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Szentendre, Hungary: Day Trip

I have always believed the old quote, “There is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” So when Yvonne came up with the idea of a boat trip out of Budapest to Szentendre, I was all over it.
Szentendre is a quaint village about an hour and a half up the Danube from Budapest. Ninety minutes up, but only an hour back because you are going with the flow coming home. The village itself is like a moment cut from time. More 17th century than 21st. Cobblestone streets. The standard tourist shops. Yvonne found a great little jewelry place with some real deals. We had delicious Hungarian cuisine and admittedly a pizza while relaxing in a restaurant and gazing at the Danube. Perfect weather. A wonderful relaxing day. So why were we so tired when we got back? Sometimes taking it easy is hard.

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Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna

As hard as it is to believe, the spectacular Schonbrunn Palace was originally begun as a hunting lodge and retreat. Leopold I, Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, purchased a small existing manor, called Katterburg, because it was close to Vienna and offered good hunting. The lodge turned out to be too small. After Leopold’s death, the name was changed and the palace was expanded, by Empress Maria Theresa, to it’s current 1441 rooms. The Habsburgs were not Schonbrunn’s only inhabitants. Napoleon lived there for a time. The British used it for offices after WWII. Today, Schonbrunn is a national shrine and a UNESCO World Heritage site. There is even a suite available for private rental. If you have to ask what the rent is, believe me, you can’t afford it.

Public transportation is the easiest, fastest, and most inexpensive way to get to Schonbrunn. Guided tours are available, but not really necessary. If you are not able or don’t want to walk the extensive grounds, the little tourist train acts as a hop on and off. It is reasonably priced. We enjoyed it.

 

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Szecheny Mineral Springs and Baths, Budapest

Putting together a bucket list? Don’t forget to leave a few blank spaces for discoveries you will write in as you go. The Szechenyi Baths, in Budapest is just such a place. I had never heard of Szechenyi when we started planning our trip. Eighteen separate pools and hot tubs. Numerous steam baths and dry saunas, some with aromatherapy. Massage and other holistic medicinal therapies.  A fun pool. All of this housed in a gorgeous, almost palace like, facility completed in 1913. The wow factor is huge.

People have been drawn to the natural hot springs around Budapest since the early bronze age. In fact the springs were what brought the Romans here in the 2nd century BC. With the spine warming tingle of naturally hot mineral water, it is easy to see why the Romans wanted to build their territorial capital here.  The waters are invigorating, especially if you have joint problems like I do. Szechenyi is the oldest mineral bath located on the Pest side of the Danube. Since the water is hot, almost 170 degrees fahrenheit, the outdoor pools can be open all year. It is an unforgettable place and a most memorable day. Truly, one for the bucket list!

 

 

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Airbnb: The Pros and Cons and Cons and Cons…

I started to call this article “The Cons and Cons of Airbnb” but to be honest that would not be fair. There are some very good things and a lot of negatives. Let’s start with the good:

Some Airbnb hosts are wonderful people. You may make a friend you will want to stay with time and again.

Airbnb will give you the chance to stay in an area you prefer at a price that is more reasonable than a hotel.

You may be able to cook in your room or apartment to save money or for dietary reasons.

You will have a chance to see what real people live like and not just rub shoulders with other tourists at the Hilton and the local heritage castle.

It sounds great. So what could be the problem? The first one is with Airbnb itself:

Airbnb tends to stay neutral when there is a problem. It is in their best interest to avoid taking any action. Your lovely villa in Spain turns out to be a flop house that hasn’t had a good cleaning since Franco was in power. It is owned by someone who lives in Berlin and has never been to his own rental? Call Airbnb to find out how quickly they will be able to offer no help at all.

Also, Airbnb reviews are not ranked by date or number of stars. So five years ago the host and room were great but now the host is old and ill. The room has had the doors ripped from the cabinets. Sorry, that’s your problem.

A rule of thumb: If your host says, “Public transportation is a short 10 minute walk away and it takes 20 minutes to ride the bus downtown,” figure it takes an hour to ride the bus downtown with three transfers. Also the short 10 minute walk will be across 8 lanes of the Autobahn with no pedestrian crosswalks.

Your host may expect you to whisper and he will close your door after 10pm even though it is 90 degrees in your room, there is no fan and no air-conditioning. This one happened to us so don’t think I am exaggerating here.

The teflon pans on your stove were new before you were born and have been used to mix tar to seal the bathroom floor? Call the owner in Berlin and Airbnb to find out how quickly no one can help you.

You wanted to see how the real people live but now you are tired of vacationing on the wrong side of the tracks? Did I mention to call the owner and Airbnb?

So with all the caveats, you think you still want give Airbnb a try. There are a few things you can do:

Know the cancellation policy. Try to chose the Flexible Refund policy and a Superhost if you can. Avoid the Strict Cancellation policies. You will lose up to 50%.

Scan through reviews and avoid Hosts that cancel before guests arrive or have reviews with a lot of the same complaints.

Also, communicate with your host during the first hours of your booking. You can often get a feel for what kind of person they are. Ask them if a fan is available or if they live nearby, etc. If you need to cancel, do it immediately, before it costs you money.

Make sure you know what Airbnb’s fees will be.

Many Hosts use Airbnb to get into the hotel business without the expenses involved in a real hotel. Realize their services are likely minimal as a result.

Use Google Earth to take a virtual walk through the neighborhood.

Google maps can tell you how long the tram ride will actually take and how often the trams run.

Download the Here We Go app and see if it offers other choices for public transportation that are not on Google. Here We Go will also work offline and when phone service is weak. It is also better for walking trips after you arrive at your destination.

To sum up, do your research. Know what you are buying before you commit. It’s a simple rule but one that failure to follow leads to costly and unpleasant mistakes.

So there you have the ups and downs of Airbnb. Maybe a cruise would be easier and more fun.

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Bonaccia’s Pizza–18th Anniversary Brunch, Czech Republic

Our 18th Anniversary was The Most Special of Days celebrated with a wonderful meal here in Prague. We had toyed with the idea of taking an Uber down to the castle for lunch at a “Tourist” hotspot. At the last minute we decided to take a recommendation from the guide left by our AirBnB host and eat what real Czechs like for a celebration. That of course is the same worldwide. Pizza. Her choice was a little Italian place a short walk from the apartment. Bonaccia’s Pizza. The place was charming. The food was fabulous! Perfectly prepared. Served with style. And our waiter was the best ever! An unforgettable day. A memorable meal. It doesn’t get any better!

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Germany, Spree River Vacation Area

These pics were shot from the window of a moving train while we careened down the tracks from Berlin to Prague. That is in itself a tribute to modern cell phone cameras. The Spree valley is gorgeous as I hope you will agree. Not seen in the pics due to the speed of the train are many adorable little campgrounds full of camper vans, and tents. The river was smooth running most of the route but was full of kayaks and inflatables. Mountain hikes, bike paths, river boats, it looks like a wonderful place to spend a relaxing summer vacation. I was sorry that our travels did not leave time for a few days in this lovely spot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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You’re Never Too Old To Stay in a Hostel–Castle Rock Hostel

Say the word “hostel” and most people see a mental picture of teenagers sleeping in bunk beds, 12 to a room. Most people don’t realize that Hostels today often cater to an older traveler. Private rooms, free breakfast, reasonable prices, unique decor and other activities make hostels an attractive option for seniors traveling on a budget. Make no mistake, hostels are not the Radison but the quirky differences can add to the charm of a hostel stay. The Castle Rock Hostel, in Edinburgh, Scotland was right across the street from Edinburgh Castle. It’s a good example of what I am talking about. Our room was up a lot of steps and was not much bigger than our closet at home. But take a look at these pictues and I think you will see why we LOVED our stay.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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5 Travel Apps You Need Today!

A good App is a beautiful thing. It does its job day in and day out simply, intuitively, and efficiently. The best Apps have an art to them, a certain design elegance. That’s the cream of the crop. Most of the ones I find are rated capital “G” for Garbage and uninstalled within minutes. I am the uninstall King. There are a few though that I wouldn’t leave home without. The best Google Apps were covered in a previous blog. Here are the best of the rest:

Dark Sky-Hyperlocal Weather–

The Dark Sky Company

You can’t make travel plans without some idea of the weather. I must have tried a ton of Weather Apps over the years. They were not worth bothering with. That is until I ran across Dark Sky. I don’t know where these guys got their crystal ball but their weather predictions are the best available. Also their maps feature covers the entire planet and is stunning.

Moovit: Bus Time and Train Time Live Info

Google Maps can do most of the same things, so why use Moovit? Moovit is for public transportation only. The interface is clean and easy to use. Moovit will show Trams and Train routes when Google sometimes doesn’t. Download Moovit as a backup insurance policy if nothing else.

Open Signal—

better signal and faster data

Open Signal will show you where the nearest cell towers and Wifi hotspots are. This will tell you which way to move for a better signal or where to go to get Wifi. If you are cutting the cords from your cell carrier, like me, you can see the beauty in not wandering down the street, hoping for a signal. I recently used Open Signal in Bryggen, Norway to find a hotel Wifi while I was sitting in a public park. Cool.

NumberBarn

Be Number Smart

Did you know you can port your existing phone number? Do you even know what porting your number means? Here’s the deal. Let’s say your phone is out of contract. You have had the number a long time and don’t want to pay the ridiculous call fees while you are on an extended European vacation but you don’t want to lose the number permanently. You can port (translation: move) your number over to NumberBarn so you don’t lose it. You can then go to Europe or Wichita for that matter and use a free Wifi calling system like Google Hangouts for your calls and texts. Voila! Your $100 a month phone bill now drops to as little as $2 a month and later on if you want to go back to a regular carrier, you simply port the number back out to your new carrier. Numberbarn will even notify you when the old number receives a text.

Turbo VPN

If you travel outside the US sooner or later you will find yourself blocked from some of the services you are used to. You need a Virtual Private Network. A VPN makes your computer look like it is in the US when in fact you are in Europe, Asia or wherever. Maybe you can watch some programs on Youtube that are blocked in the region where you are now. Maybe you can see Netflix. Maybe not. The problem is that restrictions on VPNs are tightening due to their use by scammers. There are a lot of VPNs out there. Turbo has some ads and works about the same as most. It’s free. If it works for what you need, fine. If not try one of the paid VPNs.

So that’s all for Apps for now. You can travel comfortably for a long time on the ones I have listed. But if you do run across a new one that knocks your socks off, let me know. I do love a good App.

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The Azores

Tucked right in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean you will find some of the most beautiful islands a sailor ever dreamed of. Lush green with a temperate climate, small rolling mountains, and even volcanic hot springs, the Azores is a surprisingly affordable sojourn on a long Transatlantic crossing.

Ambling along the charming streets is a popular pastime for locals and tourists.

This sea walk is just minutes by foot from Pointa Delgada city center.

 

Entering Pointa Delgada

The Church of Sao José

 

Portugese culture and architecture is evident throughout the islands. Tiled plazas add an old world charm.

 

Azores history can be dated officially to Portugese navigator Diogo de Silves, in 1427. He was not the earliest arrival. Medici maps from the mid 1300’s show islands off the coast of Portugal. How the Medici`s found out about the islands is not known. Norse, Arab, and Irish legends of islands in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean lead many historians to believe they were visited much earlier. Archaeological studies are continuing to establish earlier arrivals. Columbus himself landed here in 1493 to make repairs after a storm.

Considering an extended visit? A one bedroom apartment may rent for less than $500 a month. Dinner in a reasonably priced restaurant can be had for less than $10 and a local beer will set you back only a buck. You can spend a lot more other places and get a lot less. When you consider the three C`s: Climate, Culture, and Costs, The Azores are hard for a Savvy Senior to beat.

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