Fleeing Central Europe for Mykonos

The winter came to Vienna, and we fled.  We boarded a plane early on a cold morning with what appeared to be flurries hovering in the sky and flew straight for Greece, where the temp doubled, and we traded clouds for sun.  All around, it felt like the right thing to do.

The horse who loved me - Lipizzaners in Slovenia

We visited an area of Slovenia known for their Lipizzaner horses.  The horses are just incredibly beautiful and the breed began in the Karst region of Slovenia in the 1500's.  The horses are typically used for dressage, which is pretty boring to watch, but once you get into it, it is nearly impossible to think of anything else.  Or so I am told.  The horses are rare and expensive.

Anyways, we were passing this small farm, and for whatever reason, this horse saw me, got incredibly excited, and sprinted over to say Hello.  It was as if he had waited all of his life for me to arrive at his gate. He looked that excited.

Furmonsters of the day - Showdown edition

What you lookin at punk

Exploring the tiny town of Rovinj, Croatia

Rovinj is a small fishing port in northenr Croatia that has been a part of just about everything from the Byzantine Empire to Venice, Austria, and Italy.  As such it is a colorful outpost, surrounded by the sea with an old church tower as the centerpiece and narrow lanes for getting lost.

The goodness of Demel

Demel makes the best sweets in the world.  We stopped by and ate a few things, and it did not disappoint.  Earlier in the trip I promised an older Austrian man that I would visit Vienna for a year, but I had to also promise that I would never look at a bathroom scale.  Now I know why he said that.  The desserts here are exquisite.

Le Cru Champagne Shop in Vienna

This is a cool little shop in Vienna that only sells champagne.  That's it.  They specialize in single grape small-batch "microbrews" from estates in France.  We were a little intimidated to enter in our rain suits, but we found warm service and were even offered free tastings, even though we insisted that we were leaving Vienna to soon to drink any champagne.

Figlmüller's perfect schnitzel in Vienna

On the recommendation of numerous people, including my grandparents and an Austrian man with a perfectly curled grey mustache and a penchant for British racing, we decided to try Figlmuller during our visit to Vienna for a heavy lunch. 

After riding the subway all over Vienna for free, we saddled up next to these meaty disks the size of generous pizzas.  The schniztzel was served simply with a lemon.  The schnitzel has been served here for over 100 years and every serving is violently pounded to a thickness of 30mm.  The Austrian emperor roll is used for the bread crumb breading and is perfectly crispy and light.

Furmonster of the day - Crap my pants Rovinj edition

This Black Russian Terrier looked really sweet and cool, so Kristin and I approached the owner and dog. That is when the dog left out a growl and we realized it was possible a death eater.  "He no like people."  Indeed, indeed. 

Greatest travel guide store ever - freytag & berndt

We stumbled upon this store in Vienna.  It was all travel guides, travel books, and maps.  It was like some kind of mecca for Kristin and I.  We did not even know such places existed.  At one point a sales associate came up to me and asked, "Can I help you?"  I just stared off into space and replied, "No."

Budapest at Night

Cruising the Danube with my grandparents and Kristin was an incredible experience.  As the lights fade, Budapest transforms from a city to a city bathed in gold.  Above is the Parliament building looking as if it is covered in 22kt gold leaf.

The photography of Budapest

After spending 3 days in Budapest and eating goulash and paprika chicken way too much, I have decided that it is a great place.  The Magyar language is difficult, so much so that I am convinced paying my parking ticket will be harder than getting a phd.  Aside from the odd waiter who gets thrills out of withholding bread, the Hungarians are incredibly nice and helpful.  The wide boulevards and immaculate architecture exceeded expectations so much that upon arriving in Vienna I was disappointed.

We left Hungary for 5 days in beautiful Slovenia, but before we start sharing, here is a bunch of Hungary.  Tomorrow, I will share my night photography of Budapest, which I believe is some of the best stuff I have ever done.

This guy

Being Blue/Cute