Capitals of Eastern Europe

Returned last week from our three week trip to Easter Europe - what a an amazing journey!  Three weeks was the longest amount of time we had ever been away from home - and we learned SO much history that our heads are still spinning.  That, and the jet lag!

We enjoyed this trip on the Viking Kadlin. We boarded the boat in Vienna, Austria.

A beautiful city with so much gorgeous architecture...

A visit to St. Stephen's Cathedral

I guess some people get confused...

Old and new...side by side

A great local guide gave us the history of Vienna 

Cold and windy in Vienna, so back on the ship for hot chocolate and time to read my book set in WWII Vienna while IN Vienna!

A concert of Strauss, Mozart, and other artists with champagne at intermission

Opera singers, dancers, and great music

It is traditional to have goulash after a concert in Vienna...so Viking set up a lovely late night treat for us!

Our guide told us how to use the Vienna subway and we braved it on our own...

Found our way to the Albertina Museum and enjoyed a great exhibition

Back to the ship for dinner where the wine flowed freely..

Then John learned to waltz !

The next morning we arrived in Bratislava, Slovakia - I was thrilled since my grandparents emigrated from Slovakia in the late 1800's

Amazing street art all over the city

Small world - this priest was born in Slovakia and Wilkes Barre, PA is where I grew up!

This scale was in a beautiful old pharmacy...and good advice when on a trip where the wine, beer, and wonderful food is plentiful!

The Slovak beer was wonderful!

We were recognized as having been on the most Viking cruises among the passengers...14 !!!

The chef demonstrated how to make apple strudel...and we got to sample the delicious treat

That evening we won the music trivia game and got champagne and chocolates as our prize!

In the evening we sailed away to Budapest, leaving the Bratislava Castle behind...

Morning tour to see the cathedral and other sites

A long walk, but worth it, to the Food Hall to get some paprika to take home...

A great city for walking

Sad memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust ...shoes of victims shot and thrown into the Danube.  

A sobering thought while on a wonderful trip...

A free day in Budapest - we walked to the Terror House - a museum that was used by the Gestapo and then the Secret Soviet Police.  Another sad history...

Our ship took us to see the Parliament and Chain Bridge illuminated  before we headed down the Danube... 

Goodbye, Budapest - Now onto places in Eastern Europe that we had never visited before.  

Missed catching up with all the posts from my blog friends while we were away...and it is good to be home and get back into a "normal" routine.

Thanks so much for stopping by Our New Vista...love hearing from you, so please leave a comment below.  And come back to take the trip on the Danube to other ports in Eastern Europe!