Vacation - Part one (08/08 - 08/12, 2010)

One thing I love about Eric's job in the military is he accrues 'use or lose' leave....which means mandatory fun! The only difficult part of this vacation was choosing where to go with all the amazing options in front of us. Eric quickly solved that little 'problem' by making plans to visit many of the ski resorts in Austria and Germany so he could better plan for our winter ski vacation. OK by me - all of these locations are beautiful in the summer!

We'd found a kennel just outside Gyor that was pretty new and looked really nice, so Sunday morning we took Chip there and managed to convey the necessary info to the non-English speaking kennel owner and drove off hoping they would take good care of our sweet puppy. Around lunchtime we stopped in Sopron, a beautiful Hungarian town closer to Vienna than to Budapest and sporting many signs in German. Back in the early 1920's Sopron made the choice to remain part of Hungary instead of being included as part of Austria - so in tribute to that decision, 'The Gate of Loyalty' was erected. After walking around a bit we started looking for a fun place to eat lunch. We found one based on an old time American saloon that specialized in steaks cooked over an open fire. We figured we could find something there TJ would eat. It ended up being a pretty pricey lunch but very good. After lunch we were on our way to Austria.

Our first night we stayed in Bad Mitterndorf, a possible ski destination. It was clear early on that one of the major sources of income in Austria is tourism. With it's breathtaking scenery, awesome ski resorts and down right charm it's no wonder that most of the towns we drove through have streets lined with Bavarian Gasthauses, colorful flower boxes decorating their windows. The countryside was amazingly lush and green for August, a fact that became less surprising as we discovered an umbrella is something you should have close at hand no matter what your plans. By the time we arrived in Bad Mitterndorf I was seriously trying to think of ways to afford a vacation cottage on one of those picture perfect slopes. Our room included a private deck with a view of the alps, a delicious breakfast and an indoor pool (a rare feature in Europe). Of course TJ couldn't wait for us to get into our suits, although when we finally did he wanted right back out since it wasn't heated and the initial dip took your breath away. Being sympathetic parents, Eric and I forced him to stay in with us and swim! No way were we going to go to the hassel of getting into suits and getting wet and then let him wimp out on us. After moving around a bit we warmed up (or rather became numb enough to stand it) and stayed in for a fun swim.

From there we went on to Zell Am See, a charming town with beautiful views of the Alps (remember we were on a mission to find the best skiing available come winter) and a bustling walking district. America needs to develop some walking streets with shops and restaurants and no cars. We found great pizza and of course ate outside at one of the many umbrella covered tables, enjoying watching people stroll by and children playing. We loved our room that overlooked all the action and had a lovely view of the church (which was made less lovely as the night went on and the bells continued to ring on the hour...ending at midnight and beginning at 6 AM). We eventually made it over to Berchtesgaden in Germany, also referred to as The Eagle's Nest. A hideout that was gifted to Hitler and has a notorious name but was barely visited by him. All the same it was a bit creepy to be there. The views were pretty amazing and we could totally see why it's called The Eagles Nest! From there we made our way back to Papa for a brief rest, quick batch of laundry and re-packing to prepare for Part two - Italy.


Wow - I just clicked back onto my blog almost one year later. There is much more detail I could have written about this first BIG vacation we took while living in europe, but with so many under our belt since I'll just post this unfinished one and start from there.

Bratislava, Slovakia July 31 - Aug 1, 2010

Before moving to Hungary I had never heard of Bratislava. And after being in Papa a few months the only thing I knew was it was close (about 1 1/2 hours away) and that is was interesting. So when John and Eric settled on going there for the weekend I was curious but with few expectations, and excited when I learned that Cherub and Dan were joining us with their two kids, Logan - 6 months old and Anson - who is a dog but also their 'first child' and every bit a member of the family. TJ was thrilled to know Anson would be with us and looked forward to playing with him.

The Burnett's had left several hours before and were settled into their apartment by the time the rest of us hit the road. When we reached the border of Slovakia we had to pull over so Eric and Dan could buy the necessary vingettes (a tag that is essentially a toll to use the super highway) allowing us to drive without paying a huge fine. The border crossing looked much like the toll plazas in Jersey except old with peeling paint. One of the interesting things about the traveling we are doing while here is I'm learning/re-learning about geography and history. Like everyone, I took History in school and actually liked it. I also had Geography which was less interesting, something that is becoming embarrassingly obvious. For example, driving into Slovakia, Eric (who has always been great at geography, made even better at it with a job that takes him all over the world - a job that requires him to know where he's at and where he's going) 'reminded' me (is it a reminder when I forgot I ever knew this) that Slovaki is only part of what used to be Czeckoslovakia and is now divided into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Light bulb moment....it's coming back to me....sort of. When you visit different countries, especially when you drive to them, where they sit on a map begins to become fixed in your brain. Nice.

Entering Bratislava, the irony of Europe is apparent with modern buildings rising amongst the more beautiful ornate edifices that have stood the test of time. As we crossed a sleek modern bridge into the old city, Itried to snap pics from the car of the castle up on the hill. I couldn't wait to climb up and see it up close! Good thing Eric had gotten a good feel for the city on google because the streets were a confusing web with cars zooming past us. I was lost before I even got there! But Eric managed beautifully and drove to a street very close to where we were staying. Eric found a parking place in an open spot and we wondered if it would be safe to leave the car there overnight. John and Toni had found parking for 56 euro per night and had opted for street parking instead - but they had a rental car. After a little discussion we decided to take a chance.
Toni had found us the rooms on the walking street. Instead of staying in a hotel this time we had seperate apartments that were really cool. Since they had gotten here ahead of us they had picked up the keys so all we had to do was bring in our luggage. Our key opened an exterior door right off the walking street into a small courtyard. We walked up the old stone stairs to the 3rd level and used another key to open our apartment. It had been renovated and had 2 bathrooms (one huge with a spa tub and seperate shower), a small kitchen, a livingroom with a fold out couch for TJ and a bedroom with a fireplace for Eric and I. The bedroom and livingroom windows looked out onto a small courtyard. It was cute and roomy and the weather was such that the lack of AC wasn't going to be a big deal. One inconvenience we have faced with many of these older hotels is they usually only offer one room key which makes it a bit tricky at times if Eric and I want to go in different directions, but we've managed it ok. After getting our things settled we went down to the street to meet up with the Burnett's and wander around a bit. The kids loved the sense of freedom to be on a street without cars and dashed joyfully around. I think I felt a little of their excitement, I just had to channel it in a more appropriate and grown-up fasion! Soon we walked a few streets over and met up with Dan, Cherub and little Logan. They had gotten a room at the Radisson hotel close by. We made our way through the walking street to an restaurant with outdoor seating, a perfect way to enjoy the evening air and give the kids room to stretch while the adults talked. After dinner we strolled to the center plaza where an orchestra was set up on a stage. The setting was perfect with stars appearing as the sky turned dark, the elegant old buildings lit and a mixed crowd of people all enjoying the music. Looking around I wondered how we Americans had gotten so far away from this type of "community" where people of all ages gathered and enjoyed such simple things. I love the slower pace of europe. The guys walked the rest of us back to our rooms, locked us in with the one key per room and wandered off for a little male bonding.

Next morning the kids were awake (and therefor the mama's too) long before the daddy's were ready to start their day. Toni and I brought the noisey little creatures down to the street in search of breakfast. We had seen a lot of fun eateries the night before but discovered most of them didn't open until a more civilized hour....which meant good ole McDonalds! Before we headed in that direction I wanted to make sure our car had made it through the night safely so we walked the few blocks to where it was parked, only to discover it had a boot on the front tire. Lovely. I sent Eric a text sharing this fun little tidbit (there went his idea of sleeping late) and then we took the kids to McD's. By the time they finished eating Eric and John were awake and dealing with the boot so Toni and I got packed up and ready to check out. It ended up working out great because the paid parking was 56 euro a night and Eric talked the guy that took the boot off the car down from 60 to 30 euro - who knew illegal parking was such a good deal!

After re-parking in an acceptable location we met up with the Langs (including Anson, much to TJ's delight) and set off for the castle. I love walking the narrow streets of these cities and marvel at the intricate details of even the simplest buildings. The castle itself was in a beautiful setting on top of a hill and we were treated to a view of the city and the Danube. Just below the castle we discovered a park with play equipment, just what the kids needed. At this point we left them with their daddy's and Toni, Cherub and I enjoyed several hours of girl time. As much as we love our kids it was so nice to be without them and have a chance to think only about us and what we wanted to do! We found a Cuban restaurant and enjoyed a leisure lunch of food you can't find in Hungary, which included the best mojito I've ever had. And then, just because we could, we went to the yummy bakery we had spotted the day before and ordered dessertand coffee! Just as we were finishing up Cherub got a call from Dan with the news that Logan had had a blow-out and was currently sporting only a diaper and swaddled in a small blanket and screaming for his mama (as only a nursing baby can). We finished the afternoon at the cheese shop and left the city with a selection of delicious cheeses.

So far, of all the places we've been, I love Bratislava the best!