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Budapest is bisected by the River Danube. Its 19th-century Chain Bridge connects the hilly Buda district with flat Pest. A funicular runs up Castle Hill to Buda’s Old Town. Trinity Square is home to 13th-century Matthias Church and the turrets of the Fishermen’s Bastion, which offer sweeping views. It was all incredible and of course over size on all counts. There is much restoration going on but it was impressive, and again offering wonderful views.

We’ve done a lot of walking over these two days. This morning we visited the Great Market Hall – selling fresh meat, vegetables, cheese etc along with traditional foods. We finally tried a chimney cake, which we saw in Prague but didn’t try.

The meats were an interesting colour. Corn fed poultry. Huge array of vegetables.

The original walls were built in the 1700s, forming part of the walls of a castle. A consensus among historians is that in the middles ages this part of the castle was protected by a guild of fishermen who also protected those that lived and worked below in the Fishtown. The current structure was built between 1895 and 1902. A small restaurant lies within.

The area began in 1247 and is rich in history. Other than the ‘occupation’ of war, this area is the administrative and political centre of State.

The Hungarian State Opera House was an example of 19th-century Hungarian architecture. Opened in 1884, it was modelled on the Vienna Opera House.

Our sunset cruise later on offered us the part of cruising which we won’t now experience due to the water levels. Darkness came after we finished and the glow was beautiful. Another good reason to always arrive a few days early. Budapest is a beautiful city.

Our train passed across areas of farmland, taking about 3 hours with the odd stop. The grain was all harvested with only sad looking sunflowers and maize remaining. We spotted a couple of pivots and the difference was obvious.

The taxi drivers at the station were in full rip off mode. No credit cards but would accept Euro or local currency and each had a different price. I showed them my uber query and suddenly the price halved! Good guy came to the rescue.

The warm temperatures of Sardinia have caught up with us again and the heat was intense.

The Liberty Statue stands high above the city in remembrance of those who’ve lost their lives for the independence, freedom and prosperity of Hungary, first erected in 1847, and now quite an expansive area for viewing the city.

A good wander around our area had us wondering which of Vienna or Budapest is nicer. Similar architecture and very old.

The currency is very odd with numbers in the thousands. 1000Huf is around $5.50 NZ. And again, like the rest of Europe it is expensive with our weak dollar.

Hungary is considered Central Europe but is sometimes labelled Eastern Europe due to historical and political reasons dating back to the Cold War when it fell under the Iron Curtain.

We decided the easiest way to get a quick overview is by bus and commentary and bought a two day pass. One circuit was two hours if you didn’t get off. Quite a long time but interesting. We were feeling a bit weary after all these long hot days so it was good to just sit. Lots of information – not all absorbed lol. We find we’re not eating until about 9pm when it’s cooler.

The Danube river is the second-longest after the Volga. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest of Germany south through the Danube Delta in Romania into the Black Sea. A large and historically important river, it was once a frontier of the Roman Empire.

The Donaukanal is a former arm of the river Danube, now regulated as a water channel, within the city of Vienna. It is 17.3 kilometres long and, unlike the Danube itself, it borders Vienna’s city centre, where the Vienna River flows into it.

Sadly no river has enough water at present and our cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam has been modified to now include 3 boats and a hotel stay to accommodate the dry legs. Damn. But hey, we’ve loved the summer weather.

Fact: 50% of Vienna consists of green space or water.

Allied Occupation (1945–1955): Divided into four sectors controlled by American, British, French, and Soviet forces before regaining full Austrian sovereignty in 1955. 

The official language is German but has a few different accents on some of the words. But the locals are very good at speaking English. Yay.

It’s nice to see a lot of cyclists here. There are many dedicated cycle lanes. The drivers are generally considerate.

This is one of Vienna’s municipal waste incinerators, producing energy for around 50,000 Viennese households (and heating and warm water for 60,000)

The facility was built in the 1960s, but needed extensive repairs after a fire broke out in 1987, and the artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser was persuaded to redesign the chimney and façade. He spent much time in NZ and designed the famous public toilets in Kawakawa. He died in Queensland.

Our last dinner here was a treat. Beautiful Sea Bass filleted at the table with yummy fresh vegetables which I’d been missing and a lovely salad. Limoncello for a finish.

Vienna is a beautiful city and it would be easy to stay longer. There is so much to see.

Next stop Budapest via train.

Today we climbed 343 steps within St Stephen’s Cathedral to enjoy the views over our district.

I was pretty happy with our fitness as there was a lot of huffing and puffing from the people around us.

Great to have clear skies for our view after yesterday’s drizzly one from the Palace.

The Opera House was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by two architects. Neither of them lived to see its completion, one due to illness and the other taking his life because of public criticism.

Wartime bombing damaged all bar the front wall and the front staircase. Previously built from timber, the 1950’s replacement is much stronger.

It was hugely successful and from September to June is full to 98% with a continuous season of operas The stage is 25m deep with a further 25m behind that. Various levels of ticketing exists including standing. Given an opera can last 4-5 hours that’s a long time.

The theatre holds 2200 with €300 being the most expensive ticket.

Once a year the seats are removed and the staging levelled to meet the floor. The elaborate Opera Ball takes place with the who’s who, including debutants, with tickets being €26,000 for a group box !!

Tonight we enjoyed a recital at the Palais Schönborn near the city centre including 3 violins a cello, double bass, and soprano and tenor singers.

Some familiar music was played including the Vienna Waltz, and a ‘Sommer’ from Vivaldi Four Seasons.

Apparently this is the room where Beethoven’s 9th symphony was performed for the very first time. This symphony is unique because it was the first major symphony to incorporate voices. By setting Friedrich Schiller’s poem “Ode to Joy” in the final movement, it broke the boundaries of purely instrumental music and established a new model for subjective, emotional expression that influenced generations of composers.  Ode to Joy was our wedding hymn. A happy coincidence.

Built during the 18th century this 1441 room palace is one of the most important architectural, cultural, and historic monuments in Austria. The history of the palace and its vast gardens spans over 300 years, reflecting the changing tastes, interests, and aspirations of successive Habsburg Monarchs. It has been a major tourist attraction since the mid-1950s.

The weather was a comfortable 27 degrees with a shower predicted.

Soon after these photos, the grey sky delivered a gentle rain and we sheltered under the trees for about 20 minutes before the sun returned.

Stunning and amazing to think anyone needed that much bling. The gardens were beautiful, along with many lovely tree lined avenues. There was also a Zoo within the grounds. Separate ticket required.

An easy 100 minute flight brought us to this beautiful city. It’s soooo clean. Only a little bit of graffiti from the drive in. Our driver was Vienna born, but of Turkish descent so we had a small German speaking lesson too!

The hotel is smack bang in the centre in Stephansplatz beside the beautiful Cathedral.

Our room wasn’t quite ready so we enjoyed lunch overlooking the square and people watching.

It’s hard to walk past these impressive buildings no matter how many we’ve been into.

The water flowing between upper and lower, filling the ponds and gardens came from a distant spring and was funnelled via empty tree trunks linked together with metal rings.

Before leaving home I discovered Volpension, a coffee and cake house/cafe concept run by grandmas and grandpas, and now helped by young people wanting to learn Viennese cooking plus they wait on the tables and take payment. We ‘paid’ for our cake from the kitchen with a token so they didn’t have to handle cash. These ‘mature adults’ would usually be at home alone and it has given them a new lease of life, the concept running since 2012. They are set up like a living room – Viennese love to read the paper and enjoy their coffee time.

Over the past ten years, the intergenerational team at Vollpension has served over a million guests, generating two million euros in additional income for seniors.

Summer is in full swing and several festivals have been on over the weekend. Very busy and warm but it was nice to have a drop in temperature in the evening.

Today marks half way into our travels. It feels like we’ve been gone for ages and yet it’s gone so quickly. We’ve enjoyed the very busy times along with down time in between. Today is a down day. Another repack of the suitcase to try and make it work better and a self guided walking tour opposite to where we’ve usually walked.

This morning we walked through the gardens which had massive magnolia trees.

The gardens are below the Castello walls upon which are museums and galleries, once occupied by a prison. Large metal frames still exist on some of the windows.

And we discovered more magnificently designed churches. They are everywhere.

All this exploring required energy so we indulged in these amazing cakes. Chocolate coated mango, and peanut, oozing appropriate flavour and crunch and washed down with espresso.

We are at the end of our time in Sardinia. It’s been wonderful. Not always easy – the language has been easier than last time but still something extra to consider. English is more widely spoken thankfully. The temperature has been as predicted. HOT!!

We did think it would have been easier to have gone to the beaches in Cagliari but one should never assume.

Arrivederci.

We took a tour in this green machine up, down and around the hilly city with an interesting and confusing commentary. Sardinia is yet another island that has had several owners including Spain and conflict in its lifetime. The area we are staying in, Castello is the medieval heart of the City where the nobility once lived, and was home to the middle class, including the merchants. Most of the current buildings are from the 17th Century. The city of Cagliari is 5000 years old! Mind boggling.

The origins of this Church date back to 1370 when it was built to offer spiritual assistance to soldiers engaged in the siege of the city. The Mercenary Fathers found a chest containing a statue of a Madonna – the Blessed Virgin of Bonaria – in water across the road. She became a symbol for the soldiers and is believed to have ‘bled blood’ when stabbed by a soldier.

Two cruise boats have been in the harbour today so the city is even busier. It’s sad to see graffiti everywhere plus many smokers and a number of beggars. There is also a very large police presence.

We spent siesta inside with our air conditioning. It really is too hot to be a tourist all of the day.

No swimming pools here. Lucky we have good books.

Earlier today people were setting up for some kind of musical blast with a DJ. We also witnessed someone performing CPR on a colleague. It was quite alarming as we will never know the outcome.

Delicious dinner – swordfish for G, a local favourite pasta dish for me. We passed on meat of the day – horse!!! A commonly eaten meat here. Hard to fathom. Lots of buskers out performing on a Friday night. Although it feels like every night is Friday, the waiter said it’s been a slow summer, blaming the Trump war.