Continuing on the Danube Cruise begun last month, delightful villages and verdant countryside line the banks of the Danube. Going through the many locks along the journey, especially at night, adds a spooky ambiance to the trip.
Vienna emerges as a lovely city of contrasts. Seeing a horse drawn carriage in front of the Hofburg, the Imperial Palace, the winter home of the Hapsburg emperors, conjures up images of what it might have been like in the 17th till the early 20th century. Then, you might round a corner and face the Haas Haus, a brilliantly creative example of contemporary architecture, with its mirrored windows reflecting old world buildings so that old and new blend together.
One of the most famous and certainly the oldest, riding school in the world is the Spanish Riding School, housed on the Hofburg grounds. This is where the famed Lipizzaner horses are trained to perform their ballet-like movements. On the outskirts of Vienna is Schonbrunn Palace, the summer home of the Hapsburgs, another stunningly beautiful edifice that houses much original furniture and art installed by the emperors.
The site of Budapest, Hungary was first occupied by the Celts before 1 AD. Later the Romans created a fortified camp there with roads, amphitheaters and baths. The Kingdom of Hungary was officially founded in the 10th century. It was seized by the Ottoman Empire in 1541 and held by the Turks for over 140 years. In 1686 the city was reconquered by Christian forces and was incorporated into the Hapsburg Empire. Even until the 20th century the city was a prize coveted by each country that exerted control over that territory.
The brief Hungarian Revolution in 1956 saw Imre Nagy appointed as Prime Minister only to have him arrested and secretly executed two years late by the Soviets. The statue of him on a bridge was erected as memorial to his bravery.
Of course the Danube River plays a significant role in the commercial success of the city. Churches line the Buda side. Up on the hill is St. Matthias Church, with the Fishermen's Bastion fronting it. Below at the water's edge is the Church in Szilagyi Dezso Square.
The Royal Palace or the Castle perches atop Castle Hill. The Boy Jester Bronze is a popular statue on the Pest side.
Night time finds the city aglow in lights. Most impressive is the Parliament Building, the third largest such building in the world. Many 19th Century villas still adorn lovely tree-lined streets. Some now serve as embassies. A city that has lasted two millennia, Budapest has much to offer the curious traveler.
Often shrouded in fog and mystery, I enjoy seeing Venice on a bright day when she shows off her vibrant colors. The playful colored pencil-styled dock posts near the Rialto gave a modern touch to the otherwise formal setting of ancient buildings. Thousands of paintings of The Grand Canal festoon the walls of galleries both national and private. And what would the City of Canals be without the omnipresent gondoliers, laughing and singing their clients around the watery streets. Oranges, yellows, peach and white alternate on 500-year old palazzos now serving as hostelries, offices and galleries. Unique as the Queen of Canals, Venice, day or night, is one of the most romantic cities in the world.
Hvar is a delightful island filled with lavender fields separated by dry stack stone walls that reflect how the area was farmed during both the Greek era and prehistoric times. The Adriatic lapping Hvar's shoreline seems startlingly blue on beautiful sunny days. As other towns along the Dalmatian coast, Croatia is blessed with bountiful, bougainvillea contrasting pleasingly with the stone walls and wooden shutters of its various towns.
Split gained some importance in 305 AD when the Roman Emperor, Diocletian arrived after having his palace built as a summer residence. Gradually, over time, the palace became a town into itself. A modern day wonder in Split is the Museum of the works of Ivan Mestrovic, a world renowned Croatian sculptor. Croatia has much to offer in the way of natural beauty, charming villages, historical significance and lovely people.
One writer said Croatia is like Italy 75 years ago. I can't attest to the accuracy of that, but with its narrow, winding cobblestone streets, and abundant blossoms of bougainvillea cascading down ancient stone walls it does have a similar feel. Of course, the Romans left their mark along the Adriatic coast with vestiges of their work still in evidence. Dubrovnik, the Pearl of the Adriatic, is like a tiny kingdom unto itself. The wide, stone city walls, that give it clear definition sit high above the Adriatic Sea and allows you, if you wish, to circumvent the entire city with a bird's eye view.
Korcula, is another lovely, delightfully small walled town. It was ruled by Venice for about eight centuries and the The surrounding area is home to some family-owned wineries and where the grapes for Syrah are believed to have originated.
Bosnia virtually has only a toe in the waters of the Adriatic, but a short drive from Ploce, brings you to Mostar, a town comprised of Muslims in the eastern part and Bosnian Croats in the western. Stari Most, the Old Bridge was originally built in the 16th century but was wracked with shelling in 1993. The reconstruction brought both ethnic sides of the city together in 2004 to rededicate it as a symbol of diversity.
The amazingly clear waters of the Adriatic invite swimmers to step in around its shallow shores, but it plunges into the earth and averages over 800 feet in depth. It's a wonderful backdrop for dramatic sunsets.
A benchmark for beauty, for people, food, scenery and history might be Tuscany, that heavenly section of Italy that has inspired artists, writers and travelers for centuries. Pisa is famously known for its Leaning Tower, Torre Pendente, which apparently began its centuries-long pitch to ultimate destruction shortly after it was begun in 1173. After stabilization measures taken in 2000, it was reopened to the public. It is the bell tower for the Duomo, or Cathedral. Those two buildings and the Baptistry are grouped together in the Campo dei Miracoli.
Another famous church is the church of San Biagio, which is considered a Renaissance masterpiece by some. It is perched on a verdant hillside below the town of Montepulciano which sits on one of the region's highest hills.
One of the smallest of the hilltowns is Monteriggioni, with its circle of towers protecting it from all directions. It's only a few miles north of the large and very busy city of Siena. By comparison, it is almost doll-like in its proportions.
Then there is the incomparable Florence, home to some of the greatest art treasures in the world. The Ponte Vecchio, built in 1345, is a miracle itself. Bridging the narrowest part of the Arno River, it was preceded by a wooden bridge that dated back to 970, which was preceded by a Roman one. Shops have lined the bridge since the 13th century. Though originally there were a lot of butchers and fish mongers, today the goldsmiths are predominant.
India never ceases to amaze the traveler with her rich colors found in clothing, buildings, sunsets and markets.
Contrasts abound. The richly adorned palaces and tombs, like Humayun's Tomb, a precursor to the Taj Mahal, often stand within a stone's throw of narrow, twisting alleyways whose doors aren't dazzling, but nonetheless, interesting.
Stately, elegant trees in Delhi are worlds away from the surreal, mysterious, grasping ropes of the banyon trees guarding the jungles of the tiger's home.
And then, there are the amusing surprises of seeing sacred cows in unlikely places.
After one disappointing trip to a tiger preserve in India a year ago, and only seeing paw prints, but no tiger, my trip to Ranthambore was a huge success. The park is a 5+ hour train ride from Delhi. When you consider the fact that this tiger preserve, home to 45 or so tigers, is 200 square miles, it's remarkable to actually see a tiger at all. The park is divided into zones and each vehicle is assigned to a zone for 3 ½ hours in the morning and a different zone for 3 ½ hours in the afternoon.
Our first encounter was with a magnificent 8 ½ year old male named Ustaad. He was resting in a cave and a couple of other jeeps were already in place watching him. He was just mildly interested in his growing audience and in between naps, he would look around a bit. The markings above the eyes of a tiger are as unique as our fingerprints and this is how individual tigers are identified. Eventually, he came out of the cave and relaxed in the bush, again, seemingly unperturbed by the various jeeps jockeying for good positions from which to photograph him.
A couple of days later, after having only gotten distant glimpses of three tigers, we had a superb 30 minute-viewing. It was the end of the day because we had to exit the park at 6:30 PM. We came upon what looked like a Hollywood movie set: a 16th century tomb in the midst of the jungle. Sleeping on the stone wall was Sultan, the 2 ½ year old son of Ustaad. For perhaps 15 minutes we watched as he slept & twitched his ears & occasionally opened his eyes. Then he stood up, stretched his 300+ pound body and yawned magnificently. After checking out the crowd, he sat back down for a while, watching us watch him. Then, he stood again, sauntered down the stairs of the tomb, and meandered into the jungle. An amazing finale to a remarkable adventure.
Wyoming in winter is a special place. Yellowstone covered in snow is quite different from the warm, sunny version most people see in the summer. Mammoth Hot Springs emitting steam and creating fog has a mystical appearance. It looks as though it might be a locale for "Lord of the Rings".
The waterfalls don't give up their freedom easily and although encased in snow and ice they usually manage to keep moving.
One feels almost like they are walking in a snow globe when there's fresh, soft snow on a bright sunny day.
Scenic aerial flights are not currently allowed over the parks but permits for research and photography are sometimes issued. Seeing the Grand Prismatic from the air is a rare and wonderful sight. God's view of Grand Teton peak near Jackson marks another incredible experience.
Yellowstone National Park, the first National Park in the world, is in my opinion, the Serengeti of the lower 48 States. It ranges over 2,200,000 acres and contains one of the most diverse arrays of wildlife found anywhere.
You cannot drive through the park in the winter and avoid seeing great numbers of bison and elk, thousands of each species. The winter is a special time to visit the park as there are fewer tourists and the wildlife is more accessible.
Coyotes trot along looking for easy prey. You can see big horn sheep and mountain goats adorning the rocky crags overlooking the various valleys. Mule deer and white tail deer often graze together. And nearby pronghorn antelope prancing through meadows.
Then there is the top of the food chain: the grey wolf, returned to the park in 1995-96. Elusive hunters, not often seen except through spotting scopes at great distances, they now number close to 100 after having been totally eliminated by 1926.
