Our Eastern European October… part eleven

It was finally October 10th, and we were due to move on to our next destination, Dresden, Germany. Bill and I visited Dresden for two nights in November 2008. The occasion was our 6th wedding anniversary. At the time, we lived near Stuttgart, having been sent there by the U.S. Army. We had little money in those days, so it was a big deal when I booked the five star Hotel Suitess. It was our first five star property.

I remembered enjoying our two nights at the Suitess, and I knew it was in an excellent location. It was also a lot less expensive than the five star Hotel Kempinski. So, in the interest of nostalgia, I booked the Suitess again.

But I was pretty sad to be leaving Kanonicza 22 on October 10th. I loved staying in the Prince Suite, with it’s gorgeous baltic blue, brown, and gold theme. I’d love that color scheme for my own house. On the whole, we really enjoyed Krakow, Poland. I hope we can go back. On a related note, I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many priests and nuns in one place, outside of Vatican City!

We had our last breakfast in the apartment after packing most of our bags. Bill schlepped them to the garage, leaving me with just my purse and rolling suitcase.

Then, once we were finished with breakfast, we made our way downstairs, said goodbye to the lady on duty, and walked back to the huge garage where our car was. I would absolutely book Kanonicza 22 again, given the opportunity. it was my favorite of all of our lodging on this trip.

Below are a few more shots of Krakow before we said goodbye… What a beautiful city!

When we left Krakow, the skies were sunny and bright. But soon, as we headed west toward Germany, the clouds came out. I don’t have a lot to write about the drive, except for the difference in the quality of roads between Czechia and Slovakia versus Poland was quite obvious. Poland was a lot easier to drive across, even with its tolls.

It was pouring rain when we decided to stop for lunch. We were at a Polish McDonald’s. Things have really changed since our first Polish visit in 2008. I remember going to a McDonald’s in Jelena Gora, mainly because it was the only place where we could find parking. None of the staff spoke English and they had to present us with a picture menu so we could order. Now, everything is done on a touch screen, and so many people speak English!

We happened to be at McDonald’s at the same time a large tour group of teens were there. Fortunately, we managed to order just before their arrival. It wasn’t until later in the trip that I realized just how lucky we were in our timing. But I’ll get to that in a future post. There was a cheap hotel next to the McDonald’s. It looked like one of those places that is totally automated.

*That kid looks how I have been feeling since we got home.*

It wasn’t long before we were crossing the German border. We were required to drive through a repurposed rest area that had been turned into a security checkpoint. Since we have German plates and look very much like Germans, we were waved through with no fanfare. I made a joke about how “hot” one of the cops was. Fortunately, Bill is a good sport about such things.

The rain continued as we arrived in Dresden. It was still familiar to me after so many years away.

Hotel Suitess is located in a pedestrian area, but it’s permissable to pull up in front of the hotel to check in. I remembered when we visited in 2008, there was a valet waiting to park the car. This time, we had to park outside and go into the hotel to check in. I noticed that they had also done some renovations. In 2008, there were two ways to enter the hotel, and the check in desk was at the bar in the hotel’s parlor. Now, the desk is set up in what used to be a corridor leading into the hotel. It seemed a little strange to me.

The lady who checked us in was nice enough. She didn’t offer us a welcome drink, though, and that was something I remembered that happened in November 2008. I had read in recent reviews that the standards at Hotel Suitess weren’t really what you’d expect at a five star hotel, so I wasn’t surprised about the lack of a ready valet or welcome drink. It was a little disappointing, though.

The receptionist asked us if we would mind forgoing housekeeping during our stay, since it was only three nights. She said this was for “environmental reasons”, but personally I think it’s more likely that the hotel doesn’t want to employ people to clean. It certainly didn’t give off five star vibes, although we agreed to skip housekeeping. I didn’t realize it at the time, but not getting the room cleaned resulted in a slight discount on our nightly rate. At least there was that, then.

I booked us an executive suite, which came with a bedroom, sitting room, refrigerator, and three TVs, including one in the marble bathroom. The room was big enough, but it looked like some of the frills from our earlier stay were gone. The bed was not made up with anything beyond pillows and duvets. The desk, while massive, wasn’t near any electrical outlets. The bathroom had a tiny shower and narrow tub, and no Hermes toiletries, as we had enjoyed in 2008. And this was our view…

*We had two big windows that overlooked two courtyards…*

I could see some traces of the hotel’s former glamor. The artwork in the room had little lamps over them. The color scheme was beige and gold, just as it was in 2008. But I got the impression that the place could use an overhaul. Below are some photos of the room.

*The blue pillows are ones we brought with us, because European hotels usually don’t supply pillows we like.*

And below is a picture I took during our 2008 visit…

*Notice the decor is the same, but the bed is more completely made up. We also got turn down service in 2008. We didn’t get that in 2026.*

Hotel Suitess was okay for three nights, but it’s definitely gone downhill since our first visit. If we go back to Dresden, I’ll probably go ahead and spring for the Kempinski, or try a different hotel. There are quite a few good ones to choose from now. The Suitess does have a spa area that I thought we might use, but as it turned out, we skipped the spa. I never got a chance to see if the whirlpool was heated. It wasn’t when we were there in 2008. And yet, I was still impressed in 2008… How things can change!

After we checked in and had a chance to rest for a few minutes, we decided to venture out. It was close to dinner time, so we went to the restaurant next door to see if we could get a table. They were fully booked, so we walked across the market square and wound up at a place serving typical Bavarian cuisine and Hofbrau beer, with wait staff curiously dressed in dirndls and lederhosen. A lot of the restaurants in Dresden were Bavarian themed, even though we were in Saxony.

We were lucky to get a table at the Hofbrau, because the tables were all reserved after 7:00 PM. We were there at 5:30 PM, so we had plenty of time to eat and enjoy a couple of brews.

After we ate dinner, we visited the shop across the way and bought a few things to tide us over until it was time to head home on the 13th. Below are a few more photos I took before we turned in for the night. Neither Bill nor I are big night owls, especially nowadays. And driving is tiring… but it was nice to be in Dresden again.

Tomorrow, I will write about our first full day in Dresden, Germany. It really is a beautiful city, and more people should visit it.

Czechia, Eastern Europe, Slovak Republic

Our Eastern European October… part five

Onward to Stary Smokovec, Vyoske Tatry…

On the morning of October 4th, we had breakfast in the hotel restaurant, and I heard a friendly British guy warning the waitress that some of his buddies would soon be descending on the hotel to play golf. That told me it was a good thing we were vacating the premises. Not that we have anything against Brits or golfers. It’s just that large groups in small venues tend to take over in an obnoxious way.

Chateau Cilheny does appear to be quite popular with Germans. Many of the people staying there were from Germany. In fact, a German couple saw us drive up in our car, with its plates from Wiesbaden, and proclaimed that we’re neighbors, as they were there from nearby Mainz.

I managed to finish reading my most recent book while we stayed at Chateau Cilheny, so I decided to write a review in the hour before we departed for Stary Smokovec, in Slovakia. Then, after we loaded the Volvo and checked out, we made our way east.

In retrospect, it was a good thing we decided to move eastward on Sunday. The Czech Republic has a lot of roads under construction, and on weekdays, they back up a lot due to more people on the roads and workers actually working. As it was, it took us over seven hours to reach our destination. I don’t actually have a lot to write about the drive, although I did see some magnificent scenery and vibrant autumn colors.

We got on a major highway toward Prague, and then drove onward to Brno. Bill had been in Brno the week prior for a business trip, and he had lamented about the terrible traffic and roadworks being done there. Fortunately, it wasn’t too bad on that Sunday.

We stopped for lunch at a very crowded and chaotic rest area that had a KFC and a McDonald’s. We opted for KFC, but Bill got himself a wrap that he said wasn’t very good. I was smart and stuck with original recipe, although KFC doesn’t taste like it did in the 70s and 80s. Especially not in Europe, where they don’t even give you biscuits!

I did get some nice pictures, though, as we drove through some very pretty country in Czechia and Slovakia.

Below are a few last images of Czechia…

And then we entered Slovakia…

The border took us through Trenčín, a city in the western part of Slovakia that I remembered from my 1997 visit. There is a large castle there, and you can see it from the road. I remembered seeing it as we passed it on the railway, too. I managed to get a few shots of the castle as we passed. If you happen to be in the area, you can visit the castle.

After awhile of driving on a pretty decent Slovakian freeway, the GPS directed us to a two lane road that was undergoing some construction. Bill got confused about a turn he was supposed to make, and continued going north. It was about twenty minutes before he realized his mistake, and the GPS put extra time on our estimated arrival.

I am not a big fan of using GPS, myself, so I got out my iPad and looked up a map of the area. I told Bill to take a different road going east, which I hope would get us back on track. Fortunately, my hunch turned out to be right. We drove through a few picturesque towns, as the sun began to set. I was astonished by how gorgeous the scenery was. The weather was beautiful, and the colors were absolutely brilliant.

The pretty views made it somewhat easier to take when we were stuck in a long queue of cars on a two lane road. It took about ten minutes to get through the jam, before we were able to make a left turn onto the road that we were originally supposed to be on, before our little detour. It was good that we hadn’t gone that way, because it was even more backed up, and from what I could tell, not nearly as beautiful as our unexpected detour had been. I kept thinking to myself that sometimes the deviations turn out to be welcome surprises for the senses.

We finally stopped for a pee break and some gas. Bill called our next host to let him know we’d be at panoraMic Mountain Residence within the hour. I chose this self catering accommodation because it got stellar reviews. I had considered booking at a hotel, and even thought maybe we’d like the nearby Kempinski, which overlooks a pristine lake. But the panoraMic Mountain Residence was a lot less expensive, and seemed to be right up our alley. It turned out to be a good choice, although we did have trouble finding it, once we got to Stary Smokovec. It was very dark on the roads, and we had no moon to help us with lighting.

Once we parked the car, feeling a bit punchy from the long drive, the host came out to show us our lodging. It was a very cozy apartment themed after the novella, “The Little Prince”, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. I have never read that story, but if I’d wanted to on our trip, I could have. Our host had copies in many different languages.

Below are some photos from our lodging. It was the least expensive place we stayed on this trip. For three nights, I paid $545.

*The host had this awesome masonry heater lit up for us on our arrival. We didn’t need it, though, because the temperatures were very pleasant.*

Bill told our host that we were hoping to get something to eat, since we hadn’t had a chance to stop for dinner. He very kindly called up the folks at Stary Smakovic— a local restaurant– and they advised that we could come there, but we’d have to leave immediately. It was about 7:30 PM, and they closed at 9:00. The host was even kind enough to lead us to the parking area, which we’d already found as we were looking for his apartment.

Stary Smakovic offered a lot of meat dishes. They had steak, burgers, ribs, goulash, and chicken, as well as local delicacies. I suspect this restaurant is especially popular with men, given how the waitress was dressed. It did the trick for us. Bill decided to have a traditional Slovak dish made with sheep’s cheese. I went with a surprisingly tasty cheeseburger, although my chair reminded me that maybe I should have had a salad.

On our way back to the apartment, we encountered a magnificent buck with a full set of antlers. He was very close to our apartment. I hoped we’d see him again, so that I might get a photo of him. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be. He sure was majestic, though, and seeing him set the tone of the magical beauty in this part of Slovakia.

And now, I’ll close this post, so I can start the next one fresh, with plenty of photos of the rugged Slovakian Tatra Mountains…

booze tourism, Czechia, Eastern Europe

Our Eastern European October… part three

After my rather dramatic and explosive first night in Karlovy Vary, I was ready for some breakfast. So after I did my morning hygiene routine, I made my way down that pesky spiral staircase and got dressed. We left our bags in the sitting room, because hauling them up that spiral staircase would have been a real pain in the ass. I wonder how in the world they got the furniture in the bedroom. I’m sure it’s easily explained somehow…

We went back down to the restaurant… the scene of the pickle crime that had me barfing hours earlier. They laid out a very nice buffet, with plenty of choices. Bill and I fueled up, and then headed out to the city for a few hours. The only thing on our agenda was visiting the Home of Becherovka, a museum dedicated to Becherovka herbal liqueur, which is made in Karlovy Vary.

On our way into the city, we encountered the first of many horse drawn carriages. Interestingly enough, it was in the news yesterday that Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York City has now brokered a deal to end carriage rides in New York. This measure, which has been discussed for years, has come about due to the death of a teen who was riding in a carriage in Central Park when the horse spooked and had an accident.

I have my own opinions about the carriages, but then, I am someone who literally grew up with horses. It’s important for them to have jobs. Most people can’t afford to keep horses as pets. On the other hand, there have been instances of abuse in the carriage industry. The horses we saw in Karlovy Vary appeared to be healthy and well cared for… but I am certainly no expert on this issue as it is in Eastern Europe. Bill and I did not take any carriage rides, but I did enjoy seeing and smelling the horses. I really miss having them in my life, but keeping them is expensive and requires a lot of hard work! They are wonderful company, though.

We found a paid parking lot on the immediate outskirts of the city center. I noticed some cops standing by. One of them had a cute little dog on a leash. I’ve never seen a police dog like this one…

*I’m not sure what job this pooch does…*

As we headed into the city, I instantly recognized the Teplá River, the warm river that flows through the center of Karlovy Vary. Teplá means warm in Czech, and the river is fed by the many hot springs in the city. I took some photos of the colorful buildings we encountered as we walked into the familiar environs. After almost 18 years, it was still pretty recognizable, even though we didn’t spend that much time there in 2009.

*A Mix Markt! This is a chain that specializes in products from the former Soviet Union. We have them in Germany, too.*

As we headed closer to the main square, I caught sight of a vendor who was making chimney cakes. I took a few photos for Bill’s daughter, who lives in Utah and loves them. Someday, Bill and I will have to try one. There were other things on sale, too… only I didn’t see any art.

*Except for the mushrooms, this grill smelled and looked great!*

Soon, we encountered the first of the mineral water springs, where one can taste the thermal waters. I remembered the gazebos from our first visit, which is also incidentally, where we found my favorite painting in my collection, back in 2009. I took a video of our first tastes of the water, after we bought spa cups. The spa cups are easy to find. They are sold in kiosks around the many springs.

Yes, that is a toilet. I have a very irreverent sense of humor.

Naturally, I took some photos, too… It was very helpful that the locals provided instructions on how to best “enjoy” the water. If you listen to my video, you will hear me say that it reminded of Gloucester in 1980. I grew up in Gloucester, Virginia, and in those days, the local water was pretty terrible tasting. It was full of sulfur. They have since put in a water system there, so the water is now better. My parents, fortunately, had a well, so our water wasn’t as gross in the early days of our time living there.

Karlovy Vary really is a very pretty city…

We had an appointment to visit the Becherovka Museum at 1:00, so we had to make our way to the other side of town. On the way there, I took a few more pictures, including one of a woman’s art. I wish we’d had the chance to go back and take a closer look at what she had. It turned out hers was the only art collection with paintings that we saw during our entire trip! Everybody had mass produced prints, instead of original artwork.

*I remember when beer spas were a novelty. Now it seems like they’re all over the place!*

It was raining on the way to the museum. We got there a little bit early, so we took the opportunity to use the bathroom. Then, we took our guided tour… Bill got us “exclusive tickets”, which meant we each got personalized bottles of Becherovka to take home with us.

The guide who did our tour spoke excellent English, and we enjoyed learning the history of this very special Czech drink. The museum is very interesting and well put together. I thought the exhibits were fun and engaging. And it was fun to try the different flavors of products made by Becherovka. We came home with several different bottles after our visit.

After we visited the museum, Bill and I had lunch at a local place… It wasn’t all that “special”, but it did give us a chance to people watch and enjoy some heavy local cuisine. Bill got to have some garlic soup, too, which is a local specialty in Czechia. I need to learn how to make it, because I think it would be good for when I’m sick. Sadly, I think I’m getting sick now. 😢

Once we finished our leisurely late lunch, we decided to head back to the hotel. As we walked out of the city, we passed a political rally, and stopped by the Mix Markt for some wine and a bottle of Ukrainian vodka from a producer we like.

On the way back to the hotel, we passed a body of water. I noticed a lot of people were going down to walk near it. There was also a picturesque looking hotel… but it wasn’t quite as cute as the one we stayed in…

*Our room was in the tower… the top three levels of windows.*

Since we had a late lunch, we decided to skip dinner. We enjoyed some Georgian wine in the room, along with a few snacks from the hotel’s vending machine. You have to use a credit card to use the machine. That is so weird to me, as someone who grew up in the 70s and 80s!

So ends our first full day on vacation. In the next part, I’ll write about our quick change of plans, and a visit to a Czech Globus!

Czechia, Eastern Europe

Our Eastern European October… part two

Stop number one: Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic

Our long awaited fall vacation began on Thursday, October 1, 2026. The first stop was Karlovy Vary. I chose it after agonizing over a couple of other cities I’d had in mind. I had based our trip around visiting Slovakia, a country I first visited in 1997, but had never really explored in any meaningful way.

Prior to this year, I had only visited Zilina, Slovakia in 1997, because I was meeting a couple of friends there for a train trip through western Europe. One of them was at the university in Zilina, getting training in Information Technology. Although I did get to spend a couple of days in Zilina, I wasn’t really there to do any significant touring. Bill and I did spend a few hours in Bratislava, back in 2015, but again, it wasn’t really much of a proper visit.

Once I had decided to go to Slovakia, I needed to figure out stops that would break up the trip. Slovakia isn’t that close to Germany, if you’re driving. Bill and I also don’t have the stamina we once had. I had originally considered stopping in Gorlitz, which is a German city right on the Polish border, but then I discovered other areas near Gorlitz that I wanted to see. I knew two whole days wouldn’t be long enough to satisfy me if we went there on the way to Slovakia.

That’s when I remembered lovely Karlovy Vary, a spa town that is also known as Carlsbad. Karlovy Vary is in the western Bohemian region of Czechia, but there was a time when it was annexed to Germany. Bill and I had visited Chodovar, a brewery, beer spa, and “wellness land”, for a long weekend back in February 2009.

I remembered venturing out to Karlovy Vary and Plzen on that trip, mainly because Chodovar is located in tiny Chodova Plana, and there wasn’t much to that charming hamlet, back in 2009. They have expanded the resort quite a lot since then, and in 2026, it might be interesting enough to spend the entire time there. But in 2009, we definitely needed daytime excursions. So, one day we went to Karlovy Vary. The other day, we went to Plzen.

In 2018, we visited Plzen again, and discovered garlic soup, as well as a very cool open air museum dedicated to communist era planes! I remember liking Karlovy Vary more than Plzen, back in 2009. Now that we’ve been back to Plzen, I definitely appreciate that city more than I did in 2009. But we were long overdue to see Karlovy Vary again, if only so I could get some pictures and taste the famous spa waters that flow there.

I booked us the Tower Room at the Chateau Cihelny, a bucolic property adjacent to several golf courses, located just outside of the city. Bill and I don’t care about golfing. We like unique properties, especially if they aren’t obviously part of a corporate chain. This hotel had the appearance of offering us a chance at peace and quiet. It also had a wellness area that I found attractive. As it turned out, we never got around to hitting the spa. Aside from the chateau, there is also a less expensive lodging option on the grounds that seemed more geared toward families.

On October 1, 2026, after Bill dropped Charlie and Noyzi off at the Hundepension, Bill and I loaded up the Volvo and headed east toward Czechia. Since Karlovy Vary is relatively close, we didn’t get started on our drive until late morning. I’d say it’s about a four-and-a-half to five hour drive from Wiesbaden. Below are a few photos from the drive.

*An example of a play area for kids in a German rest stop.*

We arrived at Chateau Cihelny in the late afternoon. Bill and I were both kind of tired from the drive, and the chateau turned out to be further out than we had anticipated. There is a tiny train stop near the hotel, but it had very limited service. Still, the property was very pretty, so we weren’t too upset about missing the city on the first night. We went into the hotel to check in, where we were met by an affable young man who spoke great English and had a droll sense of humor.

While we were checking in, the guy told us that we’d booked a very special room, but it was going to involve climbing a lot of steps. He was not lying about that! There is no elevator in the Chateau Cilheny, and I had reserved the Tower Room, which is a very unique and interesting room. You might even call it spacious… The room is in the chateau’s “tower”, which makes it different from the other rooms in the hotel.

The Tower Room, pictured below, has a spiral staircase in it. You have to climb those steps to get from the sitting room to the bedroom and bathroom. Bill counted thirty narrow steps. It was a bit of a pain… but again, the room was very unique, and offered a nice balcony overlooking the beautiful grounds. There’s also another spiral staircase in the bedroom, but that just leads to a locked, boarded up window. There is no point in climbing those, unless you just want some extra exercise.

To even get to the Tower Room, one must climb several long flights of stairs. There’s a bench and sitting area on the second floor, which came in handy for us as we went to our room. It’s definitely a place where you can get a workout, especially if you’re on the third floor, and staying in the Tower Room, which requires even more stair climbing. Who needs a Stairmaster?!

Below are some more photos from the hotel. I thought it was a very tastefully decorated place. I especially liked the art on the walls.

*I rested on that bench more than once!*

We decided to have dinner at the hotel’s restaurant. That also required a walk down steps, as it’s located in the basement of the chateau. The food and service were very good, and on the first night, they were playing excellent Generation X friendly music. Bill had trout, and I had pork knuckle that was removed from the bone. Along with the pork came delicious, fresh pickles that went down easy… especially with the Pilsner Urquell beer.

After dinner, we went to bed. The mattress wasn’t particularly comfortable, but I was tired and drifted off. A couple of hours later, I woke up desperately needing the bathroom. I realized, as I was sitting on the toilet, that I really didn’t feel well. Let’s just say stuff was coming out of both ends, although fortunately not at the same time. I was afraid that maybe I got food poisoning or something, but it turned out that wasn’t the issue.

Bill got up when he heard me vomiting. He asked me if I was okay. I was perfectly fine, once everything was purged. I later looked up pickled vegetables and learned that they can upset the stomach if you aren’t used to them. What a shame! Dinner was delicious, and I truly enjoyed the fresh pickles. I probably should have just tasted them, though, because I think that’s what didn’t agree with me.

I went back to bed and managed to fall back to sleep. The next morning, we enjoyed our first breakfast at Chateau Cilheny, and a trip to the city, where we tasted the water and visited the Becherovka Museum. I’ll write more about that in the next installment.

Czechia, East Germany, Eastern Europe, Polska, Slovak Republic

Our Eastern European October… part one

An introduction of sorts…

Well… as I wrote yesterday, we are now home from our epic autumn journey to Eastern Europe. I write Eastern Europe because our almost two weeks away took us to FOUR different countries! We visited Karlovy Vary, Czechia (or Czech Republic, if you prefer). Then, we went to Stary Smokovec, Slovakia (or Vysoké Tatry). From Slovakia, we moved on to Krakow, Poland. Then, we ended in Dresden, Germany, which was once part of East Germany.

As a child of the 70s and 80s, it always amazes me when we visit former “Eastern Bloc” countries. When I was growing up, these were places that were completely off limits to “westerners”. I never thought there’d be a time when we could simply drive to the former Czechoslovakia or Poland.

I thought East Germany would always be forbidden to someone like me. In fact, I remember writing a social studies report about the two Germanys when I was in the sixth grade, and being completely shocked that Germany was divided. I hadn’t known. And now, over 40 years later, here I am living in Germany, and visiting the East with ease! Not only can I easily visit the East, but I can also have a really good time there, because Eastern Europe is nothing like it used to be. But then, I guess it’s just a reminder that I’m getting old, and time is really flying.

I had some specific goals for this trip… and for the most part, my goals went unmet. I had wanted to visit Auschwitz, for instance. That didn’t happen. I thought maybe we’d go to Saxony Switzerland. It was not to be. I didn’t even get to see Frosty the Peacock! But now we have a reason to go back to these fascinating countries and see even more of what we missed. I already have a couple of itineraries in mind.

This trip ran from October 1-13th, which means that my October, so far, has been spent on vacation in Eastern Europe. We took a long break because it had been awhile since our last one, and Bill had some leave to burn. He’s been working very hard over the past few months, so his employer kindly allowed us almost two weeks away from Hessen.

We probably would have come home on Sunday, the 11th, but we had a holiday yesterday– Columbus Day or Indigenous People’s Day, depending on your views. So, we decided to make the most of the extra day off and squeeze in Dresden, a city we had last visited in November 2008.

We had also visited Karlovy Vary previously, back in February 2009, but that was just for a few hours. The weather was freezing that day, so we didn’t get to explore much of the city. I also didn’t have my camera with me on that 2009 trip. Now, I have lots of pictures of Karlovy Vary and its environs! It was worth going back there for that reason, alone!

Anyway… enough with the intro. Time to get down to business! This will probably be a pretty long series. Most readers will lose interest after the first couple of posts. Nevertheless, I’ll keep writing. At the end, I’ll do my usual “ten things I learned post”, which people seem to appreciate more than the exhaustive blow by blows.

We did not do a lot of touristy stuff on this trip. Instead, we enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere, people watching, and taking lots of photos. We also ate rich food and drank a whole lot of beer. 🍺 For most of our trip, we enjoyed mild, and mostly sunny weather. The fall colors were absolutely stunning! Just the beautiful foliage alone was a feast for the eyes. But we also had some interesting interactions, ate good food, and picked up some fun souvenirs.

So, without further delay, on with the series. Here are a few fall photos to get things started… I took these on a drive we took on day three of our vacation, while we were still in Czechia!

East Germany, Eastern Europe

Our fall vacation is now over…

Bill and I got home about 90 minutes ago. We’re both pretty tired and busy with settling in, so I’m not going to try to write about the trip today. I will save that for tomorrow, which is usually the day of the week when I wash the sheets. Since we haven’t been home, and I washed the sheets just before we left, I won’t need to do that chore this week. 😊

This trip was rather long, and it encompassed visits to areas in four countries. Each place we visited was special in its own way. I took a lot of pictures, although we didn’t do a lot of “touristy” stuff. We mainly drank a lot of beer, did a lot of walking, and enjoyed each other’s company.

I think my favorite stop was Krakow, followed closely by Stary Smokovec, but each place was pretty awesome. We had great weather, too, until the tail end of our journey.

The drive home was kind of yucky, especially when we stopped for lunch at a rest stop. It was just beyond the Hessen state line, and the rest stop was one of the weirdest laid out ones I’ve yet encountered in Germany or elsewhere.

When we got out of the car, it was raining… that kind of cold, light, but fast drizzle, that gets you wet in a hurry. I noticed a woman sitting in the car next to ours, wanting to get out of her vehicle. I hurried to close the door, and then Bill and I had to wait for a couple of cars to pass.

By the time we found the front door of the rest stop, we were really wanting to get out of the rain. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as easy as we’d hoped. One could enter the building on either side of the building, and the two entrances were not easy to get to without walking the long way around the building.

The side we happened to be on had a single door, with a sidewalk leading up to it. For some reason, there was a barrier on the opposite side of the walkway from the building, meaning that everyone had to walk in and out of the building in kind of a single file.

As we were heading toward the door, rushing to get out of the cold, drizzly rain, a woman and her daughter were coming out of the building. The girl, who looked to be about nine or ten years old, stopped in front of me and suddenly vomited on the sidewalk.

*I took this photo from the table where we had lunch. You can see there’s a barrier that prevents one from walking around slowpokes or vomiters…*

She was under the shelter of a roof, but I was standing there in the falling rain, watching her throw up on the sidewalk. Her mom was right behind her, holding her hair. Fortunately, there wasn’t a lot of puke, but the two of them kind of took their time, and blocked the egress into the building. I felt sorry for the girl, but I’m sure my face registered irritation, because I needed to pee, and we were about to have lunch.

The woman and her peaked daughter finally got out of the way, so we could enter the rest stop. But once we were in the building, we encountered a large group of elderly folks. I suddenly realized they must have been on the busses that were parked outside.

To get to the toilets, we had to follow a series of signs, and go down a couple of flights of steps. As we were trying to go down, they were coming back up to the dining room.

Fortunately, there wasn’t a wait for a stall. In fact, an attendant was even cleaning the toilets as I was trying to find one. And these toilets were the self-cleaning kind anyway, which I don’t actually like that much, because the seats are usually still wet from being automatically cleaned whenever I encounter them.

Once we finished “doing our business”, we had to maneuver through more throngs of people having lunch. But then, after we ordered our crummy Burger King sandwiches, the crowd dissipated, and the place was somewhat sedate.

*Not the greatest lunch… It was basically all they had besides cold, pre-made sandwiches, which usually have cheese that I don’t like. What a crappy rest stop! But at least it was there.*

Unfortunately, the “mess” was still on the sidewalk where the poor queasy lass had left it. I started feeling kind of nauseated myself as we passed it. I was really afraid I was going to sympathy hurl. Fortunately, I managed to get over my disgust. That was a good thing, because I almost lost breakfast at the beginning of our drive home, thanks to a coughing fit.

Anyway… it’s good to be home. I look forward to seeing Noyzi and Charlie in a little while, and writing about the new things we saw and did on this long awaited vacation to Eastern Europe. But… most of all… I look forward to sleeping in my own bed. I really missed my soft bed while we were away. And now that the weather has turned to shit, maybe that will also mean the mosquitoes are done, too!

So… with that, I’m going to close this post. See you tomorrow with my tales from the trip! I promise they won’t be as gross as this one is. 😊

art, Bulgaria, Eastern Europe, Hessen, Hungary, services

Picture framing, heavy German food, and beer…

Bill got home from Budapest on Wednesday, and he brought three new prints with him. If I had gone with him on that trip, he would have bought bigger prints. But, I can’t complain about the art he picked up, because they’re pretty much my style. They are from a Kenyan-British artist named Marcus Goldson, who moved to Budapest in the early 1990s after having trained as a sculptor.

Goldson initially couldn’t afford the materials he needed for sculpting, so he started sketching, and took his art career in a whole new direction. I don’t know if he sculpts now, or just does watercolors. Obviously, he’s got a good business going in Budapest, serving tourists like Bill and me.

Since we were already going to visit Kunst-Schaefer to get the new art framed, I decided to get some older art redone. I bought two paintings in Sofia, Bulgaria, when we visited in 2024, plus I had another painting that I bought in Sofia back in the summer of 1996. My friend, Elaine, and I took a bus from Armenia to Turkey, and then onward to Bulgaria, for a vacation.

Although I was completely broke at the time, Elaine lent me the money to take the trip with her. We had a fabulous time, and I managed to pick up a small blue tinged painting of a windmill. I wish I’d bought another one, because I really like that piece of art, and I must not have paid much at all for it, because I had no extra money whatsoever in 1996. Of course, it’s going to cost about 160 euros to get it reframed!

We parked at the Marktplatz, where the weekly Saturday market was going on full tilt. It seemed like everybody was out and about yesterday, as the weather was beautiful. I would have liked to have walked around the market, but we were on an important mission.

*Some folks were drinking wine in the morning!*

I’ve mentioned before that, when I was growing up, my parents ran their own business out of our home. My mom had a knitting, needlepoint, and cross stitch shop, and she taught countless people how to do needle crafts. My dad sold art and did custom picture framing. So, being in an art gallery is very natural for me, because I literally lived in one for years. 😏

Bill and I made our way through Wiesbaden’s posh streets and walkplatzes to get to Kunst-Schaefer. We passed buskers playing piano, accordion, saxophone, and guitar, adding their own elements of atmosphere to Wiesbaden’s bonny streets.

*The street where Kunst-Schaefer lives…*

When we arrived at Kunst-Schaefer, a young lady welcomed us. She was with a customer, so we took a moment to look around the gallery to see if there was anything I’d want to hang on the wall. Of course, there were things there I would happily purchase, but I’d rather spend the money on another art scouting trip… the next of which we will be commencing in about ten days!

The proprietor showed up, having stepped out to get some baked goods for his Sunday breakfast. He personally dealt with us, as we showed him six pieces to be framed.

It didn’t take long to decide how we would be framing everything. Regular shadow box frames for the Bulgarian paintings, and a plain black frame for the windmill. Colorful frames and matting for the Budapest prints. All of it should be done while we’re on vacation, and by then we’ll probably have another batch that needs to be done. Before we present a VAT form, the total comes to about 700 euros.

By the time we were finished with the framer, I really needed to find a restroom. Bill and I decided to have lunch. For some reason, I was in the mood for German food, so we headed back toward the Marktplatz. Maybe it was because I found out that one of the towns we once lived in, Fredericksburg, Virginia, now has a snazzy German restaurant.

On our way there, I noticed that BrewDog Wiesbaden had closed. I either didn’t know it was going to close, or had forgotten. Bill and I went there a few times for craft beers and sandwiches. I think the last time we went was at Christmas last year. But we didn’t know then that the place would be closing in January 2026, and in September, no one else has set up business in the beautiful old building where it was situated.

I guess the Scottish style craft beers at BrewDog never quite caught on in Wiesbaden. Some people complained about the quality of the food and mice in the restaurant, but our personal experiences dining there were never bad. Too bad… it was a reliable lunch choice for us. But I guess it just goes to show that we hadn’t been downtown in ages! ETA: My German friend says BrewDog basically went insolvent, got bought out by an American company, and the new company didn’t want to operate in Germany anymore. At this point, there are still locations in Hamburg and Berlin.

We went to the Ratskeller instead, where we knew we could have beer and some very decent German food. Because it was so nice outside, we ate outdoors… where we were accosted by many bees. Or were they wasps? I wasn’t going to let them get close enough to find out for sure. I heard one American lady loudly complaining about them. ETA: My German friend says they were wasps.

*Schweinebraten for me, and Frankfurter Schnitzel for Bill…*

My only complaint about lunch is that it wasn’t served as hot as I would have preferred. But the food tasted good. I especially enjoyed the Schweinebraten and the delicious brown gravy made with beer. I was hungry, too. Managed to eat the whole potato Knödel, and some of the Rotkraut, and washed it down with a Weizen. Bill loved his Frankfurter Schnitzel with green sauce and fried potatoes. He had a Helles.

After we ate, we had another round… I had a Doppelbock, while Bill had a Radler. We made the waitress laugh when we tried to say “Doppelbock” properly. Bill had a taste of my rich, dark, malty beer, which came from a bottle.

Finally, we were finished with our leisurely lunch, and decided to head home. There, we enjoyed the rest of the afternoon out on the patio, listening to music and savoring the last warm gasps of summer. The silver lining is that my mosquito bites are finally healing, and pretty soon, they’ll be gone.

It was nice to go to Wiesbaden again, and enjoy a nice lunch in the sunshine. I always enjoy visiting the art guy, too, and patronizing a business that helps us preserve our memories so beautifully. Wiesbaden sure is a lovely city, and we’re now at the point at which we’ve spent the most time of our married life living here. It really feels like a privilege. As much as we both enjoyed living in the Stuttgart area, I think Wiesbaden suits us somewhat better. If only because I seemed to get yelled at less often here. 😉

Well, that about does it for today’s travel post. Pretty soon, this blog will come alive with posts about our next travel adventure, which will take us back to Czechia, Slovakia, Poland, and then a return trip to Dresden. So watch this space! Bill has to go to Brno next week for a couple of days, too, but I don’t get to accompany him. Bummer.

Eastern Europe, Hungary, Ten Things I Learned

Ten things I learned in Budapest, Hungary…

Here it is, the much anticipated “ten things I learned”, post… /sarcasm. Seriously, though, when I take trips, I like to take a few minutes to reflect on the new things I learned thanks to travel. And I did learn some new things in Hungary, this time. So here’s my latest list of ten things I learned, Budapest, Hungary edition!

10. The word “tilos” means “silence” in Lithuanian. In Hungarian, it means “forbidden”.

Interesting, huh? I noticed that word on signs in churches in Lithuania, when we went there in June, so I looked it up. Then I saw it in Hungary, but I didn’t go into any churches while we were there. So that word is used in two different countries and languages to direct people in how to behave.

9. Old Forints are worthless in Hungary.

When Bill and I took a taxi into Budapest, a cab driver gave Bill change for the ride. In the change, he included an old 1000 Forints note, which Bill gave to me. Later, I tried to spend it, and learned that Hungary changed its currency and the old notes are now worthless. We probably could have taken it to a post office, but we’re going to send it to Bill’s grandson, instead. The bigger note below is now worth nothing.

8. English is EVERYWHERE in Budapest.

I know I shouldn’t have been, but I was surprised by how very widespread English is in Hungary. Lots of signs were in English, and all menus were translated. A lot of people didn’t even speak with a heavy accent. In a way, I was kind of disheartened by how much English is used there. But it did make things easier for us tourists…

7. Speaking of tourists, they were also everywhere in Budapest!

On Friday night, I was especially aware of how many tourists were in Budapest. It felt like waves of visitors. I wonder what it’s like for the natives, having to deal with so many throngs of tourists congesting the city. Yes, they spend money, but they also make it hard to even just walk around downtown. One day, I counted FIVE Viking River Cruise ships. There were other cruise companies there, too.

6. You can see a lot of things in Budapest, just by walking around the city.

I only made it to one museum, and yet I saw plenty of stuff for free, just taking daily walks around the main drags. And there was a whole lot of stuff I didn’t see. I could go back there, spend a week, and still not see everything. I’d like to go back and spend more time on Margaret Island.

5. Someone built a Michael Jackson shrine in Budapest, and it’s “unmolested”…

4. If you love music, Budapest is a great city for you!

I was so impressed by the excellent music we heard in restaurants. Even tourist traps have really excellent live musicians who play with passion and love.

3. The Retro Museum will take you back to a time when Budapest was not so easy for westerners to visit.

And if you take your time in there, you will learn new things about how things used to be in Hungary. I was particularly interested in the exhibit about school. It was there that I learned about “Little Drummers”, which was the first stage of the communist youth movement for Hungarian children, back in the day.

2. There are 60 pairs of metal shoes by the Danube.

They were placed there to memorialize Hungarian Jews who were murdered by Nazis from 1944-45. An estimated 2600 to 3600 people were lined up by the Danube River and shot. Before they were shot, they were forced to remove their valuable shoes, so they would not be lost to the river when the dead bodies fell into it.

1. There are statues all over Budapest, commemorating famous Hungarians and other people.

Some of them sit on park benches. Some stand on bridges. Some are lurking in parks or on bridges, or even sitting by the Danube River. I should have paid closer attention to them during my week in Budapest, but maybe I’ll get a chance to go back.

Budapest is a fascinating city. Both times I’ve visited, I’ve had a great time. I hope we can go back again at a different time of year, perhaps during the “low” season… if they actually have one, that is. It’s definitely a vibrant place, full of fit, beautiful, warm-hearted people who are welcoming and kind. I’m so glad I had the chance to see it again, after sixteen years!

So ends my series on Budapest. Today, Bill and I have a lunch date at one of our favorite local restaurants, Villa im Tal. I’ll be writing that up later.

Eastern Europe, Hungary

Back to Budapest– an introduction… part one

Featured photo is of the famous Parliament Building in Budapest, taken from the Buda part of the city.

As promised, it’s time for me to start writing my series on Budapest, Hungary. Bill and I first visited there for Labor Day weekend in 2009, the week before we had to leave Germany for Georgia. I remember really liking Budapest then, even though it was still showing lots of signs of its then more recent Eastern Bloc past.

I chose to visit Budapest in 2009, because the other cities I was considering were western European capitals that I thought would be easier to access from the United States. I didn’t know we’d be moving back to Europe. For all I knew, in 2009, we’d never have the chance to come over here again. So I chose to go to Budapest then, and it was fascinating. I’m actually really glad we stayed in a hotel that was deeper into the city, far from the Danube River and main shopping areas of Budapest. We never ventured to those areas in 2009. I remember that just getting to the river from our hotel was a bit of a hike, although there was a tram available.

As I sit here remembering our first visit and comparing it to our second one, I’m reminded of how individual experiences shape one’s perceptions of any given thing. Because of this trip, I formed a very different perspective of Budapest than I had only a week ago. I saw more of the city because I had more time to see it. We stayed in a different area, and I spent a lot of time just walking around, taking in the sights. During our first visit, we went to the spa and were a bit hampered by events going on in the city that took away our attention. This time, Bill went to work, and I walked miles around the city taking pictures. I saw a lot more and formed a new perspective. Of course, 16 years have also passed.

This visit was different because Bill was working, so I spent a lot of time alone, fending for myself. If he’d been with me, we might have done a lot more “touristy” things… eaten in more restaurants, engaged with more people, and maybe taken more beer breaks. I’m sure we would have hit one of the public spas, too, as our comparatively no-frills hotel didn’t have its own spa.

I was delighted that Bill asked me to join him on this trip, even though it meant we’d had to fly separately. When he travels for work, he has to get the cheapest plane tickets and stay in accommodations that are below the per diem rate. Budapest’s hotel rates were very high during our visit. I’m not sure if that’s “normal”, or if there was something going on.

What I did notice while we were there was that there were MANY American tourists, and most of them seemed to be there to catch a Danube cruise. I’m sure those were going on in 2009, but I don’t think there were as many back then. I saw so many Viking ships there, as well as at least a couple from Avalon Waterways. I also noticed that practically EVERYONE spoke perfect English. That made me a little sad, because one thing that makes a place unique is its language. But English was everywhere in Budapest. It made me want to explore beyond the capital and see parts of Hungary where Americans fear to tread. Maybe someday, we’ll have that opportunity.

I don’t know how long it will take me to write about our six nights in Budapest. I’ll do my best not to be too boring. But even though I was a bit chagrined that Budapest was a lot busier and more expensive than I remembered from 2009, I did have a good time there, and I learned new things. So I hope some of you might follow along and allow me to share the wealth.

I didn’t take nearly as many photos in 2009, but I am noticing as I look at the ones I do have, there was a lot less back then than there is now… However, one thing that hasn’t changed is that the airport is pretty chaotic and in need of renovation. More on that in the next installment!

*One of many images I got from the Chain Bridge in Budapest, circa 2025…*

*And a photo I took from the same bridge in 2009…*

Champagne Bucket trips, Eastern Europe

Goodbye, Cesky Krumlov! Hello Brno… part seven of our 2023 Czech tour!

Thursday morning, Bill and I enjoyed our second and last breakfast at Monastery Garden. I decided to have French Toast, while Bill went with a three egg omelette. We had more orange juice and coffee, although on the second morning, Bill skipped the pepper in his juice. Once again, the breakfast was impeccably presented and delicious, and at least in my photos, it looked huge. One friend said it looked like my French Toast would have fed her whole family, although it was just three small pieces. I guess sometimes objects are smaller than they appear in pictures.

*Bill’s omelette was legitimately huge.*

We decided to load most of our stuff in the car before breakfast so we could just grab my one big bag, settle up, and be on our way. While we were eating breakfast, we ran into a German couple from Ulm and a British couple who laughed when I quipped that Bill and I sounded like a herd of elephants coming down the stairs.

All told, two nights with breakfast and a bottle of wine cost us about $700 or so. We could have booked a less expensive room, but I really enjoyed the suite we had. Especially since our hotel in Brno promised to be less swanky. After Bill paid, we said goodbye and headed for the car… but then it turned out that Bill needed to break one of the Czech bills he had. So he went back to the lodging, where he ran into his coworker’s family again, having breakfast. They seemed very chipper. I guess they spent one more day in town.

While I was waiting for Bill to return to the car, I watched a young woman who was clearly having trouble exiting the parking lot. The arm wouldn’t raise for her. Every time she unsuccessfully attempted to leave, I watched her heave her chest and dramatically flail her arms. It was the universal sign of frustration. I had a few minutes, so I took some video of the Vltava River while I waited.

Such a peaceful sound…

Soon, we were heading east toward Brno. It was supposed to take about three hours or so, but we had a lunch stop, traffic, and we temporarily got stuck at the gas station from hell. The drive leaving Cesky Krumlov was very pretty and I was enjoying looking at a more side of Czechia. But then Bill started complaining about needing to go to the bathroom. I did notice that there weren’t a lot of official rest stops in Czechia, although we did see some portalets on the side of the road. Bill even used one.

As the minutes passed, Bill became more anxious for a stop somewhere. We both noticed a sign that read “Hamburgery” and featured a photo of a tasty looking sandwich. It was getting close to lunchtime as we entered the town of Obrataň, which is where the advertised hamburger restaurant is located. Bill soon located Bistro Viadukt, which has its own parking behind the unassuming building where it’s located. Little did we know that this place is a local gem and people come from all around to eat there. We just needed a toilet for Bill.

We went into the sparsely decorated eatery and Bill took care of business. The proprietors didn’t speak English at all, but they did have menus in several languages, including German and English. We successfully ordered two cheeseburgers, a beer for me, and a soft drink for Bill. And then we proceeded to enjoy two delicious burgers that were a bit too rare for our usual liking, but tasted great. I think Bill was a bit worried about how rare the meat was, but there were several locals in there who were really enjoying themselves. And as it turned out, neither of us got sick.

As we were eating, a young couple came in with an adorable Jack Russell terrier and a baby. I couldn’t help but notice the woman was more interested in the dog, while the man tended to the baby. I kind of wondered what their story was. Several other people came in. They were obvious regulars and bantered with the kind lady behind the cash register.

They had a few items on the menu other than burgers that looked interesting. Bill liked the look of the soup they were serving, but he didn’t know how to order it. The chef had come out and, for simplicity’s sake, we both got the same thing. I must admit, the burger was very impressive– and it was obvious the patties were hand formed, rather than molded. It was a very successful stop. I liked the steak fries, too. They were delicious and there weren’t too many of them to finish.

The rest of our drive was pretty routine until we got to the gas station from hell. Bill fueled up and had a brief argument with the attendant, who wanted him to buy the more premium gas. After fueling up the car, Bill moved to the other side of the gas station for a potty break. While we were relieving ourselves, some trucker decided to try to park his rig in the area designated for cars. I watched Bill’s face get more sour and irritated as he nervously watched the trucker trying to maneuver scarily close to our Volvo. Fortunately, there wasn’t an accident, and we were able to move out of his way… only to get stuck in a veritable wall of trucks that went on for miles.

Soon enough, we got away from the truckers from hell and started seeing the familiar cookie cutter pastel colored apartment buildings of Brno. It’s still a pretty eastern European city, more so than Prague is. Welcome to the East!

We found our hotel, JeštěBrno, which was very highly rated on TripAdvisor, but located outside of the downtown area. In some ways, this location was a good thing, as we had free parking and proximity to a grocery store, restaurants, a vinotek, and even an ophthalmologist’s office. I had already checked us in online, so the receptionist had our keys ready for us, although at this hotel, you don’t even really need keys. The doors are all operated by a code, which if you have memorized it, makes the use of key cards mostly unnecessary. You just punch in the code with a pound sign, a female voice says, “unlocked”, and you’re good to go.

I booked us a “big as Brno” room, which had a little terrace, a fridge, a large TV, and a sofa, as well as a handy fridge. We were also supposed to get spa access at the nearby health club, but that proved to be too cumbersome for us to access. I understand that if you don’t pay for spa access, you can get it by paying a rate. But the pool and spa were only available at certain times of day which weren’t convenient for us. So we didn’t get to try the spa.

Other than that, the room was pretty nice. It had most everything we’d need, except for maybe a microwave. The hotel had an honesty bar, included buffet breakfast, and some services such as limited room service. We booked three nights, which was about right. Maybe it would have been nice to stay one extra night in Brno, but we actually managed to do a lot during our time there. More on that in the next post.

Below are some photos of our room…