Got into Budapest today. Took awhile finding our hostel since we were essentially trying to follow two different sets of directions... Did a 3 km loop before we found it. Once we'd found it, we went out for dinner at a little place and ordered what they call a meat platter... Basically, you get a big plate with rice and salad and a main feature of duck, chicken, beef and pork, along with a ton of wedges. Huge meal... Excellent and very cheap. After, we had a ...

Busy day today, although very, very wet. Rained most of the day in Vienna, but we made the most of the day. Went to the Schonbrunn Palace in the morning.. While we didn't go into the Palace, we did explore much of its expansive gardens, including a number of hedge labyrinths, a really interesting playground, and the Gloriette, which has a beautiful viewpoint to look north across the city. We ducked into a pub when the rain seemed like it would never end, enjoyin...

Once again, the favorite part of my day came at the end. Before we fled from the rain back to the hostel and hot showers, we made a detour to Adensberg Park, in the southeast section of Vienna's central district. There, we found two more Flakturm, one of which was being used as a depot of some sort, in a park full of beautiful trees and kids' playground equipment. Again, massive structures that still stand out, even when partially obscured by trees and, in the ...

After Prater, we made our way to Augarten.. But before we made it there, we passed a garage with wawaweewa!... A Lamborghini Murcielago, an Audi R8, and a Mercedes Benz SLR AMG all done in bright orange! Our jaws hit the floor! Contrary to opinions, most Europeans drive compact cars that are good on gas and easy to maneuver in tight spaces. We made it to the Augarten to see what I'd been looking forward to all day... Two largely intact flak towers, one a command...

After the Soviet War Memorial, we found Karlskirche, yet another beautiful church set in the heart of old Vienna. Very nice. We snagged the metro to Prater, which was once an imperial hunting ground but is now home to an amusement park (with a very symbolic ferris wheel) and some amazing green space, largely frequented by the Viennese on weekends. Like the rest of the city, it is very peaceful and beautiful. We enjoyed a grillwurst (sliced grilled sausage) and a...