Prague, Bratislava, Budapest and Vienna (insanely long and late post)

We headed out for Vienna, from Dresden on 6/17, but stopped in Prague for the day. This is the second time Wade and I have been here and the first for Keely. There are a lot of hidden gems and we will probably make another trip. We did a free walking tour (tip of choice at the end). Ian took us on a route we didn’t go on the first time. We learned a little more this time too. My absolute favorite it the astronomical clock. To think, people created this intricate clock over 600 years ago. It’s more impressive that it is spot on (when it’s not daylight savings time).

When you watch the hourly chiming, there is a lot going on.

Did you see the skeleton ringing the bell? Did you see him nodding his head? Did you see the figures on either side of the skeleton shaking their head no? Did you see all the “relics” appearing in the doors that open? Did you see and hear the rooster at the end?

We also learned about “Stumble Stones”. They are a profound way to remember people that were forever changed by the Holocaust.

After the tour, we headed to the Lego museum. No, Legos weren’t developed in Prague. The Danish have that claim. However, a Czech man holds the world record for most Legos. He has opened a museum in Prague. There were A LOT of Legos. Keely was in HEAVEN!

After we had a tasty Czech dinner and headed to Vienna. Our hotel is on the Danube. Did I play The Beautiful Blue Danube Waltz by Strauss when we got in our room at midnight? Sure did!

The next day we headed off to Bratislava. There was a Marie Antoinette exhibit at the castle. Marie Antoinette’s mother, who was a Holy Roman Empress and Queen of Bohemia spent time there and Marie Antoinette’s sister had lived in the castle as well. We explored Bratislava, but our Bolt driver insisted that Budapest was where we really should be going. So, that rolled around in our head while enjoying Bratislava.

After much discussion, we decided to visit Budapest the next day (6/19). I mean, it was only a 2.5 hour train ride…..and they had a cat cafe. So, off to Budapest we went! Budapest was a lovely city that is steeped in history. We did find it kinda funny that in order to quell some protest over a communist monument, they installed a Ronald Regan and George Bush Sr statue.

Budapest also has an extremely sobering monument to those taken by the Holocaust. At one point, they could no longer put Jews on the trains to send them to camps. Instead, they marched them to the river, had them disrobe, shot them and let the river carry them away.

We started 6/20 in Vienna at Mozart’s apartment. However, you can’t take pictures inside soooooo….yeah. We then meandered over to Hofburg Palace. Hofburg is the second largest palace in the world by interior square feet. The Louvre in Paris is the largest.