Author Archives: JB

Budapest, Hungary Today’s travels spanned the spectrum of things that this city can be proud of and things many wish had never happened. Starting with the glories of Budapest, near the top of the list has to be the newly restored State Opera House, which Don attended last night. He showed off its wonders toContinue reading “Treasures and terrors of the past”

Memento Park, outside Budapest, Hungary Yes, you can just feel the exuberance of the Hungarian people as the hated Communist regime collapsed in 1989. One of the most visible signs of their occupation was the vast array of Socialist Realist “art” used to reinforce their propaganda, left behind. It’s hard to drag a 20-ton statueContinue reading “Hooray! They’re gone!!”

Budapest, Hungary Today the highlight of our walk was the highlight of Budapest – its Parliament. Built in order to add glory to the 1896 millennium year, it is the most massive such building you will ever see, unless your travels take you to Romania or Buenos Aires.

Budapest, Hungary Over here on the Pest side of the Danube, it couldn’t have been a nicer day. I’m sure the same thing is true in Buda, but we didn’t get there yet to test that theory.

Bratislava, Slovakia If you had to pick the one day that you were going to spend here, you would pick today. The sun is bright, the skies are blue and the temperature is mild. It makes everything in this capital city sparkle, which is helpful in relieving the grimness of any remaining Soviet architecture.

Krakow, Poland Today was our time to wrap up with visits to some of the key places we hadn’t seen earlier. Many of those sites involved churches.

Auschwitz/Birkenau, outside of Krakow Having spent the day touring the most notorious concentration camp in the Nazi system, we were immersed in the atrocities inflicted on the Jews and the many other groups deemed undesirable by the Nazis.

Krakow, Poland Today we saw some of the most enduring parts of Krakow’s Jewish quarter, including its oldest cemetery and synagogue. 

Krakow, Poland We are now experiencing a real change of pace and place. After our idyllic stay in Cornwall, we took the train back to London’s Paddington Station, where we immediately boarded the Heathrow Express and found our way to an airport hotel where we got ready for our early morning flight to Krakow.

Polzeath, Cornwall It had to happen. The glorious weather that we reveled in yesterday has disappeared and some characteristic Cornwall rain and chill greeted us today.