Budapest to Bari and Ukraine Friend

 Great 7:00AM, 40 minute cab ride to BUD airport. Lots of country-side sights and industrial areas we haven’t seen yet. Driver was interested in showing us several hold-overs from the ‘56 revolution. Buildings just now being repaired. Looking at what’s left, looks more like a war than an uprising; it obviously was. 

The impression of the airport is almost

modern with lots of older equipment and a few really old planes.  Our plane is an Airbus which we like but the plane next

to is is a 747 stretch that must be fifty years old. I see a four propeller engine DC something that must be 80 or so. 

High point of the airport time; met young business owner from Ukraine. Excellent English and to hear personal accounts of the war was sobering. He shared a cell phone video of two Iranian suicide drones being shot down near his business. His family is not in the war zones but thinks no areas are completely safe. Pray for Ukraine. 

If you read my blog about Captain Flood, Wizz Air, ace pilot, you know I was concerned about the eventuality that he would be our pilot. The stewards didn’t have any idea who he was; I gave them his Twitter account address. Would like to know what think after reading. 

Bari flight will take about an hour. We’ll get a car in the airport and begin our tour through Puglia. 

We landed in Bari about 11:45AM and secured our rental. Had preordered a Fiat but a good looking Eurocar agent talked me into a Alfa Romeo. What the heck, everybody deserves an Italian ride in Puglia. However, it took me and two Italian guys to figure out the GPS. 

We stopped in Polliagano a Mare on the

way to Monopoli and today is a Holliday. The place is postcard beautiful on the Adriatic and really busy with Holiday visitors. 

We drove in what I would call NYC traffic in Monopoli to get into he old town and find a free street parking place. Got parked and followed Google map for about 25 minute walk to get to our apartment in the old city. Tired but took off to get the lay of the land and found one of the restaurants recommended by our host. Had an hour before it opened so found a quaint pub overlooking the water and enjoyed a local Rose’. 

Dinner was, as almost always is in Italy, very good. We ate street side and the small lane we were on was full of Italian Halloween trick or treaters.

They looked for treats in the restaurants and shops, and got them. We’ll continue our travels and tales tomorrow. Jim

More pics

Good News Update

 I just heard from Mr Pancrazio Stridi, official historian of San Pancrazio, Italy and the town where my father flew all of his 376 Bomb Group missions In WWII. He wants to show us around the San Pan airfield and meet with the mayor as official visitors. Wow. Never been an official visitor before. We’ll be going to San Pancrazio on Wednesday and I will report. Grateful and emotional. Jim

Sunday Afternoon in Budapest

After attending church this morning, Hungarian Lutheran as it turns out, we had Hungarian lunch at a restaurant in an ancient stone building.  

Taking pictures of food is done for several reasons, it’s especially tasty, attractive or in a nice restaurant you want to brag about. We’ve taken a few to document that we really ate what the pictures show. Lunch was beef cheeks and a pasta that resembled Grape Nut Flakes and steamed cabbage stuffed with sauerkraut and crispy pork loin strips. Our soup was white bean soup with potatoes, pork knuckles and, of course, white beans. I have accurate digital evidence that will prove I’m not making this you know what up.  The other matter is that it was very good. 

Our afternoon was a trip to Pest and the Hungarian Parliament.

 It’s a 1902 structure but not medieval like many buildings you see in Europe.  Parliament has continued its one party governance since WWII, a carry over from the long communist rule. The Red star was removed from the building in 1990 after the fall of Commission but a unicameral legislature remains.  I think they have competing parties but they meet as one governing body. 

We pre-purchased tour tickets for the Parliament, and asked the concierge to get us cab with time to spare. It’s normally a twenty minute ride. With fourteen to go, the cab showed up; a cool looking guy with a hopped up Mercedes, where to?  Parliament, and we need to be there in thirteen minutes. Reply… no problem. LAS (long story short) we made it, didn’t hurt anyone, including ourselves and hit 110 Km/hr on Main Street, no you know what, no digital evidence but seriously, no kidding, true. 

We’re concluding our day in the hotel happy hour and looking forward to a good short nights sleep, leave for Bari in morning at 7:00AM. Talk later from Monopoli on the Adriatic. Jim and Pam 

See pics from today. 

View from our hotel room last evening. 

Pubic relations hall. 

Legislative chamber

Grand hall

I want to tell you about shoes in the first pic. Jews were lined up along the Danube and shot in the Axis extermination attempt. They were made take off their clothes and shoes before being shot and falling into the river.  The memorial of the shoes makes the times very real. How does that happen?  

Sunday morning in Budapest

Experiences are sometimes influenced by one’s perspective, and I admit to some preconceived notions of Hungary, they were right on.  However, the silver lining was Buda. 

Buda must be the suburbs and on Sunday morning, it has a been special treat to be here.  Well disciplined dogs leading folks around. Lots of foreigners, many speaking something other than English and church bells calling home folks to worship. On a whim, we entered a beautiful church just to see what was

going on, and decided to stay. We made a memory.  Words really didn’t matter that much, I don’t hear my own pastor very well but you could almost understand the sermon by his emphasis and body language. We’ve sat through enough Southern Baptist sermons to understand that body language. And, here comes the memory, we took communion. Just got up and walked down like we knew what we were doing, kneeled, prayed and took the bread and wine. We’ll remember that memory for a while.  Jim

Pest Market

 

We had to be out of our rooms this morning by 8:00 but we don’t have to disembark until this afternoon. Viking has arranged transportation to Hilton Budapest; our home for the next few days. We saved this morning to visit the market here on the Pest Bank. 

We walked about five minutes to the market, which is located in a huge building that reminds me of a European train station. The facade looks like most of the buildings here and, to me, much different than the other cities we’ve visited. I’m not sure if the many closed storefronts are victims of the virus or just victims. 

Paprika is food group in Hungary. 

Zoom in. 

The people of Budapest are businesslike and lukewarm, the “luke” part, I think, comes from the Forints they hope we will leave behind.  Not a fair statement from someone that’s been here less than 48 hours, and I’ll continue to assess. 

The buildings of Budapest were 80% destroyed during the war.  USA and U.K. bombed, but USSR and Romania laid siege and shelled it savagely. Hungarians had been known to participate in what was called “murder raids” when joining Germany in their arrack of Russia. 

Our taxi just let us off at the Budapest Hilton; nice place. It’s up the Buda hill and next to the Matthias Church. Pam has done it again. We have a great view of the Parliament. Will get a pic with the lights on tonight, supposed to be something. 

The taxi driver became our food critic on the drive over and we have some “real” local restaurants to try. One of the great travel opportunities is to eat, and Hungary, not being a culinary destination, isn’t going to alter our plans to indulge. 

See a few pictures of the Pest side. 

Few hand grenades to hang around your neck. 

Jim

Buda and Pest

 

We learned early on as we studied for our trip that Budapest was made up of two local areas divided by the Danube, Buda and Pest.  We also learned this morning on our tour there are two types of people who live in Budapest, those who live in Buda and those who want to live in Buda.  I guess every town has a good side, I’m glad south Jackson was the good side.

It’s been difficult to find adjectives and write descriptions of the cities we’ve been visiting to express the beauty and grandeur without sounding “broken record”, and I’m having a similar issue with Budapest, but different.  We see opulence as not yet seen and we see poverty as not yet seen.  It may have been in the cities we’ve visited but we’ve not seen it.  In Pest its hard to miss the fact the city has found it difficult to overcome the Soviet control and Communistic history of its past.  

 

Horse with the Golden Gonads, I don’t make it up, I just report it. Tradition says, ladies who rub the GGs get a wish that comes true. Difficult time getting Pam to move on. 

The mid 1950s seems to be a time of revolt and new found independence and reunification for European countries living under the influence of Communism or former Axis occupation.  There are exceptions, Berlin for one, but the Hungarian Revolt of 1956 saw a student protest group being fired upon by Russian troops and the actions evolved into a full-scaled Hungarian people’s revolution. Didn’t work out.  Russians used overwhelming force to put down the uprising and independence wasn’t secured until 1989.  I asked our attractive young Hungarian guide to verify that 1989 was the correct date that Communism was overcome and she replied, “it hasn’t happened yet.”  That’s a little what the city is making us feel.  

We will be spending the next several days here and hope to learn more and share more about this very interesting city.  Jim

Another Black Plague monument. Maybe we think about a Coronavirus monument. 

The strudel in Hungary is better than Austria. 

God Bless the USA and remember the Ukraine. 

Independence Day in Austria

 Fall travel, our preference for cool weather and light crowds, may also bring surprises, like celebration of a one sort or another. Today happens to be Austria’s National Independence Day and I couldn’t be happier for Austria, but as you would expect, brought big crowds and much pomp and pageantry… and I couldn’t be happier for us; it was quite an opportunity to join in the revelry.  

Airplane flyovers, marching military bands, outdoor classical concerts and just a bunch of happy folks, with some that remember the event in 1955.  We just hit it

lucky to be able to share it with them. 

Among the attendees were the Austrian defense.  The reunification treaty disallows a real army but they do have a significant national defense force.  The prime minister and the Secretary General were here and the defense force was out to respond if needed. Radar installations and, what I would say were anti-aircraft defense rocket trucks parked in strategic places covered with tarps.  Helicopters and medical trucks were also evident.  Interesting to see but sobering to know they might be called to action.  

After the war Austria was divided by the Allies (US, USSR, UK, France) into four sections, one each governed through a partnership of some sort.  A difficult management system from the outset and especially during the Cold War.  Around 1955 or so negotiations reunified Austria, and the nation identified as the first victim of Nazi Germany takeover aggression, again was governed by its own people. 

Even with the national event, our day in the city wasn’t sufficient to satisfy our interests, tomorrow time will help, but a return trip may be in order. Truly spectacular city. 

We have our first real loss of the trip, our attendance at a concert featuring the compositions of  Mozart and Strauss is sold out.  Another reason to return.

I will share various photos of the architecture and sights of Vienna with little information because so much was happening so fast I missed the info.  We’ll be cruising to Budapest tonight, and be there for the duration of the trip. 

Been great, but looking forward to being off the ship and wandering.  Jim

St. Stephen’s Cathedral: Vienna, Austria 

Over 400’ tall. Began in 12th Century, opened 1578. 

Pam. Began in 20th century 

Monument celebrating end of Black Plague 

Nuclear energy protest  

Later, Jim

Into Austria and Krems

 I’m finally understanding why the Danube is blue. It’s waters absorb the blue of the sky and meld to build a dark, deep purple hue that reminds one of the robes of royalty.  At least, that’s how the brochure Viking provides its guests describes the Blue Danube.  The brochure is not far from being absolutely correct.  The bright blue sky's of the day have verified the brochure to be correct.  Big difference from yesterday and the Weather Channel is predicting the next few day will be likewise sunny.  It won’t matter; if the good forecast changes, our good fortunes won’t.

The day’s cruise through Austria’s Wachau Valley to Krems, featured medieval castles overlooking small

villages and terraced vineyards.  The terrain was steep and hilly but not mountainous (it would be mountainous at home) and the grape vines were meticulously placed and groomed.  The recent cool temps had begun the Fall color change, and while the views were striking, we are about two weeks early to see the peak colors.  

I read that agriculture in the Valley dates to 800 AD, and was first believed to be by the Monks of the early monasteries and that the terraced plantings began in the 1700’s.  Grapes grown for wine production are the major crop but apricots and other fruits are also grown.

The Gottweig Abby is just a few miles from Krems and it sits on top of one of the highest elevations of the area.  

Our visit there was just as striking as our other Abby visits and we came away with the same overwhelming feelings of wonder… how was such a structure possible in the eleventh century. Forty monks live in the Abby and take care of all maintenance, including management of the vineyards and many acres of woodlands.

We just docked in Vienna and the lighted skyline appears to be one of a large metropolitan city, which I am sure it is.  We’ll be looking for the old town tomorrow.  Pam and I are looking forward to our first visit to Mozart’s city of choice.

During our river trip today, we came within a few kilometers of Steyr, Waidhofen and of Saint Polten Austria.  Those cities are significant to us as Vic, Ry’s and my father, was shot down in WWII after bombing Steyr and bailed out of a damaged B-24 bomber to be captured in Waidhofen and spending his first night in captivity in the city hall jail at Saint Polten. Please don’t forget our country’s heroes.  Jim