Vienna, Austria!

Guten Tag aus Wien, Österreich! Finally I have a chance to dust off my high school German as we arrived in Vienna, Austria, early this morning. The good news is the heat wave has subsided and we were able to tour this great old city in the breezy 70s. The first thing we noticed was that we need to return. The “City of Music” (think Mozart, Haydn, von Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Mahler and Schoenberg, not to mention Strauss) is too rich in culture and history not to spend more time here than a river cruise allows.

I got my cathedral fix with the stunning St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Austria’s most eminent Gothic edifice. It continues today as a Catholic Church, and is undergoing a cleaning that is revealing its beautiful nuanced limestone. Vienna’s architectural styles range from classic to modern, as well as some of the best known examples of Art Nouveau in the world.

Moving on to the complaint department, the boat is rife with disgruntled passengers. We have been directed to pack up our things for a boat transfer in the morning when we dock at Melk, Austria. Originally we were booked on the longship Rinda, and at the last moment upon embarkation in Budapest Saturday, we were loaded onto the Tor. We are happy on the Tor, which is a twin of the Rinda (both launched this year), and one of the advantages of a cruise is the absence of the need to pack and unpack. Viking is doing a poor job of telling us exactly why the need for this disruption. I’m thinking complementary cocktail hours until we reach Amsterdam in 11 days time would quell the masses. Ich trinke zu!

Imperial Palace:

Let’s use the stairs . . . as a canvas for art!

I’m outta here!

Okay, this takes the cake. A swimming pool on the River Danube. Look closely and you’ll see lap swimmers:

More street scenes:

St. Stephen’s Cathedral:

Nighttime Sail Away!

Our sail away from Budapest last night was magical, as the bridges and buildings on the River Danube were ablaze in lights. Tom’s images captured the golden light as we glided by on the Viking longboat Tor, bidding adieu to Hungary’s capital.

Budapest, Hungary!

We boarded the Viking River Cruises’ longship Tor in Budapest, the capital of Hungary. This landlocked country is the heart of Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Romania, Serbia Montenegro, Croatia and Slovenia. We arrived here yesterday by motor coach from Prague, Czech Republic. With stops, the ride was about seven hours on a road known as “the longest stairway in Europe.” Bumpity bump bump bump. It’s hot here. Probably close to 100 degrees, if not that. The locals tell us this is unusual. I bet it’s the new usual.

Budapest is the merging of two cities, Buda and Pest (pronounced Pesht), separated by the River Danube. The city is full of baroque, neoclassical and art nouveau architecture, which we enjoyed on our morning tour today. The star attraction for me was the beautiful Matthias Church, constructed in the florid late Gothic style in the second half of the 14th century and  extensively restored in the late 19th century. Today it is once again undergoing a refurbishing.

About our riverboat, the Tor. She was launched this year and carries 190 passengers. She is a “green” ship, featuring energy-efficient hybrid engines, solar panels and an organic herb garden on the top that provides the chef with fresh ingredients. We’ll be on board for two weeks and are very comfortable in our two-room suite with WiFi and balconies. Tonight we are underway to Bratislava, Slovakia on a two-week cruise on the Danube, Main and Rhine rivers to Amsterdam.

From Buda, looking to Pest:

Parliament:

The River Danube:

The Chain Bridge:

Matthias Church:

The funky Deloitte building caught our eyes, and provided a counterpoint to the classical architecture:

 

Prague, Czech Republic!

We are quite taken with this picturesque old city settled in the ninth century along the River Vltava. Apparently many others are too, for it is crowded with tourists who have come to see the splendors of the capital city of the Czech Republic. We have met our friends here, Jerry Milanich and Maxine Margolis of NYC, with whom we are spending the middle segment of our summer adventure. We viewed the red rooftops of the city from the grounds of Prague Castle, which dominates the city, as well as from one of the many river boats that ply the Vltava. A walking tour provided us with street scenes, including across the 14th century Charles Bridge through the gate to the old town. Seriously, I can’t get enough of rooftops, and Prague’s are right up there (ptp) with the best of them.

St. Petersburg, Russia!

Crossing the border into Russia from Estonia was a little weird. A friendly “Welcome to Russia!”? Didn’t happen. We got off the bus, marched into the security point and presented our passports. Then a guard swept the bus with a flashlight over, under around and through. Not sure what she was looking for. Then we rebounded and once we were settled in our seats another guard came through and examined all of our passports. Just to make sure. Sure of what I am not sure. We held our collective breath and drove across the border headed to St. Petersburg. The outlook improved as we approached the city:

Cruise ships are big business in St. Petersburg. It is known as the Venice of the north. Peter the Great start constructed this city from marshland in 1703 and today it is a city of canals with the Neva River the main waterway.

While I read Robert Massie’s “Peter the Great” and “Catherine the Great,” nothing could have prepared me for the actual palace interiors we saw. Jaw-dropping, to say the least. These images are of the Hermitage, former palace of Catherine. It is now an art museum housing Peter the Great’s collection, including the “udderly” interesting painting of a cow:

One of my favorite places was the Russian Orthodox Church of the Spilled Blood. The entire interior was of mosaics. Not a painting in the place. The exterior is iconic:

St. Isaac’s Cathedral, the largest Russian Orthodox Church in the city, was also a sight to behold:

And then there is the fabulous Peterhoff, Peter the Great’s summer palace with its magnificent self-sustaining fountains that use the tides from the Bay of Finland below. Peterhoff does justice to its inspiration, the Palace of Versailles:

Helsinki, Finland!

The colorful market greeted us after our ferry docked at the terminal in Helsinki, Finland,’s city center. We took a day trip 50 miles across the Gulf of Finland from Tallinn, Estonia. Helsinki was a change of pace after all the Medieval cities we have visited the past couple of weeks. It is only a couple of hundred years old, so much more modern in its look and feel.

We saw the city by Hop On Hop Off and enjoyed the architecture from the streets:

The Three Smiths Statue in downtown Helsinki  was unveiled in 1932 and depicts three naked smiths hammering on an anvil They represent the workers of Finland who raised money to erect a building for Finland’s students:

The Helsinki Cathedral dominates the Senate Square, and I couldn’t resist showing you the statue of Finland’s favorite czar, Alexander II, who also graces the square:

We were lucky to be in Helsinki for the 2013 Tall Ship Races and had to opportunity to view the while they were in port:

Tallinn, Estonia!

Tallinn, Estonia, lives up to its reputation as a charming medieval city. It is the oldest capital city in Northern Europe, situated on the Gulf of Finland 50 miles south and across from Helsinki, Finland. Its Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site oozing in charm, if not a little sadistic with its cobblestone streets. Luckily, it has retained its medieval charm and escaped the ruinous bombing of World War II. The country is still struggling from the Soviet Union’s hold on it until 1991 when it became independent from the USSR.

I awoke at 4:40 a.m. the first morning here. The sun was just about to rise, as the nights are short here this time of year. This was my wake-up call out our 12th story room:

Scenes from the Old Town, including the wonderful Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the city’s main Russian Orthodox cathedral.

  

A drive 15 minutes out of Tallinn took us to the Estonian Open Air Museum where we got a glimpse of true Estonian countryside and village life of the serfs in old Estonia:

Modern-day Tallinn:

Soviet-era apartments:

 

Hill of Crosses in Latvia!

This is a reblog from my 52-Week Challenge blog on the theme “Faith.” This surreal scene on the Latvian landscape is surely an unforgettable sight we won’t forget.

Latvia!

We noticed no one had checked our passports since we entered Europe via Paris. Subsequently, our passports weren’t required in Belgium and Lithuania. Sylvia, our guide through the Baltics, reminded us they wouldn’t be required as we left Lithuania and entered Latvia, either, because all these countries are members of the European Union. Aha! We had forgotten that! We cruised across the Latvia border at 60 mph, no stopping. Until we arrived at Latvia’s only palace, the Palace of Rundale, a wonderful Baroque palace built  between 1736 and 1740 as a summer residence for Ernst Johann Biron, Duke of Courland. The palace was designed by Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, who designed the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. And a nice little summer cottage it is, gardens and all:

Go to my 52-Week Photo Challenge Blog to see the most unusual feature on the Lithuanian landscape near the Latvian border: http://lizcantarine.wordpress.com/2013/07/14/week-51-faith/

 

 

Riga is the capital of Latvia and is a major seaport on the Baltic Sea. Founded in 1201, Riga’s historical centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site noted for its Art Nouveau/Jugendstill architecture and 19th century wooden architecture. A walking tour our first morning here acquainted us with the architectural styles. Street scenes from Riga:

The Library:

At the open-air market:

What’s not to like about mouse slippers?

Sunday morning and what better to do than go to church! Actually we went to two churches. Latvians are equally divided as Lutherans and Catholics, so we visited a church of each. The Lutheran church, the Dome Cathedral or Riga Cathedral, is the largest medieval cathedral in Baltic countries. Its 19th century organ boasts 6,718 pipes and is one of the world’s most valuable historic organs: The church began as St. Mary’s Catholic Church. After a few iterations throughout the centuries, it is now Lutheran.

What’s that? Another castle, you say? The Turaida Castle ruin overlooks the picturesque Gauja River valley. Built in 2014, demolished in 1776, Turaida Castle was partially reconstructed in 1972 and today is one of the most picturesque medieval castles in Latvia. A (cute) piper welcomed us to the castle:

Vilnius, Lithuania!

Brussels to Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, s two hours on Air Brussels. We arrived at our hotel just in time to meet our new Odysseys Unlimited group of 22 travelers for the next two weeks as we travel by motor coach all the way to St. Petersburg, Russia. Our friends Bill and Donna from Sarasota are part of the group. Our room at the Radisson Blu Hotel overlooks the gorgeously peachy pink St. Kasimir’s Catholic Church, built by the Jesuits from 1604-1616. It is one of the first Baroque churches in Vilnius. Pointing my camera to the left I focus on the Old City Center, or square:

Lithuania is predominantly Catholic, with 400 Catholic churches. While we didn’t enter all 400, we did enter a few, and Peter and Paul Catholic Church, with its 2,000 sculptures and beautiful metal and crystal ship hanging in the nave, was my favorite:

A morning trip 16 miles out of Vilnius took us to the medieval town of Trakai and its restored castle on a lake island. I found my knight in shining armor and also found a good place to keep Tom! What do you think?

This touristy area in Trakai was a modern-day contrast to the castle across the lake:

Lithuania will never forget, thanks to the Genocide and Resistance Research Center of Lithuania, aka KGB Museum, aka the old KGB prison for resisters during the Nazi Germany and Russian occupations. Hundreds of thousands of Lithuanians were arrested, imprisoned, deported and executed. We took a chilling tour of the museum. Prisoners were killed here and buried in mass graves in Vilnius by the dark of night.

Prisoners were allowed one trip to the bathroom a day.

When the secret mass graves were eventually discovered, many personal effects were found, including these shoes:

The KGB Museum experience was sobering, so it was nice to see these Lithuanian cute little munchkins in the street afterwards: