2018 is special

What is your favorite holiday? Why is it your favorite? *** Being an Australian, i am defining holiday as not going to work or it’s also a longer break from work such as taking time off to go on a trip somewhere. In 2018, I embarked on an unforgettable journey through London, Prague, Vienna, and…

Cityscapes from Prague to London

In this week’s challenge, hosted by Patti, I will be showcasing Prague and London. While every city worldwide holds its own unique narrative, Prague and London hold a special place in my heart. Each snapshot I’ll be sharing is filled with cherished memories that resonate within me. (Well I really wanted to do Prague and…

The Holocaust Memorials

“And now, a prayer—or rather, a piece of advice: let there be comradeship among you. We are all brothers, and we are all suffering the same fate. The same smoke floats over all our heads. Help one another. It is the only way to survive.” — Elie Wiesel, Night …and on a serious note… I…

Public Art in Budapest

“My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece.” – Claude Monet You’ll be surprised with the number of Monuments, Statues and Streetart all around the streets of Budapest.…But if you’re like me and my husband, every time we look for a place in google maps, we get lost. Why is it that my kids can find…

A rainy day in Budapest

“I told them they’d see me walking in the rain in Budapest.” – Mary Chapin Carpenter’ TRAVEL DIARY: BUDAPEST 2 Our fifth and last day in Budapest was very cold and wet but that didn’t stop hubby and I to make the most of our day. We decided to go back to those places that…

The quaint little town of Szentendre

“It is always sad to leave a place to which one knows one will never return. Such are the melancolies du Voyage: perhaps they are one of the most rewarding things about travelling.” – unknown TRAVEL DIARY: SZENTENDRE On the 17th of November, 2018 we went on a day trip to Szentendre (St Andrews), just…

A walk on the PEST side of Budapest

“There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.” – Robert Louis Stevenson The following day, the 16th of November 2018, took us to the opposite side of the Danube River, the PEST side of Budapest. From our hotel we crossed the Széchenyi Chain Bridge to get to the other side….

A day in BUDApest

“Europe’s most underrated big city, Budapest can be as challenging as it is enchanting.” – Rick Steves TRAVEL DIARY: BUDAPEST 1 It was a wonderful morning in November of 2018 and this was the view from the hotel where we stayed. Budapest, Hungary’s capital, is divided into two parts by the River Danube. The 19th-century…

Budapest is Glowing

‘They said that, of course, Budapest is beautiful. But it is in fact almost ludicrously beautiful.’ – Anthony Bourdain It was dark when we got to Budapest. I wanted to freshen up a bit before going on our dinner cruise when I decided to just look out of our bedroom window…and to my surprise… this…

Esztergom

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” – Lao Tzu Our Trafalgar tour was on its way to Budapest and we stopped by this lovely city on a hill…Esztergom! We just stayed there for a few hours to look at the scenery but oh my gosh…the view was astounding. You just…

Last Day in Vienna

“You need some reason why Beethoven, Mozart, and Haydn in the 18th century all flocked to Vienna. What was it about Vienna? They must have known on some level that that is where they would flourish. It’s what biologists call selective migration.” – Eric Weiner Situated in the very heart of Vienna’s City center, the…

Sightseeing in Vienna

“Adventure is allowing the unexpected to happen to you. Exploration is experiencing what you have not experienced before.” – Richard Aldington It was the 13th of November 2018 and it was foggy, cold and raining when we went for our first breakfast in Vienna. Beautiful and calming scenery from the Hilton Vienna Danube Waterfront First…

KunstHaus Wien

I am posting this for Ludwig’s Monday Windows and for Xingfumama’s Pull Up a Seat Challenge The KunstHausWien is a museum in Vienna, designed by the artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. This museum houses the world’s only permanent exhibition of Hundertwasser’s works but it also hosts regular temporary exhibitions of other artists. The front design is very…

Quirky side of Vienna

“Dream on, but don’t imagine they’ll all come true. When will you realize… Vienna waits for you.” – Billy Joel (November 2018) After Bratislava, next stop was Vienna. It was already a bit dark when we got there but we managed to stroll around the grounds of the Hilton Vienna Danube Waterfront. It was so…

Bratislava

“To move, to breath, to fly, to float, To gain all while you give, To roam the roads of land remote, To travel is to live.” – Hans Christian Anderson After Prague, our tour group passed by Bratislava for a few hours before continuing on to Vienna. Bratislava is a small city and is the…

Last Day in Prague (Part 2)

“Prague never lets you go. This dear little mother has sharp claws.” – Franz Kafka After our amazing pre breakfast walk, we went back to our hotel to have breakfast and to freshen up. Next in our itinerary was to go to Petrin Hill My husband and I went to Petrin Hill and that’s when…

Last Day in Prague (Part 1)

The ancient splendour and beauty of Prague, a city beyond compare, left an impression on my imagination that will never fade. – Richard Wagner This was our last day in Prague so the plan was to do everything and visit everywhere that we planned on seeing. Yesterday, we were in Charles Bridge, but we were…

Day 3 in Prague

“In Rome, the statues. In Paris, the paintings. And in Prague the buildings suggest that pleasure can be an education.” – Caleb Crain It was hard on my feet yesterday but I am guessing that this day will be a better one. Our activity for today is a Sightseeing guided walk plus a few hours…

Windows and Cobbled Streets

“Never hesitate to open new windows in your life!” – unknown In Prague, when I avoided the crowds in the streets and was able to capture these windows …

Doors in Prague

‘The most unspoiled baroque city in Europe.’ – Christopher Booker Arched doorway, heavy wooden doors and walkways in Prague Castle, Petrin Hill and surrounds. These are old historic landmarks in Prague, Czech Republic. For Dan’s Thursday Doors Challenge

Day 2 in Prague

“No matter how many countries you’ve travelled to or where you’re going, Prague will sweep you off your feet.” – unknown From our hotel, hubby and I decided walk to the Old Town Square. It is said that Prague is very walkable… so that’s exactly what we did. We may be using the tram in…

Tour of Imperial Europe

“Prague changes like a precious stone to reflect the weather, the time of day and the season of the year.” – Christian Norberg – Schulz ”We must not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we began and to know the place for the first time.” –…

The Cally

“I’m not lost, I’m exploring.” Tim, my son, used to live in Islington, a district in Greater London in 2018 … so best place to go for coffee is in Caledonian Road or The Cally (as locals call it). This is a long stretch of road running for a mile on the western side of…

Stopover in London

“When exploring London, you will come across lots of excitement by chance, so try to take everything in rather than just rushing around to all of the major tourist haunts.” – Richard Branson 2018 was the last time we left Melbourne to go overseas because plans were stopped by “you know what”. Took this Royal Brunei flight…

Christmas Markets

“He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree“. – Roy L. Smith Taken from Christmas markets in London and in Budapest in 2018. For Jude’s Life in Colour – Kaleidoscope

Kiss

This is such an unforgettable mural done by figurative artist Igor Shulman. It is a beautiful mural that captures the romance and passion of Prague. It can be found under the Charles Bridge … not sure however, if it is still there. Photo taken in 2018. for Sami’s Monday Murals and for Becky’s PastSquares. I…

Windows of The Dancing House

“Oh the places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss I am intrigued by the quirky architecture of this Dancing House in Prague… also known as the Fred & Ginger House. I am also fascinated by its many windows that I decided to have a go in making a pen and ink artwork of it. I don’t know…

Love in Prague

“I had traveled to a lot of cities in Europe before, but Prague was special. It held a mysterious attraction for me.” -Arfi Lamba I know … I know, you may be fed up with me saying that I love Prague. But what can I do? There’s love locks…love mugs…love street art… For Frank’s Tuesday…

Going Up the Albertina in Vienna

“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” – Martin Luther King One of my favourite artist is Claude Monet. Lucky enough when I visited the Albertina Museum in Vienna in 2018… the large exhibition of Monet has just started.

Christmas Windows in Prague

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year…” Christmas and Christmas decorations never fail to bring out the child in me. This was in November 2018… ! Monday Windows