Today is an approximately eight hour bus ride to Budapest with a surprise diversion to Vienna. The first four hours on the bus gave us an excellent opportunity to see the Czech countryside. At times, we felt we were driving through upstate New York with rolling hills, farms, and trees. Only the architecture of the local farm houses gave us a clue that we were not in America. The four hour trip gave us two other opportunities. The first was to catch up on some much needed sleep. The second, and more importantly, gave us a chance to reflect on what we have seen and heard to date. Clearly our emotions had numerous ups and downs.
Prior to entering Vienna, we saw the new crop of Czech grapes for wine, as well as various other crops. The one striking part of the landscape was the numerous windmills for generation of electricity. They appeared to be a crop unto themselves.
Vienna appeared to be a city similar to London. Much has been rebuilt since the war. The old city charm was lacking when compared to Prague and Krakow. Although our stay was brief (two hours), we were able to see the royal palace, concert hall, and sample Viennese pastry while watching people pass by.
Sam and Januse provided us with historical information that added to the surroundings.
Our arrival into Budapest was at twilight, highlighting the old charm of the buildings. After a brief rest, we all walked to a Hungarian restaurant for a delicious vegetarian meal.
