We're Back and Lots to Tell You March 9 to March 14

Braver folk than us venture out on a cantilevered platform

Pat venturing on the catwalk at the summit

Our "Hillary Steps"

What it looked like when we saw it...

Although we didn't mean to leave you hanging (literally), Don unintentionally left off without telling you about our ascent to the summit of Lomnicky Stit (peak) in the High Tatras. We took two cable cars to the top of the mountains; it was quite thrilling because it was so gray and foggy that we couldn't see but a few feet in front of us. When we got to the top, we took a walk on the observation deck and saw what we could. It was probably not the best day to do this, but when you are travelling and this is the day you set aside, then you just follow your plan and hope for the best. The sun did come out for a bit, so it wasn't quite so forbidding, and you'll see from the pictures that it was worthwhile and an experience we will long remember.

We left AquaCity in Poprad for Bratislavia on Saturday--about 350 kilometers in five hours. In spite of our trusty GPS, we went back and forth over the Danube three or four times trying to find our apartment hotel. At least we didn't have to pay a toll everytime we crossed the bridge! Don's persistence paid off, and we found the Mamaison and settled in for the next two nights Saturday and Sunday). The weather in Bratislava was overcast, and the city was quiet. National elections were held on Saturday which contributed to Sunday being a day of rest for city residents. The town was peaceful and not crowded by we had a nice dinner and took lots of pictures. My favorite is still the worker--a man coming out of a manhole cover on the street corner. Bratislava has quite a few of these whimsical sculptures.

On Monday March 12 we left Bratislava and stayed in the Hotel Senator on Hernaiser Haupstrasse in Vienna. They have a marvelous trolley system here which made staying 15 minutes away from the City "Zentrum" enjoyable. For ten euros each, we bought two-day passes that we could use on all of the buses and trolleys. We made it to the Schoenbrunn Palace in time to take the Grand Tour of the Imperial Apartments--about 40 rooms. Although it's a bit chilly, one of the benefits of off-season travel is that you beat the crowds. Don and I practically had the place to ourselves! The furnishings and decorations were lush and each room we went through was more fantastic than the one before it. We couldn't take pictures, so you will just have to come to Vienna and see for yourself!

Tuesday was spent walking around the city and experiencing what most travellers experience--getting lost! We took the trolley into the City Zentrum, and it took awhile to get our bearings. There was so much to see, and when you are on your own and not on a tour, you just have to figure it out and hope that you are seeing what you are supposed to see. Luckily, our hotel had a good tourist map, so we managed to see quite a bit of the city. The Stephansdom Church on Stephansplatz was impressive, and we took lots of pictures there as well as the Hofburg complex of buildings that includes the Imperial Palace and the Imperial Apartments and went through the courtyard.

Since it started to get cold, we strolled over to the Museum Area. Unfortunately, the Leopold Museum is closed on Tuesdays--Don and I were looking forward to seeing the Klimt exhibit--but we made lemonade out of lemons by going to the mumak (the modern art museum), and checking out the exhibit of Claes Oldenburg's work. Crazy stuff--like soft sculptures of telephones, toilets, and medicine cabinets--but we loved it and spent over three hours in this very modern steel and glass building. A nice dinner of weinerschnitzel, potato salad, and beer topped off by a walk past the Rathaus and other government buildings lit up in the night rounded off our successful Vienna day and got us back to the hotel early enough to prepare for our journey to Ljubljana, Slovenia on Wednesday.

Just got into Slovenia which is a beautifully hilly country on Wednesday afternoon. We'll post more tomorrow, and Don will put up some pictures. It's 11 p.m., and we're tired!