.
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Eva, you took some cool photos! Amazing parliament buildings.
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Thanks Angie, the photos were taken with my iPhone 4s with no flash, so it allowed the lights from the evening to shine through. So many people on the cruise were taking flash photos of things so far away, I’m surprised they could turn out.
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Great photos, you did a splendid job with the night photos. That sure is a serious chocolate aisle at the Julius Meinl. How wonderful to spend time with family. Glad the weather and JT’s sprained ankle did not dampen you trip. Looking forward to future posts.
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Thanks Norma, I forgot to mention that the photos are all taken with the iPhone 4s, without the flash…it really does a bangup job if there is enough light…without light it gets really grainy. It was very nice to see my family again…it’s been far too long.
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We cut it close with our flight home from Hawaii too. Very stressful. How is JT doing now? It sounds like you had a great visit with family! Wonderful home cooked meals too. Looking forward to more!
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Thanks Kristy, fortunately JT heals quite quickly and keeping as much weight off and icing it in the beginning really helped. He’s walking without the cane now. I’m missing those ‘dinners’ now.
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Welcome back Eva! Looks like a grand tour. Too bad the weather hindered the trip and you had to climb that many steps. But I guess it’s all a part of the adventure. And great food too!
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Thanks Minnie, we still did most of what we wanted to do so it wasn’t as bad. The steps are a given in Europe, we should have known better!
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In spite of the oopses, I’d happily go on a journey like this. Loved the photos and I’m envious of the food. 🙂
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Thanks so much Maureen. The weather is turning warm again in Toronto, so it’s nice to be back!
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Welcome home. I know that you must have enjoyed time with your family. Sorry you didn’t have good weather and that JT sprained his ankle…I did the same thing last week…no heels anytime soon. We are getting ready to head out on our trip and unfortunately the weather looks like it will be similar to yours.
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Thanks Karen, the weather will depend where on the continent you are heading…I know someone who spent the same time in Italy and had glorious weather. Not-with-standing, it was a nice time to be away. I do hope your ankle recovers nicely…take a cane, it helped JT and allowed the ankle to heal (plus you will get special treatment at the airports!)
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