Samomatic

With its roots stretching back as far as 2,500 years ago. Rome is a paradise for ancient buildings, cobblestone streets, and little alleys.

Flying with Air Transat, the budget airline between North America and Europe.

Taking a breather after rushing from work to the airport.

We caught sight of Italy after breaking through heavy clouds!

Checked into the hostel and just try to find our bearing near the train terminal….

Someone calls me and I turn around, it was my aunt and 2 cousins. What are the odds of running into someone in the middle of Italy?

Walked into a local market as they are cleaning up for the day.

The city is just a marvel of architectural gems. Even the street corridor is full of detail.

The Chapel of the Nativity at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore.

The little detail of Space Invader made me chuckle.

My job is to wander off as I see something interesting; Carmen’s job is to figure out where we are and how to get back on track.

The city becomes very quiet in the early afternoon for a siesta and avoid the direct sun.


Roads leading to Piazza di Spagna, the base of the Spanish Steps.

On Ponte Sant’Angelo around sunset. The pace slows down in the evening, people sit outside for a drink and chat till midnight.

She is still reading the map….

In the town of Kutna Hora, we visited the Sedlec Ossuary, also known as the “Bone Church”. The church was built in the 1400s in the middle of the cemetery.

There are estimated 40,000 human skeletons in the ossuary.

Some of the bones exhibit wounds or fractures, possibly from battle or rebellions.

An emblam constructed from human skeletons.

In the center is an enormous chandelier of bones, which contains at least one of every bone in the human body.

Saint Barbara Church, also located in Kutna Hora, one of the most famous Gothic churches in Central Europe.

Carvings adorn the external pillars.

The magnificent organ at the back of the church.

On the way to Prague, it was difficult to squeeze past these big trucks on these winding highways.

Wenceslas Square in the center of Prague. It so happened that many die-hard Scottish rugby fans were there to support their home team, so there was a lot of singing and cheering on the streets.

The streetcars in Prague, so classic!

View of St. Nicholas Church from the top of Old Town Hall Tower in Staromestske (Old Town Square).

The Prague Castle in the background, it is the largest coherent castle complex in the world with an area of almost 70,000m², being 570m in length and about 130m wide.

Making a full circle we returned to Budapest. This time our hostel is an apartment in one of the big buildings. We felt like local Hungarians.

Flying over River Danube, goodbye Europe.

Hello New York, the land of skyscrapers.

Coming in for the landing.

After a smooth landing at JFK International Airport, everyone clapped.

So this sums up our trip in Eastern Europe in Czech Republic, Vienna, Grossglockner High Alpine Road, Zell Am See, Hallstatt, Salzburg, and Budapest. Thanks for reading!

After crossing the unguarded Austria/Czech Republic border, we felt like we had travelled in time by 20 or so years. The older shop, cars, and flaky drywalls were a sharp contrast against the modern infarstructure in Austria.

A Farming museum we happened to pass by with some very interesting machineries.

Driving a rental Opel Corsa with a 1.2L engine. The engine produced a hefty 79 horsepower and was quite a challenge passing cars on the highway.
We were relying on the top portion of an Austria Map to navigate through the Czech backroads. The roads narrow and lacking in signage and street lights. We were trying to make it to our destination before darkness falls.

Arriving in the town of Český Krumlov, a small town famous for its fine architecture and the Český Krumlov Castle. After settling in the guesthouse we went out explore around the town.

Before the sunrise we climbed up the castle overlooking the town.

With a car at our disposal, we ventured out to the nearby towns for day trip opportunities. Here we are traveling on one of the main roads heading toward Prague.
Getting lost is part of driving in this country, we would often enter a town, miss the detour and have to double-back 5 minutes later.

About 10km from Český Krumlov is Zlata Koruna, one of the best preserved Cistercian monasteries in Czech Republic. The monastery was founded by Premysl Otakar II – King of Bohemia, in 1263.
Beautiful corridor adorn with details. We had to wear soft slippers to protect the flooring.

The office with some of the original furniture.

North-east of Český Krumlov is the Dívčí Kámen Castle near the Třísov village. The castle was constructed around 1350 as a military outpost, it was one of the biggest castle in the Bohemia at that time.

Visitors were allowed to explore and climb up the castle, at their own risk of course.

Lost on the way back, we found this sign in the middle of nowhere. To this day we still don’t understand what it means.

Our next stop was Vienna, the capital of Austria. During our stay it was unfortunate that the weather was gray and foggy, but we were still fascinated by the historic buildings everywhere.
Most notable was the interior of St. Stephen’s Cathedral with it high arched ceilings and details on the pillars.

Exterior of St. Stephen’s Cathedral.

The busy Wien Westbahnhof train station.

The train system in Austria was so on time, and the connections made traveling to different parts of the country very effortless. The cost does add up though!

We visited the Schönbrunn Palace, a World Heritage Site. The magnificent building is surrounded by gardens, orchards, and gates. All the rooms inside were maintained as how the Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife Elisabeth (Sisi) would have lived.

Two-faced statues in the Palace Park.

View from the Gloriette overlooking the Palace and palace grounds.

The Kronprinzengarten, the summer garden for the Emperor.

Newspaper display in the pedestrian districts.

We were fortunate to find last minute tickets to a performance inside the Vienna State Opera. We were at the top corner balcony, which had some of the stage obstructed but was good for taking photos.

The orchestra preparing for the evening’s performance.

Box sections, people that understood the language and dressed for the occasion. Needless to say we were a little wet from walking in the rain and carrying out backpacks…