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An Adventure in Central Europe, Spring 2004

Imperial Vienna! Matt and I pose in front of Emperor Franz Josef's digs at the Hapsburg Palace. First stop in Vienna: Shannon and Matt sample Sacher tortes at Cafe Demel, next to the Hapsburg Palace. Inside Cafe Demel's sweet shop. This place is Candyland paradise. Getting our culture on: visiting the Kunthistoriches Museum (Museum of Art History) inside the Hapsburg Palace. Shannon and Matt find true Huber-ness on the Kartnerstrasse Matt strikes a sophisticated pose on the Graben, in front of the Plague Monument. Travelmates Shannon, Jay, and Matt enjoy Vienna sunshine on the Graben, and a break from the CHI 2004 conference. Strauss had it wrong. Me with the not-so-blue Danube. The impressive Karlskirche church on Vienna's Ring While everyone works at the conference, I enjoy a day at the Palmenhaus coffee house in the sunshine. Vienna mecca! Shannon finds shoes! Matt finds even more Huber-ness. Enjoying a night drinking at an authentic Heurigen (wine tavern), outside Vienna in Grinzig The famous Schubert memorial at the Stadtpark The Stadtpark's famous Strauss memorial, and me! Matt and Strauss Vienna's greatest restaurant, Trzeniewski's Buffet!! 10 euro goes a LONG way. The first of many ice cream shots: Eis (ice cream) in Vienna My friend Jitka from Czech joined us for a weekend...we volunteered together in Italy in October 2003. Americans and Czechs find common ground- enjoying Sacher Torte at the famous Sacher Hotel Doing our little turn at the catwalk...at the Palace Matt plays tour guide; and we're walking... Cafe Central, Vienna's best coffee house EVER! More still life at the Palace ...and more... Jitka and me... ...again... Jitka convinced me to sneak off to Prague with her for a night...Matt waves good-bye at the train platform! Jitka's childhood home in Beneshov, Czech Republic Jitka and her mom, who makes a rocking prune and corn cake (trust me, it's delicious) Jitka and Mariana, another very cool Czech chick! Jitka and I spend an hour in Prague, walking the sunny Old Town. Posing on the Charles Bridge In Town Square, but on the phone... Now on to Bratislava, Slovakia for the EU handover! Matt poses in front of the Opera House... And mocks a statue in Town Square Matt studies his map Mixing with the crowds on April 30, 2004, as Slovakia prepares to join the EU tomorrow! Ice cream, Bratislava style. Better than you'd expect. Shannon excites the locals with a "Spaghetti Ice Cream" order On our way to explore Bratislava's Castle A view of Bratislava Bratislava's bridge...there's a restaurant in that weird disc-thing, you know More bridge views We finally reach the castle hilltop. Matt took this photo.... But I think my view was more interesting!! Matt takes a seat on the grass and enjoys the view. Matt relaxes at the Bratislava Castle. Really steep stairs in really hot weather... We stroll the Danube along the waterfront and get a great Castle view over the city. The Danube is definitely bluer here than in Vienna! Matt mocks more statues. As we walk into Town Square, the city is sets up for free rock concerts to celebrate the EU handover! A Dublin bar band takes the stage in Bratislava Town Square. Matt enjoys the concerts, the big-screen TV setup, and of course the 25 cent beers! When Dublin rock concerts meet Slovakian locals.... ...there will be dancin' in the streets. The rock concerts are interrupted by a sudden downpour. Everybody cover your beers!!! No umbrellas, no coats, no hats...but still having fun despite the storm... At midnight, we all gathered in Town Square to toast the EU handover with beer and music! And now, this teeny airplane will fly us from Bratislava to Dubrovnik, Croatia... Our first glimpse of Dubrovnik from the bus. Purty, ain't it? You can walk Dubrovnik's walls- all 2.5 miles of them- and see spectacular city views. A view out to the sea. Matt channels Indiana Jones.... The sun is out, the water is warm, I'm on holiday...what else could a girl want? A western view of Dubrovnik Matt and the walls... This is my very favorite photograph from Dubrovnik. And the Matt version of the shot :) More Walls and Indiana Jones... Matt re-enacts the Dubrovnik Siege of 1991. A view over the rooftops in the late afternoon. The sun sets as we finish the 2.5 mile walk around the walls. The Fortress is in the background. We rented a room inside the walled city from a local woman named Katrina. This is her front door. Matt poses with Katrina in her kitchen Our home-away-from-home in Dubrovnik The greatest bar in Dubrovnik- Cold Drinks Cold Drinks hangs off the side of Dubrovnik's walls, and is the best place to watch the sun set. Shannon, Jay, and Matt enjoy beers at Cold Drinks. Matt inside Dubrovnik's monastery Custom says men must jump up on this gargoyle head outside the monastery... and try to hold on as long as possible. Matt lasted about 2 seconds. Matt takes a break along one of Dubrovnik's many alleyways. One of the most fascinating, if not gross, fountains I've ever seen. Matt poses alongside Dubrovnik's alleyways Enjoying the walk inside the city More alleyway shots Why did I marry such a dork? Matt does his best Macauley Culkin impersonation... A view from the bridge leading out of Dubrovnik Matt on the bridge Matt and Shannon pose on Dubrovnik's entry bridge. Shannon and Jay and assorted Google-wear Yet another tourist shot... Matt and I explore the beaches outside the walled city A public beach across from the city Matt is king of the world!! Testing the waters outside the walled city Climbing the rocks outside the walled city A lovely day at the beach. Playing on the rocky beach... ...and getting my feet wet... We found a public park with great views of the walled city. Admiring the coastline from the park The water was cold, but all the old Croatian men didn't seem to mind, so here I go... I approve of my surroundings. Matt takes a break from sightseeing Our favorite Dubrovnik meal: flash-fried minnows, squid risotto, and wine. Look Mom! I'm driving through Bosnia!! And this is how we spent our 15 minutes in Bosnia: We used the toilet... ...and took a few touristy snapshots... In front of Hotel Neum, Bosnia's one lone, very sad, seaside resort. Our rental car! Isn't she cute? We arrive in Split, 5 hours to the north of Dubrovnik. This is Diocletian's Palace. Matt at Diocletian's Palace, a site of antiquity morphed into a shopping mall. Standing inside the Palace walls Posing with Egyptian-style antiquities Matt at the site of Diocletian's masoleum Some of the remnants remaining of the Palace Sitting in the center of Split's Town Square One of the coolest fountains I've ever seen, in Split's Town Square. Ooooh...a Dalmatian in Dalmatia! Lookit that! A walk down Split's Riviera waterfront at dusk. Matt on the island of Hvar, a 2-hour ferry ride off the coast of Split. Matt mocking yet another statue. Matt explores the alleyways of Hvar Town. We lost our sunny weather, but at least the view over Hvar is pretty. Matt conquers Hvar. Film at 11. We climbed a trail to the top of the town. A view of Hvar from the rooftops. More aerial views of Hvar. Taking a break from the hike to enjoy the view... Matt is King of the World! Again, why did I marry such a dork... And no day in Croatia would be complete without pasta, pizza, and beer. Lunch in Hvar. On hour north of Split, we arrive in Trogir, a lovely waterfront village. The IKEA palace! Our only night in Croatia with our own brand-new room and bathroom!! Trogir by night. And Trogir by day (rainy though it was) Another few hours north is the Krk National Park of Croatia, famous for its waterfalls. Me and my Cappy Orange Juice pose for the camera. We walked out a mile or so on the wooden platforms to see the waterfalls. We hiked over bridges... ...and conquered a waterfall! Matt enjoys the view of Krk Park. Me and the waterfalls. Another shot of Matt... He really ruined this shot, didn't he? Grrr... At the end of the hike, the waterfalls emerge. The Krk National Park waterfalls in full motion! I'm too sexy for the waterfalls...too sexy by far... On the hike out Some nice German tourist group offered to take our picture... And just one more for posterity :) The Joneses. Indiana Joneses, that is. Matt poses at Emperor Franz Josef's private viewing spot of the falls. We drove 3 hours north to Zadar, the former capital of Croatia. Pretty waterfront, dull town. So we got ice cream and left. On to Opatija! Opatija is the Hapsburg's former waterfront holiday town, now renown as the best place to dine in Croatia. Emperor Franz Josef's waterfront street in Opatija. Man, that guy got around... The next morning, we had some free time...so we went to Italy!! Matt poses in Trieste. Matt enjoys his first time in Italy. In front of a weird lake that had no entry or exit. Smells like Venice! Matt has his first real Italian coffee. And then his first real Italian gelato- tiramisu flavored! One hour further northeast, we reach Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. Me in Town Square, one week after the EU handover. Happy in Slovenia. Matt poses in front of some beautiful Art Noveau buildings in Town Square. More Town Square Ljubljana. Standing on one of the 3 bridges that span the canal surrounding Old Town. Matt with Ljubljana's famous Muse Statue. Old Town Square, Ljubljana (lyoob-lyee-ah-nah) Ljubljana's architecture is a mix of Vienna and Amsterdam. Matt poses on the canal's bridges. More canal views. Enjoying the sights of Slovenia, and the sunshine. More happy tourist shots of Ljubljana... No matter where we went, there was always a Lush store nearby. The government buildings and fountains behind Old Town. Matt conquers Ljubljana! It wouldn't be a day without ice cream. Ljubljana's was pretty tasty. 10 minutes after this photo, a Slovenian skinhead tried to steal my camera, but he was too slow for my catlike reflexes... We visted Ljubljana's castle, overlooking the town. It looked impressive from the outside... ...but it was amazingly underwhelming inside. Matt poses outside the castle. A view from the drawbridge entrance. As we exited, a long stairway opened to a beautiful view of Slovenia. Hiking down from the castle... The long stairway down One hour east of Ljubljana, we visit the Zargorje, in northern Croatia's hinterlands The castle of Veliki Tabor in the Zargorje We are the lone tourists out at the castle A long shot of the castle from the entry road. Being the only ones at the castle, we made ourselves at home! A view of the Croatian mountain region I am King of the World! Matt conquers the Zargorje. Matt and his new castle Exploring the winery casks inside the castle Matt loves his models... He really, really loves them. We have lunch and buy honey at an agricultural homestead near Veliki Tabor Having beer and lunch at Veliki Tabor Leaving Veliki Tabor, and on to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia! The most entertaining fountain I've ever seen. Matt poses with Zagreb artwork.