Category: Europe

Trip To Austria: St. Stephen’s Cathedral

St Stephens Ext 2

Our visit to St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna was the first time we experienced the interior of a European Cathedral. We were awestruck. It is hard to describe the magnitude of everything I sensed, including sacredness, the expression of culture, and weight of history. We have visited others since, and the experience is the same. Although I had read about the symbolism of cathedrals, I did not grasp their beauty (even the less ornate ones) until I had visited one. This is a selection of pictures we took during our visit to St. Stephens. I hope you enjoy.

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Trip To Ireland: Ruins

One of the more fascinating things we noticed on our trip to Ireland was the many stone ruins. Everything from castles and churches to farm houses and barns. We visited several preserved/ restored structures but we did not have an opportunity to explore any of the ruins. These are ten of the ones I was able to photograph from the bus. There were many others I was not able to photograph. I have identified them by their approximate location, usually the section of road we were traveling. I would be grateful if any of my Irish friends could help identify the ones I have not, or correct any miss-identifications.

1 Between Galway and Moher

Between Galway and Moher

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Trip To Ireland: Dublin

The Liffey River Dublin

River Liffey Dublin

We had so much fun visiting Europe last year that we decided to book another Globus tour this year. This time we booked the Irish Escape, a 7-day tour of the Republic of Ireland that begins and ends in Dublin. Globus Escapes are a great introductory tour that visits many of the highlights associated with the tour’s given nation(s). We elected to travel in off-season again, March in celebration of my 60th birthday, as the prices are much reduced.

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Trip To Austria: Vienna

SCHONBRUNN

Schönbrunn Palace

It was very cold when we visited Vienna. However, we had an excellent time.  While we enjoyed everything about the trip, these are pictures from three things we found special.

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Trip To Austria: Belvedere Museum, Vienna

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Shortly after leading an Austrian Army to a remarkable victory over the Turks at Zenta in 1697, Prince Eugene of Savoy purchased a large plot of land outside Vienna. Eugene plan for the property included palaces and gardens. Johann Lukas Hildebrandt was selected as the project’s lead architect. Setting on a slope, the property rises gently from the front. Plans called for two palaces. The first, smaller palace, was built on the front (or lower part) of the property with a larger palace occupying the upper end. A large garden would stretch between the two palaces. Construction of the Lower Palace began sometime before 1712, and the Upper Palace was completed in 1723. Artists commissioned to work on the project include: painters Marcontonio Chiarini, Francesco Solimena, Carlo Carlone; and sculpture Giovanni Stanetti.

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Trip To Hungary: Buda Castle, Budapest

Budapest is a beautiful city. It was the first city on our tour and it did not disappoint. We loved it; the sites, the people, the culture. This group of photos are of Buda Castle. Unfortunately, we were not able to see the interior of St. Matthias Church because we visited on Sunday morning. We toured with Globus Tours and found them to be excellent. Our group had a great time.

Buda Castle at night

Buda Castle

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Air Cafe Brno

This is a great blog. So many stories. Please, check it out.

 

Free Czechoslovak Air Force

For Czechoslovak RAF airmen relatives and enthusiasts, a key location to visit when in Brno is the Air Café.

Pro všechny příbuzné letců RAF a také jejich sympatizanty, kteří navštíví město Brno, je nemyslitelné, že by nenavštívili jejich kultovní místo – kavárnu Air Café.

Air Café origins go back to 1999 when brothers Albert and Adam Kronek began to develop their seemingly simple idea of combining the atmospheric environments of gastronomy and honouring the Czechoslovak airmen, who fought in the RAF during WW 2 in Great Britain in one establishment. The walls are decorated with numerous photographs of the airmen, posters, aviation artifacts and the glass display cabinets show many of their personal belongings which all have various connections to the four Czechoslovak RAF squadrons.

Vznik Air Café se váže k roku 1999, kdy bratři Albert a Adam Kronkovi spolu začali realizovat svoji zdánlivě prostou myšlenku – vytvořit gastronomický stánek…

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Trip to Czechia: St. Vitus Cathedral Prague

On the occasion of our Thirtieth Anniversary, Mrs. Present and I traveled to Europe. We visited Budapest, Vienna, and Prague. It was remarkable. I will be posting highlights from the trip. Most posts will consist of short histories and a lot of photos. I will go in depth on others.

First up: St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague, CZ.

St Vitus West Doorway

West Face St. Vitus Cathedral

King Charles IV of Bohemia (later Holy Roman Emperor) began construction of St. Vitus Cathedral in 1344 AD. Two previous churches had existed on the site, the first being built in 925 AD. Construction of St. Vitus was lead by Matthias of Arras until he died in 1352. Peter Parler then assumed the role of head architect. Construction and restoration efforts continued until 1929, when the Cathedral was consecrated.

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