Tag Archives: Hard Rock Cafe

Eastern Europe, Hungary

Back to Budapest– Power walking, round two… part four

Tuesday morning, we got up for another hearty breakfast in D8 Hotel’s lobby. We sat at the same table, gazing at the rather large courtyard patio set up with umbrellas. I recognized a couple of guests who were in the hotel on Monday, but some new faces were also there, including one belonging to an adorable little boy with his mom. He had straight black hair and dark skin, and the most enchanting smile. I guessed him to be about three years old. He was so cute!

I decided I’d walk in the opposite direction that I took on Monday. Once again, I didn’t expect to walk several miles. I really just wanted to kill enough time to allow the housekeeper to clean the room. I walked through Vörösmarty Square, and down the main shopping drag, taking some photos along the way. I was impressed by the number of shops and restaurants there, including some that were very familiar to Americans. For instance, Budapest has a Hard Rock Cafe.

I took some pictures as I headed down the noisy pedestrian zone…

Famous statue of the poet, Mihály Vörösmart
A restaurant that intrigued me. We ended up eventually eating at the place next door.
I took this photo so I could show BIll. I thought it would be a good place to get souvenirs for the grandkids.
We later shopped here, too, and got the eldest grandchild a Rubik’s Cube.

Those of us who were around in the early 1980s might remember the Rubik’s Cube craze. Well, that puzzle was invented in 1974 by the Hungarian civil engineer and 
architect Ernő Rubik. Hungarians are rightly proud of this puzzle, which has been stumping people for decades. I never could solve mine.

Once I got to the end of the shopping district, I noticed a fancy looking building across a boulevard. It turned out to be the Central Market Hall, which reminded me a whole lot of the Stuttgarter Markthalle. I didn’t buy anything there, but I did walk around and take some pictures. I even took some with my fancy Nikon camera with the artsy settings. There are souvenirs there, but there are also lots of food and beverage booths, where one can pick up the makings for dinner.

Once I left the Central Market Hall, I turned right, and noticed the Corvinus University of Budapest. I took a couple of pictures of that…

And then, there was another bridge to cross. Against my better judgment, I decided to walk back to the Buda side of the Danube by way of the Liberty Bridge, which is also home to the King Franz Joseph mini statue. Apparently, there are many mini statues in Budapest, made by Ukrainian artist,  Mihály Kolodko. Below are some photos from my walk across this photogenic bridge…

Once I got to the other side of the bridge, I realized I was near one of Budapest’s well known spas, the Szent Gellért tér, as well as the Gellért Hill Cave and Szent István Király szobra. Again, I could have stopped by any of these attractions, but I was alone, and only had so many spoons. Edited to add: my friend provided a link to this article about the “guy” sitting on the Buda side of the Danube. So I contented myself by taking pictures…

This appeared to be a statue.

As I walked toward the Chain Bridge, I realized that I was putting my body through another intense power walk. But I kept on, even though I was wearing pants instead of shorts, and it was still warm. As I was walking, I noticed that that side of the bridge was pretty noisy, and didn’t have the best sidewalk for walking on. There also weren’t many benches. But I knew I was getting close when I saw the base of Buda Castle, where there is a funicular for people like me. Lots of tourists were congregating there. I took photos…

I crossed back over the Chain Bridge, and headed for the hotel, where I hoped the room would be made up, so I could take a shower and a nap. Fortunately, it was. I skipped the post walk lager, and took a nap.

Later, when Bill got back to the room, we decided to have dinner at Hard Rock Cafe. I was craving a cheeseburger. While we were dining at the famed American chain, we listened to Ozzy Osbourne, who recently passed away. Our waiter walked around like an exam proctor, and the host who brought us to our table asked strange questions about where we were from… but the food wasn’t bad, and I had a couple of local Dreher beers, a lager, and a Meggy (sour cherry) beer. The food was okay. Maybe I should have gone for twisted macaroni and cheese or fajitas instead, though.

After we ate, we decided to visit Budapest’s Eye, which is in Elizabeth’s Square. It’s only been recently that I’ve been able to get Bill on a ferris wheel. He doesn’t like heights. But the one in Budapest, like the one in Antwerp, is fully enclosed, which makes taking pictures harder, but puts Bill’s mind at ease. I think we got four or five turns on the wheel, which was nice. There was no line when we visited.

And then, to cap off the evening, we stopped by the bar in the hotel and had beer. It was very refreshing after my five mile stroll around the city.

It was a decent day… I’m glad I walked around and got some photos, at least. If we ever go back to Budapest, Bill and I will have to check out the cave, at least. Stay tuned for the next post!

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Champagne Bucket trips, Iceland

Our first Icelandic adventure: The Sky Lagoon (part eleven)

I’m going to go ahead and write this post now, even though I’m kind of tired of writing today. I think it will be a short post, and when it’s done, I’ll have one or two left to do before the blow by blow part of the Iceland series is finished. I don’t know why I’m in a hurry to finish. It’s not like I always have so much material to put out there. I think it’s mainly because I don’t want to forget anything.

So… Thursday, September 5, was technically our last activity day with Iceland Luxury Tours. They did book our return transfer to the airport on Saturday, the 7th, but that didn’t involve anything other than a very nice car ride.

When we booked our trip, we told the folks at Iceland Luxury Tours that we like spa activities. Many people, when they come to Iceland, make a point of visiting The Blue Lagoon, which is a famous geothermal lagoon near Grindavik. It’s about 45 minutes or so from Reykjavik, and tends to be rather crowded.

Instead of going to the world famous Blue Lagoon, Iceland Luxury Tours recommended that we visit the newer and closer Sky Lagoon near Reykjavik. Like the more famous lagoon, the Sky Lagoon is warm pool of “healing waters”, heated by geothermal energy. It’s right next to the sea and styled like an infinity pool, so you can look at the water while you soak in soothing hot water. We were told this newer lagoon would probably be less crowded, and it would require less travel time. We were fine with that explanation, so we agreed to try the Sky Lagoon.

Our appointment was at 11:00 AM, and our driver arrived promptly at 10:30 AM to pick us up. He was a very tall, handsome, Nordic looking man who was friendly and professional. The drive didn’t take long at all, and soon we were standing in line behind other people who had pre-booked, as well as those who had just shown up. It was a little confusing, at first, because there didn’t seem to be a separation between those who had pre-booked and those who hadn’t. Fortunately, the line moved quickly.

I did see one group who, I think, ended up disappointed. Children under 12 are not allowed in the Sky Lagoon. Those between 12 and 14 must be accompanied by an adult who is at least 18 years old. They brought several youngsters with them who looked younger than 12. I didn’t see them in the lagoon later, so they were probably refused entry.

There are two tiers of service at the Sky Lagoon. There’s the cheaper Saman, in which participants use a communal locker room. Then there’s Ser, which allows patrons their own private changing area, locker room, and shower. Once you finish getting into your bathing suit, you put all your things in a locker so the changing room can be used by others. Towels are included, and there’s no point in bringing a robe or shower shoes, since shoes aren’t allowed in the locker area (except by employees).

A lot of people brought their cell phones into the lagoon. I thought about bringing mine, but decided not to. After all, I was there to relax, not worry about my phone falling into water (even though I’m about to upgrade it). If you want to see what the lagoon looks like, you can easily Google it. Lots of people recorded their visit when we were there and at other times. Below is an ad for the place…

I might still like to see the Blue Lagoon, if only because the water is blue.

When you go into the lagoon, you are given two wrist bands. One allows you into a “hut” where you undergo the treatments that come with your visit. The other allows you to charge purchases at the bar. They sell a broad array of drinks there, but there are also things like sunglasses and waterproof cases for phones.

The water in the Sky Lagoon was very pleasant, and I didn’t find it to be overly crowded at all. It was fun to watch the people who were there. I saw a couple of young women who appeared to be trying to model, although they, or the man who was with them, were taking photos with cell phones. Both wore bikinis and were doing all sorts of poses that were not that original. I actually got a little concerned for one of them, as she was a bit underweight, and the poses were looking a little sexual… as if maybe they were less for modeling and more for trafficking. But, for all I know, the whole thing was perfectly innocent. It wasn’t my business, other than the fact that it was happening in front of me.

The treatment hut could have been more relaxing and kind of felt a little hokey. There was a sauna area. One was supposed to be technology free (no phones), while the other was supposed to be quiet. The saunas weren’t very hot, and people weren’t particularly respectful. Then after the sauna, you move to an area where cold water drips on you. I found it drafty and unpleasant, and quickly moved to the next phase, where you slather a salt scrub all over your body, then sit in a steam room, which was crowded enough that there wasn’t enough seating. Then there’s a shower and you drink a shot of crowberry juice, which was nice. Outside the hut, there’s a cold plunge pool. Someone was in it when we came out, and he was somehow smiling. He laughed when I touched the frigid water with my toes and said, “Not a chance!”

We got back into the water and drank at the bar. Each patron over age 20 is allowed a maximum of three alcoholic beverages per visit. Naturally, I maxed that out. I’m sure the limit is to prevent people from getting too drunk and obnoxious. They have beer, wine, champagne, sparkling wine, cocktails, and a variety of non-alcoholic drinks served in plastic drinkware. I noticed later that the salt scrub had made my skin very soft.

Our driver had agreed to meet us at 1:30 PM and told us to let him know if we needed him sooner or later than that. We were done right at 1:30, so it worked out great. He took us back to the hotel, and later, we went out for lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe, of all places. I wanted a cheeseburger in the worst way. I wanted it to taste good… as I have discovered that sometimes European restaurants can’t do decent burgers. Below are some photos from our visit to the Sky Lagoon and Hard Rock Cafe.

Big lines!
By the changing rooms.
Outside of the Sky Lagoon.
A toga party was going on at the school across the street.
The bartender at the hotel said this is a ritual for new students.
The cheeseburger hit the spot. Bill had quesadillas.

After we ate lunch, we walked around a bit more, and then ended up at The Downtown Bar, which was just steps away from our hotel. We spent some quality time in this establishment, where they played really good music that I kept Shazaming and downloading. I have missed good bars! They just had mostly beer and wine, but the service was very friendly, and again… the music really made the atmosphere. I guess I should thank Spotify for that!

By the time we were finished at the bar, it was well into the evening. We picked up more Sbarro at the market and went back to the hotel room to watch the news. Yeah, we’re boring… but we’re also middle aged. And cold, windy, rainy weather has a tendency to make us sleepy. It was our last Sbarro run, though. I might not have it again for the rest of my life!

I do miss American pizza. God help me!
I wish we could have stopped by this bar again.

That about does it for Thursday… Stay tuned for my post on the last full day, and then the journey back to Germany!

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Big business in Poland, part nine

Thursday morning was cold, rainy, and kind of depressing. It was the perfect day to visit an art gallery. Just around the corner from the Sofitel was the City Gallery promoting the works of Bronislaw Wojciech Linke, an artist who was born April 23, 1906 in the Polish community in Tartu, Estonia. From 1917 to 1919, he witnessed political turbulence; first he saw the February Revolution, then the German army fighting with the Red Army and Estonia’s struggle for independence.

In 1919, Linke, along with his father and brothers, were repatriated in Kalisz, Poland, which had been destroyed in 1914. It was one of the first cities in Poland to be decimated when World War I began. In 1914, there were 68,000 people living there. A year later, only 5,000 remained. By the end of World War I, the city had been mostly rebuilt, and most of the former inhabitants were able to return. Sadly, after the German invasion of Poland in 1939, Kalisz suffered another setback. It was annexed by the Germans and by the end of World War II, 30,000 local Jews and 20,000 local Catholics were murdered.

Linke graduated from a Gymnasium (a type of German high school for especially bright students who plan to attend university). Then he left his family and began working on perfecting his art. He studied industrial design in Krakow and painting in Warsaw. He was a graphic artist for the pre-war magazine, “Szpilki” and an illustrator for “Dziennik Ludowy”. Despite all of this, there was only one solo exhibition of his art. That was at the National Museum of Warsaw in 1963, which was the year after Linke’s death in Warsaw, Poland. Since then, with the exception of the April show at the Museum of Independence in Warsaw, there have only been small retrospectives of his work in Poland.

I was really just trying to kill some time when I stumbled on this free exhibit at the City Gallery in Wroclaw, which is running from November 8th until December 7th 2019. I’m glad I stopped in, especially since pictures can say things that words can’t… and since I don’t know Polish, art is a more effective medium anyway. Here are some photos I took of Linke’s art. As you can see, he had a lot to say about war, which he did with his art. And he wasn’t just saying it about Germany, either… Russia and the United States got a mention, too.

I spent about twenty minutes or so in the gallery. It wasn’t a particularly large exhibit, even though there was also a video presentation in Polish. I probably should have spent longer, since the helpful leaflet about Linke’s work includes more information about his history. The artist and his wife, Anna Maria, were forced to flee German occupied Warsaw in 1939 because he had been listed as an enemy of the Third Reich by the Gestapo. Adolf Hitler and his cronies weren’t fans of Linke’s work, which often depicted Hitler in caricatures and were published in the Polish and foreign press.

The Linkes escaped to Lviv, a city in Western Ukraine, then were sent to a camp in the Dubowa Village in the Republic of Chuvashnia, and then to Orsko, where Linke worked in industrial plants and painted propaganda and advertising banners. In 1946, the Linkes were repatriated in Warsaw, where Linke died on October 6, 1962. For more on Linke, click here.

After my visit to the art gallery, I decided to have lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe, an American chain restaurant that specializes in typical American food and memorabilia from rock stars. I really struggled with the decision, since it’s such an American institution. I’ve only been to two other Hard Rock Cafes– the one in Oslo, Norway, and the one in Berlin. We went to the one in Oslo because it was 2009; we didn’t have much money; and the Hard Rock Cafe had one of the most economical menus in Oslo, which is a very expensive city. We went to the one in Berlin because a couple of people in Stuttgart had requested that I pick up a couple of souvenirs for them, since they’re collectors of Hard Rock merchandise. I went to the one in Wroclaw because I felt like eating something American.

As it turned out, I really enjoyed my lunch at Hard Rock Cafe Wroclaw. I ordered “twisted mac and cheese”, which was fusilli pasta with a creamy, slightly spicy cheese sauce and grilled chicken. It was served with garlic bread. I know I shouldn’t eat such carb loaded things, but it was such a nice change of pace, plus it was very comforting on such a dismal, grey day. A bonus was that I got a great view of the square, as workers were putting the finishing touches on the Christmas market being set up to begin on Friday. One thing I didn’t like, though, was that Hard Rock Cafe had kind of a lame beer and wine list… but there were plenty of fun cocktails for those who are into that sort of thing.

  • This was surprisingly good!

I did some more writing and reading during the afternoon as I waited for Bill. When he arrived well after dark at about 6:00pm, we went looking for dinner. Wroclaw is interesting, because there are three Greek restaurants located almost right next to each other. They’re all on the same side of the square. Even weirder, two of the restaurants are called Akropolis. The other is called Greco. We ate at Greco in 2008 and weren’t all that impressed with it, so we decided to visit the first of the two Akropolis restaurants. It turned out to be more like an Italian restaurant with a few Greek accents. Our waiter seemed really tired, too. I was a bit disappointed in it… but at least the inside was cute.

  • Salmon on a bed of spinach with a side of lemon sauce.
  • I liked the rice, which was prepared with vegetables.
  • Bill had pork stew, which he declared filling.
  • It has a tiny but cozy dining room. The ambiance was a bit spoiled by the crappy radio station playing.
  • Next time, we’ll try the other Akropolis. Maybe the third time will be the charm.

This is also the only restaurant that billed a service charge. I’m not sure what the charge was for, but it was about 22 Zloty. Not sure if that was the tip or what, but it seemed a bit shady. I used to work at a place that had a service charge, but it wasn’t a tip. It was used for linens.

We stopped by the hotel bar one last time to say goodbye the friendly bartender. I spotted this funny label belonging to a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, which is usually one of my favorite wines.

  • The label was more interesting than the wine was…

Next post, I’ll wrap up our last day…

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Blind booking #4: Berlin! Part 4

By the time we got back to the hotel, the weather was getting pretty crappy again.  We had a pretty disagreeable mixture of rain and snow that made venturing out for food unappealing.  We decided to go back to Alto, the restaurant’s bar.  Awsam, the bartender, greeted us warmly.  Again, I wrote a lot about Saturday at the bar in my main blog.  That piece is a bit political, though, so for those who would rather skip my rantings, I’ll just say that we enjoyed some wine, some bad pop music, and watched videos from the early 80s.

We also tried kumquats for the first time.  I must admit, although I had heard of kumquats, I’d never actually tried them.  They’re basically tiny oranges.  You’re supposed to eat the rind, which none of us did.  I wasn’t aware of this, but apparently kumquats are pretty popular in Germany.  My friend Susanne says she likes to eat them when she’s feeling sick.  They’re supposedly pretty healthy.

Lemons, limes, and kumquats!

After a couple of hours in the bar, we went back to our room.  It was so yucky outside that I decided I just wanted a pizza from the Domino’s we passed on our first night in Berlin.  Yes, I know it’s ridiculous to seek out Domino’s Pizza in an international city, but it had been years since I last had one and I was craving comfort food.  Parker was game, although Bill rolled his eyes at us.  So he went to the nearby Domino’s in the shitty weather and picked up a pizza for us.

Domino’s Pizza in Berlin.

It’s been awhile since my last Domino’s pizza and even that was in France (of all places).  We were pretty shocked by how small a “large” pizza was from the German Domino’s.  It was about the size of a small in the United States.  Bill ordered us a Hawaiian style pizza with ham and pineapple, although I really just wanted a pepperoni pizza.  Pepperoni, as we know, is not the same in Germany as it is in America.  Here, pepperoni refers to peppers, not sausage.

After a good night’s sleep, we rose to sunshine on Sunday.  Bill, Parker, and I had a special errand to run for some Americans in Stuttgart who were hoping for souvenirs from the Hard Rock Cafe in Berlin.  We also wanted to see Checkpoint Charlie.  We headed for Checkpoint Charlie first, hopping on the underground train just a couple of blocks from the hotel.

A couple of ads I spotted on the way to the subway.  They drive home how important it is to keep safety on the brain while driving.  Slow down and don’t use your phone.

 

On the way to Checkpoint Charlie, I was intrigued by an ad on the train.  They’re looking for healthy balding men to take part in research.

 

Below are some pictures from Checkpoint Charlie.  We stopped by the very extensive museum there, which was well worth the time.  I don’t usually get that excited about museums, but this one is well worth a visit, even though it can get rather crowded and there’s a lot to read.  Headsets are available.

A piece of the famous Berlin Wall.

A very famous sign.

Actors portray guards in front of the replica of Checkpoint Charlie.  For a fee, you can have your picture taken with them and get your passport stamped.  We didn’t bother with that.

The one picture I took inside of the huge museum.  Seriously… if you visit Berlin, I highly recommend visiting the museum by Checkpoint Charlie.  It’s fascinating and extensive.  I learned a whole lot about the former German Democratic Republic and the people who risked their lives to leave it.  

 

After we visited the museum, we got back on the underground train and headed for Charlottenburg, the area of Berlin where the Hard Rock Cafe is.  I didn’t have any particular desire to visit there, but I got requests from three people in Stuttgart who were hoping for shot glasses and such.  Since I definitely don’t mind the occasional American food, we went there for lunch.

Bill smiles for the camera as we try to decide what to eat.  I was tempted by the burgers, but I can get those in Stuttgart.  Ditto on the ribs…

 

One thing I don’t necessarily like about the Hard Rock Cafe is that they have all of this memorabilia on the walls.  I know that’s the draw, along with the music, but having that stuff on the walls creates a museum effect.  We happened to be sitting near Janis Joplin and Keith Richards exhibits, so people would come stand by our table to check it out.  It was a little annoying.

Bill had a pulled pork sandwich with some very tasty fries.

Parker had a cheeseburger sans bacon.

I went with combo fajitas, which arrived sizzling on peppers and onions and came served with pico de gallo, guacamole, and cheese.  They weren’t the best fajitas I’ve ever had, but they were probably the best I’ve had in Germany.  Unfortunately, that isn’t saying a whole lot.  

For dessert, I had an Irish kiss, which was like hot chocolate with whiskey and tons of whipped cream.  It was good and not too big, as I could see the other desserts were.  I didn’t need it, but it hit the spot.

After we ate, we went to the gift shop and picked up the requested souvenirs.  The lady who rang us up was Brazilian and said that a lot of Americans from Texas visit the Hard Rock Cafe in Berlin.  Although Bill and I came to Germany this time from Texas, only he and his mother are from there.  I am from Virginia.

Cool “bus” outside the restaurant.

 

And the facade.  It had gotten cloudy while we were having lunch.

We decided to check out another Christmas market and this cool looking church, which we didn’t have time to explore.

We stopped for the obligatory Gluhwein…

Good to the last drop?

By the time we had walked through the Christmas market, it was getting dark and threatening to snow.  We decided to take a cab back to the hotel.  We considered staying in and ordering room service, but somehow I was cajoled back down to the Alto restaurant.  Parker stayed in the room and watched TV.

Bill and I shared a nice gray burgundy.  He had pumpkin soup because he was still full from lunch.

I had penne carbonara, which was covered in fresh basil and Parmesan cheese.

It snowed furiously while we were enjoying dinner.  I was surprised to see how quickly the white stuff accumulated.  By the morning, most of it had melted.  I heard Stuttgart got hit with a lot of snow on Saturday and Sunday, but most of it was gone by the time we arrived home last night.

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