European vacations

We went to Budapest with Vienna Sight Seeing Tour (http://www.viennasightseeingtours.com), and to Prague with Royal Tour.

We were very disappointed with Vienna Sight-Seeing Tour. There were only 7 of us in the tour. The tour was actually done by Euro Bus company. The bus company uses the same bus for the tour as well as for transporting bus passengers from Vienna to Budapest. The bus had to make a detour to Vienna airport to pick up more passengers.

Upon arriving Budapest, the bus made a detour to Budapest Euro Bus terminal to drop them off.

Vienna and its neighboring townships are some of the kindest, brightest regions in Western Europe. The streets of ‘Wien’, as it is called in German, are clean, populated and very quaint. There is am old-world charm about the place that reminds me of stories I read as a child about colonial America and Britain. The diminutive sidewalks and shopfronts are a welcome change from the more industrial cities of the U.S.- even the financial district is clean, bright and upbeat.

If you happen to visit Vienna and Budapest during your European trip, and would like to visit the opera house, I recommend going to the Budapest State Opera House–it is just as beautiful as Vienna”s, only it”s much much less expensive.

Though, perhaps not as widely known as Vienna”s opera house, Budapest”s opera is one of the best opera houses of Europe. It was initially built in 1884 after 9 years of construction, and it was built exclusively by Hungarian designers. It actually used to be called Kings Hungarian opera theater (Austro-Hungarian emperor Franz Josef was present during the opening ceremony). The opera house was reconstructed from 1980 to 1984, and hasn”t changed its look since then. It is absolutely beautiful inside and outside.

If "Do-Re-Mi," Edelweiss," and "Sixteen Going On Seventeen" are a few of your favorite things, then Salzburg is your kind of town. The hills are still alive with the Sound of Music–35 years after one of the most popular Hollywood movies was partially filmed here.

Actually, the movie wasn’t popular everywhere, certainly not in Salzburg. The tale goes that no self-respecting Austrian has seen, or if seen, liked the Sound of Music. The great majority of people you will see on the Sound of Music tour are American tourists.

Without consulting the Psychic Network, I will tell you that I”m 99.9% certain that the floors in your house or apartment are flat. What about the windows? Are they of the same shape? Are they horizontally on the same distance from the floor? Most likely.

Dining in Bratislava

After two years I visited Bratislava again, and decided to test the timeliness of my old Bratislava review. I took great pleasure visiting Bratislava”s restaurants, but was a little disappointed to find out that my review needed a complete overhaul. Bratislava has evolved, and now the city contains so many great restaurants that my previous selection became very obsolete. In order to fit in here all the restaurants I recommend I divided this review into several sections: snacks, bars and dining. Each section contains my favorite places.

Snacks

I just love Innsbruck! It’s such a fantastically scenic city, so rich in history and culture that I’d want to go there even if it wasn’t ringed by rugged mountains, offering a treasure trove of outdoor activities from skiing in the winter to hiking and rapelling in the summer. The city not only has inviting cozy inns and boutique hotels, but it has them at prices that mortals can afford. Same deal with the outstanding variety of excellent restaurants….there’s something for everyone, and there’s something for every budget.

The center of Palermo is Piazza Castelnuovo and Piazza Ruggero Settimo all in one big plaza in the center of the old historic section of town. It is here where for 5 Euros each-way you can get a 45 minute airport bus ride on a very clean air conditioned bus.

There are plenty of things in Salzburg to enjoy, many of which you can also see in Vienna. I have no choice but to make the comparison myself, because I decided to make it to the other side of the country, after spending many months enjoying the wonderful atmosphere of one of Europe’s greatest capital cities.

I did a semester abroad to Salzburg, Austria. I was in Salzburg for 6 months and traveled to 9 countries. I think Salzburg is one if not the most beautiful city in the world. It is centrally located in Europe therefore it makes for easy travel to Italy, Switzerland, France, Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, Holland, etc. The city is lovely at all times of year. They have a very interesting Christmas tradition and many festivals. The Salt mines are a must see, however, they are closed starting in November. You are quite close to Munich…1 1/2 hour train ride, so its convenient when Octoberfest is happening there. The Sound of Music tour was quite fun. It really depends on the group of people you have on the tour. Some are more memorable than others. The city is so safe. We would walk along the river at all hours, returning from bars etc, and never once were we approached or bothered. The city is VERY expensive. As exchange students with not a lof of money, it was expensive, but friend who have since traveled as "adults" still agree its expensive. The food is good - pending you can read the menu. No one or should I say, it will be hard to find someone who speaks English. Germany and Austria would prefer you to learn their language. Not a big deal, you will survive. The city really looks like its out of fairy tale. They have spot lights on certain buildings that really make them look beautiful. I recommend highly you visit Salzburg. Its 3 hours from Vienna if you are compelled to stay in Vienna. Its gorgeous, safe, and simply wonderful. A must for any world class traveler.