July 7, 1997
Hey all,
Not so much has happened since the last update, so this one should be short.
After I wrote the Vienna update, we went out and saw the city. It's a very beautiful city, full of imposing marble buildings, quaint shops, and Palmer's stores. We didn't actually do all that much there, just visiting the old Hapsburg Palaces, the Opera, and the Natural History Museum. The last stop mentioned was probably the freakiest place I have ever been. It was lovely room after lovely room of death. Having 100 fish in bags of formaldehyde looking back at you is not a good thing right after lunch.
We also spent a lot of time at a little Viennese restaurant almost devoid of tourists not far from our hostel. The food was good, but I think the greatest attraction was Daniela, a beautiful Slovak waitress who unfortunately had to babysit the evening of the 4th. Oh well.
We're in Budapest now, which might just be the most interesting city I've seen on the trip. Of course, it has the lovely castles, incredible history, amazing churches that every European city has (it sadly gets old after a while. How many awesome churches can one see in a summer?). What really makes this city fascinating is the mix of East and West. Except for my unfortunate evening in Prague (see "Letter from Munich" for details), this is the first time we've been in a city that was entirely communist. Additionally, the language is completely incomprehensible, not even Indo-European. The strange mix of Viennese, Turkish, and Russian influences gives the city a true feeling of chaos. It's exhausting, but I love it. We're going to a Turkish thermal bath later today, and then on to Krakow tonight.
The trip is more than 1/2 done! Wish us luck!
Lance
