Day 11 - Sunday 7 April 2019 - Vienna

Another beautiful spring day, really pleased I brought a new coat and cold weather gear for this trip.

Today I decided to do the free walking tour as recommended by Lonely Planet.  The tour was led by a delightful young Hungarian girl by the name of Regi.  She is a uni student studying international politics.  We visited a number of the interesting sites on both the Buda and Pest sides of the Danube.  These tours are promoted as free.  The way it works is that at the end of the tour you pay the guide what you think it is worth, technically you could walk away without paying anything although I doubt that many would.

Our tour guide, Regi

Neither a castle or a mountain, but they call it castle mountain

Parliament across the Danube

Hungarian soldier guarding something

Fisherman's bastion, guarding the Danube

We went up the stairs!

During the tour Regi mentioned the famous Hungarian soccer (football) team of the 1950's.  I told her that I came from Melbourne Australia and that we had the Olympic games there in 1956.  As soon as I told her that she immediately said that she knew of the 'blood in the water' water polo match between Hungary and Russia at the Olympics.  She said that the Hungarian water polo players from the 1956 olympics are still national heroes in Hungary and there have been many books written about them and movies and documentaries made about them.

As a bit of background to this.  Russia occupied Hungary at the end of the 2nd WW and in 1956 there was an uprising in Hungary against the Russian occupiers, this uprising was brutally put down by the Russians with the loss of many Hungarian lives.  So you can imagine the feelings of the Hungarian water polo players when they came up against the Russians at the Melbourne olympics.

I realised today that I haven't had much of a whinge about anything, well, cobblestones are still giving me the irrits, there are lots of touts around the town flogging various touristy things but they are more an irritation than anything else, but so far nothing serious to complain about.

For dinner tonight I went to a 'traditional' Hungarian restaurant and taking Flashy's advice on board that I have been eating too much pork I had roast duck, with potato rosti and a mountain of red cabbage, and it was all delicious.  (I asked the waiter if the duck was wild, he responded 'well he wasn't very happy when he was put in a hot oven sir', crikey we laughed).

Anyway, at this particular restaurant was a traditional 'gypsy' orchestra, 2 violinists, a cello and a bloke playing a stringed instrument that he hit with little hammers.  The lead violinist wandered around the restaurant playing at the various tables and asking for requests.  He asked me if I had any requests and I said yes, go away!  He asked where I was from and I told him Australia, he went back to the orchestra and they started playing, you guessed it, Waltzing Matilda.  They had the tune right but weren't too good with the words.  After wiping away a sentimental tear and thanking them profusely (and buying a gypsy music CD) I headed off into the night and back to my hotel.

Fun facts:  1) I reckon that I have taken more photos here than I have taken in any other European city.

2) Waltzing matilda is not played in waltz time, as some of the Europeans pointed out to me last night.

Number of Steps: 10,713 at 4.09 pm.  About 6,000 of these steps were going up the hill to the palace precinct and coming back down again.  Do I hear you say, 'Graeme, how are your dodgy knees and ankles holding up'? Thank you concerned reader for asking but they are holding up OK.  

Observations: Lots of ladies and gentlemen in town for bucks and hens parties.  Cheap airfares have ruined Europe.