16-JUL-2007
First Stop
After an overnight flight to Munich, our first stop is the Olympic Park, site of the 1972 game.
With plenty of sunshine, it was the best cure for jet lag.
16-JUL-2007
In the Mirabell Garden
This is the location where scenes of the movie The Sound of Music was shot.
Howeve, Salzburg locals downplay this fact. They rather highlight their favorite son,
W.A. Mozart.
17-JUL-2007
I see Mondsee
At a rest stop above Mondsee Lake
17-JUL-2007
Viennese Evening
Dinner at a restaurant near the Viennese City Park
Although the Wiener schnitzel was a little dry, this basement level dinning room was a lot cooler than upstairs locations with inadequate air conditioning.
After dinner, we visited the nearby
Viennese City Park before attending a concert at the Hofburg Imperial Palace.
18-JUL-2007
Inside the St Stephen's Basilica
We learned about Hungarian religious art in front of Gyula Benczúr's painting of St. Stephen.
inside the St Stephen's Basilica
18-JUL-2007
Danube Cruise
Even with the 40ºC heat, we loved taking photos of the sights from the cruise boat.
Some of my best shots were taken from this cruise boat.
We were also impressed by the language skills of the hostesses.
18-JUL-2007
Goulash Ensemble
Goulash ensemble, or was it chop suey?
18-JUL-2007
Romantic Evening
On the hill on the Buda side of the city
at the restaurant where we attended the Hungarian folklore dinner show
19-JUL-2007
Line for the You Know What
Preparing for the long drive to Poland somewhere along the
E77 Hwy just north of the Hungarian border in Slovakia
20-JUL-2007
Morning Check Out
In the background is the hotel’s gift shop selling Baltic amber.
20-JUL-2007
Morning Departure
George, our Hungarian bus driver, helped us load our luggage.
20-JUL-2007
Lost in Translation
While we were figuring out the exchange rate, can anyone please tell me what is a McZestaw?
Inside a McDonald's on ul. Szewska 2, 31-009 Krakow, just west of the Market Square
20-JUL-2007
Dinner and Show
There were musicians performing at both dinners in the Czech Republic, which were part of the standard tour package.
The entrée for the evening was boar stuffed with ham, following this.
21-JUL-2007
At the Cross Road
Beneath here is the Prague Metro Mùstek interchange station for Lines A and B.
On the right is the 1912 Koruna Palace which is used as a shopping center
21-JUL-2007
Outside the Prague Castle
On the north side of the Prague Castle
21-JUL-2007
In front of the Prague Castle
We stayed in the shade while waiting for our tickets in front of the
Prague Castle.
There was no wind on this hot afternoon, as I waited and waited to take a photo of the flags.
21-JUL-2007
Dinner and a Show
Dinner show at the Restaurant Michal on Naprstkova Street
21-JUL-2007
Birthday Wish
Two days ago, this lady had a bad case of motion sickness as our tour bus zig zag on the E77 Hwy through the
Tatra Mountains in Slovakia.
Now she is happy.
Restaurant Michal on Naprstkova Street
22-JUL-2007
Filthy Kiss
on Mühlenstraße is now called the East-Side-Gallery
Artist Dmitri Vrubel’s depiction of the close relationship between Leonid Brezhnev & Erich Honecker, the Communist dictators of the now defunct USSR & DDR, in a piece called "Mein Gott hilf mir, diese tödliche Liebe zu überleben" or "Brotherly Kiss"
22-JUL-2007
Holocaust Memorial
With memory of
Auschwitz still fresh in our mind, we sympathize with the helpless Jewish victims and abhor the brutal Nazi genocide.
We must commend the Germans for their contrition over past deeds. They devoted a piece of prime real estate at the center of their capital as a memorial to the victims of their past sins. In contrast, the Japanese white washed their past aggressions from text books and, when confronted, could only offer superficial regret for their war atrocities. It would be unthinkable if a German chancellor pays homage to a site honoring Hitler and Himmler. Yet every Japanese prime minister paid respect at the Yasukuni Shrine (靖国神社) which listed convicted war criminals like Hideki Tojo and Iwane Matsui as martyrs.
22-JUL-2007
Parting Shot
As we were about to depart from the China Garden after dinner, this was the last time we shared a meal together as a tour group.
This restaurant has English and Chinese names but I did not see any German name.
Its Chinese name translates as "East Garden", probably referring to its location on Rathausstraße near the
Marx-Engels-Forum in what was once East Berlin