Buda and Pest=Budapest! Land of Souvenirs!

So, Budapest is an absolute joy! It has a lot of quirky charm and even more quirky souvenirs- right up my alley. We arrived in Budapest yesterday around 2 pm, dropped our bags off at the hotel, and went right out to Buda. We took the trains and then ANOTHER funicular to the top of Buda where we took cheesy model photos and I bought souvenirs- a cupcake shaped piggy bank, a secret box (I feel like Sheldon Cooper from Big Bang Theory), paprika, and more. It was SO hot up there so we went back to cool off and drop souvenirs off before heading out again.

On our second jaunt, we found McDaniel College- a teeny building in Pest on a rougher side of the town. It had “McDaniel College” etched in stone with a gate around it. So thankful for the opportunity to see the building and even more thankful I decided not to study abroad here alone without Petey. J

We ended up at Octagon Square, a nicer shopping district with a TGI Friday’s. My belly, homesick for American food, had some Jack Daniels chicken strips while Petey indulged in a steak. Nothing like American food to cure homesickness.

We wandered back to our hotel and I was overjoyed with people watching. PDA is all too common here and I can’t stop gaping. To sleep we went so that we could rise with enough time for free hotel breakfast.

So, breakfast at the hotel provides us with THE BEST CHOCOLATE CROISSANTS I HAVE EVER EATEN IN MY LIFE! The croissants here are sooooooooooooooooooooooooo soft. Mmmmm. 

After breakfast, we set out for the “Terrorhoza” or the House of Terror Museum. This Museum was the actual headquarters of the Hungarian Nazi Party as well as communist organizations AVO and AVH. It was so frightening to go through this museum. The museum artfully and somberly commemorates these events in Hungarian history. It was sickening, especially, to see the cellar where the torture and executions took place.

After this tour, we needed a little adventure to boost our moods so we found the “Great Market Hall.” AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Tacky Souvenirs! Jaimie, this hall is like the giant flea market in Daytona Beach and I loved every second of it. We bought a wooden, hand-carved mini chess set here as well as some other wooden handcrafted pieces. All shopping puts me in a good mood so this was a delightful way to spend an hour.

This afternoon, we wandered over to Heroes’ Square and the Millennium Monument, dedicated to 14 famous Hungarian leaders. Beautiful photo opportunity, as seen below.

We walked through the rest of the park this afternoon, being lazy and taking photos. A little photo journey is captured for you below. Gabe, take note that Auntie Kate and Uncle Pete found a balloon man for you and took pictures of all the balloons!

Now we rest in the hotel, before we go on an evening stroll by the Parliament building, home of the biggest Parliament in Europe, for the last cheesy photos of Vacation 2012.

Love to all,

Kate and Peter

We are actually doing cultural tours in Vienna...

Hello loyal readers,

Two shout outs today: HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARAH and HAPPY ANNIVERSARY JAIMIE AND GENE!

So, I last left you with those scrumptious descriptions of desserts in Vienna. So, Sunday morning we awoke at 11:45 am. Really? Who does that? I have never slept that late in my entire life. Anywho… we began our sight-seeing at the zoo in Vienna called Tiergarten Schonbrunn. It is the OLDEST ZOO IN THE WORLD! Hooray! We saw giraffes, koala bears, lions, penguins (photos for Sarah attached), crocodiles, rhinos, hippos, and a whole plethora of smaller animals. Most importantly, I spent some quality time with a leopard. I loved him even though he looked at me like he wanted to chew my face off. Beautiful zoo, all flat walking ground, and they sold gelati. Thumbs up.

After this tour, we went to the Schonbrunn Palace to tour. We took the 22 room Imperial Tour of the home of Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife Elisabeth. Elisabeth may be better known to you as “Sisi.” She lived a rather depressing life, being married off at 15 and not wanting to conform to the traditional ways of the royal lifestyle. You should google her… the story is quite interesting. The palace was unbelievable and this was the first place where Petey and I slowed down enough to listen to the audio tour. Instead of visiting the palace in 15 minutes, we listened for 35 minutes! Did you know that Mozart’s first musical performance was in this palace?

We wandered Vienna afterwards and stopped at Va Piano, that delicious pasta chain where everything is made to order. I had Penne Arrabbiata and it was sensational. Petey had Penne Aglio E Olio, or pasta with olive oil, garlic, and chili. Both were smothered in fresh parmesan. One of the chefs here is my brother’s doppleganger. Spitting image. I could not stop staring at him, even his mannerisms were like J.D.’s. This was quite amusing to me. This dining experience was a beautiful end to our evening and then we strolled back to the hotel.

This morning, we did a little better on timing- out of the hotel at 10 am. We blew past the Austrian Parliament building, took some nice photos, and then we headed to the friendly neighborhood Starbucks where I indulged in a coffee Frappucino and a piece of banana chocolate chip bread. The Frappucinos are better here… less cream and more straight up coffee flavored deliciousness.

We then did a quick tour of St. Stephen’s Cathedral where a mass was going on. This Cathedral was where Mozart and his wife got married! Very gothic and very cool. Then, we found Mozart’s house to tour. The home we visited was where he lived from 1784 to 1787. It is the ONLY surviving apartment that Mozart lived in while in Vienna. We again indulged in the audio tour and learned all about how Mozart composed “The Marriage of Figaro” while living in this apartment.

We headed back to our hotel and stopped for some Snitzel in a Box on the way. This is like our equivalent to fast food chicken nuggets. It is so good. A Pork Snitzel patty cut up into bites with French fries. I would definitely recommend this cheap alternative to dining if you are visiting and trying to save some money.

After a short nap, we wandered around, tried out the rentable bikes (this lasted about 25 minutes as I was terrified of being run over by another bike or car in traffic), indulged in some gelati on the rougher side of town, and ended our last beautiful evening in Vienna by finding the Belvedere Palace, the summer home for Prince Eugene of Savoy, a rather famous military commander. The grounds here are gorgeous when the sun is setting, perfect for model and jumping photos, as seen below.

Now, we pack up in the hotel and prepare to move on to Budapest tomorrow. Home of paprika and McDaniel College abroad. Woo Hoo!

Love,

KT and PT too.

Life-Changing Desserts!

Dessert #1: Nutella Gelati! OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

First of all, as we went through the airport in Zurich to get to Vienna, we passed through the duty-free shop. This jar of Nutella was for sale for about $65.00. Jones, I think this might be a good investment for you. I have never seen a jar this large in my life. Maybe we should go halves on it?

Now, Vienna has a lot of gelati shops. I always get coffee gelati as it is a reliable favorite only varying slightly in how strong the coffee was to create it. But today, my life changed forever. There was Nutella Gelati that I mixed with the coffee. Imagine, Nutella on ice. Not sticky like in the jar, but creamy and cold. My words will not do justice to the creamy Godsend that is Nutella Gelati. So, photos must suffice. And then plan on getting on a plane ASAP and getting yourself some.

Dessert #2: Original Sacher-Torte! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Vienna is famous for this chocolate cake that graces our mortal presence. Here is the history, in case you wanted to know:

http://www.sacher.com/en-history-tart.htm

I rather like the story behind this little gem. So, we went to the Hotel Sacher Vienna to indulge in the original. This cake is deliciously moist, coated in that Apricot Jam, and the chocolate on top is hardened to perfection. I wrinkled my nose at the idea of Apricot Jam but oh my yummy. Mixed with the fresh whipped cream and a cappuccino after a long day of travel made me feel triumphant. Photos below. You are not considered a true Austrian visitor unless you have this. Get on a plane. Do it. 

The anticipation is killing me...

And then the angels began to sing... Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Luzern: Traditional Swiss Cuisine...

Hello!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY LISA LOU! LOVE YOU LOTS!

Now, I have a lot of food to describe for you and it has been 48 hours since I last wrote you. Phew. Let’s get down to business.

After our model photo shoot on Thursday evening, we got up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Friday morning to leave Murren. We were literally in a cloud so we could not see the Eiger well enough to bid it a fond farewell. For this, I am rather thankful because I think Petey could have sat next to the Eiger for the entire vacation and skipped Vienna/Budapest.

We traveled by train, gondola, train, and another train before we arrived in Luzern. For lunch, we picked up some cracked pepper turkey, swiss cheese, little rolls, and pretzels to eat on the last leg of the train ride. This was the epitome of backpacking through Europe. It was such comfort food and SO CHEAP! Amen, because the cost to visit Switzerland is outrageous. We arrived in Luzern around 2 pm and found out we got an upgrade to a new hotel. Sweet! The hotel looked like a room in which Christian Grey might stay. Ahem.

Luzern looks a little like Venice as most of the shopping sits on either side of a river and two famous bridges pass back and forth between the two sides. We took a stroll down the two sides and I ended up feeding a giant posse of swans, ducks, and strange looking phantom puffin-type birds some carrot cake. Pictures below.

Are we psyched for Luzern? YES WE ARE!

 It is here that I also had another traditional Swiss meal: Alpermagronen, or Alpine Herder’s Macaroni! This is a rich combination of swiss cheese, cream, potatoes, noodles, sometimes onions, and baked apples on top. The starch of the potato impacts the flavor in addition to the tartness of the apple laying on top. It comes in a big pot, see below. It was beyond creamy, strings of cheese cascading past my fork, and it was a dish I needed to share with someone else! Petey had Pork Schnitzel, a thin pork chop coated in bread crumbs, flour, and cheese. Delish combination with the macaroni and cheese.

I happened upon my first cupcake shop of this journey, a shop called Maison Gout. I selected the Vanilla cupcake and the Rock Chocolate cupcake. Vanilla=real cream used for icing… way too intrusive on my tongue. So thick and too rich, not downright Betty Crocker sugary enough for me. Rock Chocolate, however, was phenomenal. Chocolate chips were on the bottom, followed up by a moist chocolate cake, thick, dark chocolate icing, and a chocolate ball on top. Well done, Maison Gout… 4 out of 5 stars.

I pondered purchasing this cupcake for my home... but could not find a way to ship it there...

We retired early because it began to rain in Luzern and we had to prepare to get up at 3:45 am to catch our train, flight, and train to Vienna. This morning’s train ride was out of control. The college kids in Luzern stay up until 4:30 or 5 am on Friday nights and ride the trains back to their homes at this time. This just so happened to be the train we needed to catch. Ugh. But we survived. The flight was smooth as well and we arrived in Vienna today around 1 pm. I have indulged in two unbelievable desserts this afternoon and for them, I shall dedicate an entire entry. So, read on and prepare to salivate while clutching your stomach.

Rainy Model Photo... umbrellas make good props.

Woo Hoo for Vienna! Home of Delicious Desserts!

Petey's newest Model Photo. He calls this, "The Bug Eye."

Love,

KT

Being a model in the Swiss Alps is tough but someone has to do it...

Let’s talk about the Swiss Alps again, shall we? Today, we visited the towns of Lauterbrunnen and Interlaken. Lauterbrunnen is a quick hop on a train and then the gondola, dropping 1,000 feet at a steady pace. Petey took a nice candid shot of me gripping the seat and praying that I would not plummet to my death. See below.

Lauterbrunnen has a ginormous waterfall that we hiked to the top of. The water shoots out of the mountains with a rather violent force and the steps up to the waterfall are SO STEEP! We took lots of cheesy photos here and then did a little shopping in the town. 

Then, we hopped on another train to go to Interlaken. Interlaken is a VERY WEALTHY resort town in the Swiss Alps, imagine bazillion dollar watch stores and jags driving down the strip. Guess what we found for lunch? That would be Hooter’s… bah ha ha ha. We had boneless wings and this whole experience struck my funny bone.

Afterwards, we trekked through town so Petey could buy a REAL, AUTHENTIC, Swiss Army Knife. The version he selected has a: toothpick, bottle opener, two knives, screwdrivers (both Philips head and flat head), a can opener, and tweezers. He is quite pleased with his purchase. I selected a cow teapot to add to my collection. It is white with black spots and a little cow sits on the handle.

We rode the trains and gondolas back up the mountains to Murren and decided to get dinner to go so we could eat on the balcony for our last night here. I just had to go back and visit Mr. and Mrs. Tham so I chose chicken fried rice and Petey had… any guesses? Think carefully… PIZZA! We also shared a DELICIOUS Swiss Milk Chocolate bar- it is 100% better than Hershey’s. It tastes like hardened hot chocolate. So creamy. AH-MAZING.

We decided to go on a long walk after dinner and thought it would be mildly entertaining to take model photos. This turned into a 45 minute session that slayed me. I was laughing so hard, I couldn’t pull myself together. We had to use the self-timer and wait for people to pass by us so they didn’t make fun of us. Petey is very good at model faces. Of course, I have our best Abercrombie and Fitch shots below for your viewing pleasure. Let me know which you think I should submit to Abercrombie or GAP.

Tomorrow, we set out early for Luzern. We have to pack this evening and I will investigate the internet situation at our next hotel tomorrow afternoon.

Until then,

Your friendly models… Tyra (Katie) Banks and Mr. GQ