Prague, Vienna and Budapest: Spring 2024
I had a meeting in Prague, and we made a trip of it. This is that story.
Our friends Dan & Jan met us in Prague for a fun tour of Prague, Vienna and Budapest this spring, and we had such a lovely time!
On our first night together, we tasted (and loved) Czech beer, and got into some serious meats (two words: pork knuckle). This led to me almost being throat punched, and our new friendship pledge: knuckles in!
Dan & Jan in Wenceslas Square 
Czech beer and fried cheese sticks 
The main event: pork knuckle 
Knuckles in, y'all!
On our first full day in the city together, we slept in (heavenly), and then visited the Mucha Museum. The history and art were cool, but I ended up buying a book of his photography. I think that tells you all you need to know. Sadly, it seems some of his best works remain locked away from the public.
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| My favorite piece at the Mucha Musem |
That afternoon, we walked all over the city, admiring the gorgeous architecture and art nouveau.
That evening, we went on an absinthe tour with a local guide (Jan loves a food tour, and this counts). It. was. fabulous. I'll admit, I was nervous, having bought into the lore of "the green goblin," but this was an educational tasting tour that led us through different varieties, including Czech and French (my favorite), while walking through the history and discrediting all those wild tales of yore. You can book a tour with Nataly via airbnb or her insta.
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| At Green Flamingo Absinthe Bar |
Monday, Shannon and I met one of my board members who just happened to be in the city that week, too! We joined she and her friend for a walking tour of Old Town and Prague Castle. This took us through the old town square, past the astronomical clock just in time for its big show, over our beloved Charles Bridge, again, and through the lesser town and we took a tram up to Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral. Jan & Dan chose to "scrooze" their way through Old Town and up to the castle area, and they. had. a. blast.
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| astronomical clock |
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| high atop the hill at Prague Castle |
We met up for a lovely lunch at Cafe Savoy , which I think we'd all highly recommend. Great menu, cocktails and service. We walked through the Easter markets in Old town and through Wenceslas Square, where Jan and I were able to procure some gorgeous hand-blown eggs for the holiday. There were Easter decorations everywhere, and pastel ribbons tied in birch trees, it was lovely.
That evening, we had an amazing dinner at Le Degustation. Highly recommend. Skip the wine pairing, though and choose a bottle to your liking (IMHO). Shannon also says to maybe wear short sleeves, or a tank top.
Tuesday, we drove to Vienna (thank you, Dan!) and stopped for lunch in Český Krumlov, an idyllic castle town with winding hilly streets and moat bears,
you know, the usual stuff. The Vltava River runs through the center of town, and the 13th-century castle is visible from almost every corner. And, it's guarded (?) by bears. In a moat.
We made it to our airbnb in Vienna, settled in, and went back out for a lovely dinner at Lugeck (highly recommend).
Wednesday, we toured the Cathedral of St. Stephen’s, and an elevator priest took us the very top, which held breathtaking views, not only of the gorgeous gingerbread tile atop the cathedral, but also of the city itself. Next, we made it to the Anker clock for its famous noontime show, which was absolutely worth the wait (if you're a history and/or music nerd). That afternoon, we toured Belvedere Palace, which was absolutely a highlight of the trip for me. We had a late lunch at a great local place called Kaiser. While the location was not ideal, the service was impeccable, and the food was traditional and delicious. That evening, we had a disappointing Michelin star restaurant experience, which I'm not quite ready to talk about just yet.
Thursday, we fulfilled a childhood dream of Shannon's and visited the Spanish Riding School at Hofburg Palace. The Spanish Riding School in Vienna is the oldest riding school and the only institution in the world where classical horsemanship in the Renaissance tradition of the “High School” has been alive and maintained unchanged for more than 450 years. The riders here study the horse's natural movement abilities and to cultivate them through systematic training in the horse's highest possible elegance of the high school. The result of the training, in which man and horse are at eye level at all times, is an incomparable harmony between rider and stallion.
The name of the “Spanish” riding school goes back to the 16th century when Ferdinand I
grew up in Spain and brought the magnificent Spanish horses from the Iberian Peninsula to
the court in Vienna. The horses were considered particularly noble and docile and were
therefore particularly suitable for classical horsemanship. The white Lipizzaner stallions,
which today enchant horse lovers from all over the world with their performances at the
Riding School, are the descendants of this once proud Spanish horse breed - they were
created from a cross between Spanish, Arabian and Berber horses.
The stable castle, which houses 72 of the famous white stallions, is Vienna's oldest and most important Renaissance building, it was built in 1565. The term “horse riding school” is explained by the fact that its attendance and use was previously reserved exclusively for the nobility. It served primarily to educate and train the young nobility in the art of horsemanship. For this reason, Emperor Charles VI commissioned Josef Emanuel Fischer von Erlach to build the winter riding school. Between 1729 and 1735 “the most beautiful riding hall in the world” was built, the magnificent winter riding school in the Vienna Hofburg. The equestrian portrait of the monarch still adorns the magnificent baroque hall as a thank you. Each rider tips their hat to the painting as they enter the ring as a sign of respect.
We had brunch at Café Sacher (the coffee and torte for dessert were amazing!). Shannon and I hit the Freud museum, which was in an area of the city we hadn't explored yet, which we enjoyed. The museum itself was really cool, too. That evening, we saw the Vienna Baroque Orchestra, which was another highlight (minus the wannabe influencers in front of us holding their phones up so rudely in the beginning). The orchestra consisted of a lead violin, a pianist, and then three other string players (I believe a violin, a viola and a cello). They were amazing!
Friday, Dan drove us to Budapest, and we can attest that the change from Austria to Hungary was FELT. The roads changed, the signs changed, the vibe changed. BUT, we loved Budapest! AND, we had matching t-shirts!
Our airbnb was scary on the outside and gorgeous on the inside, which we decided if we had to choose, was exactly how we'd want it. That night, we walked to a nearby Mediterranean place that had amazing hummus and settled in for our nightly piano bar. Dan plays, and our flat had a piano, so he was our toy. The piano was in terrible shape, but we didn't care. He can play anything and is a good sport.
Saturday, we started the day with so much sausage. Jan booked us an amazing food tour (check out Fat Boy Foodie Walking Tour), which wound through the 5th, 6th and 7th districts. We started with two amazing sausages from a local butcher, and then moved on to langos (fried dough with garlic and cheese? yes please!) and chimney cake. The tour culminated with lunch at a lovely Transylvanian restaurant called Szek near the opera house. We had amazing pork paprikash with hand-made pasta and it was to die.
That afternoon, we checked out the Széchenyi thermal baths, which was an inccredible experience. They were a variety of indoor and outdoor pools, saunas and rooms (a salt room!). I think our favorite was the outdoor whirlpool where we seahorsed around for a bit. Even though it was chilly out, we kept warm and made it to our appointment at the beer spa, where we sat in giant tubs filled with barley and hops, and drank beer from a tap in between our two tubs. FRIENDSHIP.
Sunday, we had a lovely breakfast at Café Gerbeaud (highly recommend going early). We walked across the bridge to the Castle district and Fisherman's Bastion, and walked ALLLLL over the Buda side. The views from up there were absolutely breathtaking, and I don't know if we could pick a favorite, but the white buildings at Fisherman's Bastion and the castle district were gorgeous. Looking back at the Pest side from Buda was gorgeous. At Zsuzsa's suggestion, we had lunch at Busolo Judasz (also on the Buda side). The food was amazing, and the views were terrific, too, but the best was the incredible pianist, who Dan may have fallen in love with. I went rogue and got us mega-lost, but eventually (thank you, Shannon), we took Tram 49 (adorable) back across the bridge to the Pest side and walked some MORE. We went to St. Stephen’s Cathedral (another one), Dan got SO much fornit, and took us on a fancy tour, and we went up to the top for more gorgeous views.
We loved spending time in these three cities. We went back and forth between what our favorite parts were, but for me, the city of Prague was the most fun and beautiful, and seeing so many amazing works in Belvedere Palace in Vienna was amazing. I loved seeing the musicians in Vienna, the moat bears in Cesky Krumlov, and meeting Zsuzsa and tasting brandy from her purse in Budapest!
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