Saturday morning (26/4/25), I checked out of my Vienna Hotel and ubered to the train station, easily getting on my cheap seat to Budapest. I easily ubered from that station to my inaugural Intrepid hotel, I dropped my stuff, and set out exploring the town. (Thanks to the EU, there was no border crossing and passport shuffling when going from Austria to Hungary. [Could it be Austria-Hungary? {nah}])!

Early on, I ambled into the opera house and heard the Saturday matinee wrapping up from inside the lobby. Walking to the happenin’ part of Pest, our hotel’s side of the Danube, I encountered a bicycle event in town, and among other things, I found the moon…!

I went out on to one of the bridges to enjoy the bike action, but I knew that we might be exploring Buda the next day, and it was getting late in the day, so I worked my way back on a loop trail to the hotel.

Did you know the Rubik’s Cube was invented in Hungary? (Yup, by Rubik!) I wandered by a few more statues, Soviet memorabilia, a Piana Vyshnia shop, and some others photographical items…

At 6:00, back at the hotel, I met my new Intrepid group, and after the formalities, we set off for some dinner at a Street Food Court & Beer Garden, then went to one of the famous (infamous?) “Ruin Bars” found in Budapest’s Jewish Quarter after most of them had been taken by the Nazis in WW2. A sad situation, but an interesting experience. We went to Szimpla, which was hoppin’!

The next day we headed out on a short walking tour with Dina, our leader. In addition to the Basilica, we went to the Memorial for Victims of the German Occupation, a tragic, but hopefully interactive, experience. You too can read about what is found there. Then we went to the monument about the Soviet Era…

Ronald Reagan has his own statue in Budapest, as do the National Martyrs. Eventually, we made it to the majestic Hungarian Parliament Building and Kossuth Square, after which we went down to the Danube Bank and saw the Shoes representing the hundreds of people shot and dumped in the river.

Then, we had the rest of the day free, so Red and Bill and I crossed the Chain Bridge to the Buda side and went to the National Museum and the Castle Museum…

Inside the National Museum and the Castle Museum…!

From the Buda side, looking at Pest (and don’t forget Obuda!). We wandered about enjoying the great weather, the views, the architecture, the weddings, etc., then eventually walked back.

After a very nice dinner with six of the others, I led them to the Piana Vyshnia for the cherry liqueur! They participated in the ritual of making a wish and taking a sip with no hands. Richard was having a particularly good time…

The next day we left Budapest for…?!

A rainy day is good for museums, so I started at the Hofburg Palace (the combined ticket included six museums, but not all in the palace!), then to the museums of Maria-Theresien-Platz – the Naturhistorisches Museum (Natural History Museum) and the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Art History Museum), but I never made it to the Museums Quartier – with the Leopold Museum and the MUMOK among others, it was just too much. And I was moving fast, reading little, lingering only occasionally. I also didn’t even entertain going to several others like the Sisi, Albertina, Belvedere Palace, etc. I reckon there’s a German word for feeling overwhelmed at the vast creative productivity of humanity…?

These collections are vast, mostly old, sometimes sciency, and representing true craftsmanship, technical expertise, and an infinitude of time and imagination. No power tools or petulance, much diligent dedication. Is there something about belief or servitude, gods or kings, that provides motivation? Anyway, please know that for every pic here (and there are many) there are hundreds I didn’t take. Some of the exteriors of the magnificent buildings that house all this stuff can be found in Part 1, but of course you should go see for yourself, and what will your reactions be, the flavor of your awe and wonder?

Serendipitously, my day started and ended with Egyptian scrolls, and while I would face crowds aplenty on this day, I might’ve been the only one in the Papyrus Museum in the Hofburg Palace…

Next I went to the Pruncksaal or State Hall, AKA the Austrian National Library. Perhaps the single most impressive room all day, and not just because of the baroque architecture, resplendent painted ceilings, and exquisite ornamentation, but because of the hundreds of thousands of leatherbound books running up all the walls! Nerd heaven! Certainly, the place cannot be captured by photography and I tried only a little to docment this marvel…

This museum combo deal required more than a bit of walking, so off I went to the Literature Museum. Like the Papyrus Museum (wildly unlike the State Hall), the Lit. Mus. was unattended. It was cool, I guess, but I was in & out. Maybe it was the all German thing? Anywayz, some pix…

The walk to the next museum was even longer, but took me through a nice neighborhood with an agglomeration of antique stores. Participate with me in some window shopping…

Here are some pix of/in the majestic building that contains the Sisi Museum and the Spanish Riding School…

Eventually I found the building that contained two more small museums. First up, the Esperanto Museum. Just so you know, Esperanto has been an attempt at a universal – international language. Nice idea! This was the smallest of them all…

In the same building was the Globe Musuem. Join me in walking around…

There was more at the Hofburg, but I bounced over to the Museum of Natural History. I think it might’ve been field trip day, ’cause it was packed. This first batch is all about minerals and such…

Next up, a random collection of birds, butterflies, and fishes. In the midst of this batch there are a couple of very small figurines that are quite old. The fat one is called Venus. The painted skull is another compelling antiquity. Preserve yourself…

The statue dude is Carl Von Linné (Linnaeus), famous for botanical taxonomy (binomial nomenclature). Other pix depict the grandeur of the building and students drawing the animals on display (display the art of taxidermy). Lotsa critters (perhaps not a one left out!)…

Then, I walked across Maria-Theresien-Platz to the Kunsthistorisches Museum. The line had been too long early in the day. And now I know why. It rivals the Louvre for quantity and quality of artworks, and is a testimony to the noble excellence (?) of the Habsburg Monarchy (not to mention the perils of inbreeding). First off, I went to see the special exhibit of Arcimboldo, Bassano, & Breugel, since I’m a particular fan of the former and his paintings of people made of other things. There were only about a half dozen of these paintings, but still so worth it. There’s other stuff in this batch, but I saved the best for last…

In fact, Breugel has his own room in this museum, but it’s one of dozens. The top floor is mostly paintings, as is this batch. Perhaps you can guess at what I like? In any case, this is a mere sample of the abundance therein…

The paintings continue, including his majesty’s, and other notable nobles, etc…

Down stairs (and I should have started in the other direction if I’d wanted to be chronological), the artworks turn to objects – 3D – sculpture, reliefs, ceramics, metalwork, tapestries, furniture, etc.

This batch starts with carved ivory, gruesomely beautiful. It includes waxworks, small intricate pieces, jewelry, and more…

Eventually, the rooms became full of antiquities from Rome, Greece, Egypt, and elsewhere. Tragic proof that other parts of the world have been looted. There was even an old film about the care taken in shipping huge ancient artifacts to Austria. Having just been in Egypt, it’s apparent that the royals and rich took the good stuff. It’s also apparent that these civilizations, dynasties, and empires have been doing their thing for centuries. There’s just so much…!

Eventually, flogged with marathon museum perusals, I had a nice dinner at Santos, a Mexican restaurant, and went to bed on the early side.

I post now from Budapest. So, stay tuned for all that…!

Often, before taking an Intrepid adventure, I’ll go a few days early and check out some place cool nearby (ie. Almaty Kazakhstan is near Bishkek Kyrgyzstan, Dubai UAE is near Muscat Oman). So, since Vienna is only a couple hours by train from Budapest (starting point of my next tour), how could I not go?

Maybe because London Heathrow was where I transited? Avoid that quagmire of an airport! Nonetheless, I survived the trip, in spite of LHE and my economy seats, and even got to my lil’ hotel conveniently on the Austrian trains. It is just adjacent to the Museums Quartier, here…

Just beyond the Museums Quartier are even more museums on the Maria-Theresien-Platz, the famous Hofburg Palace of the Habsburg Dynasty, and more than a few impressive statues. Just a sampling…

I strolled through several lovely parks, checked out the Rathaus (city hall), observed the Votive Church, had a spicy/smoky at Mama’s, grooved to more statuary & architecture, and watched people being alone in public.

Can you identify some of these sites…?

I went to a charming little cafe for dinner, and they had a great series of photos in the men’s room…

I strolled a bit more, getting a bit lost, and taking more random pix in windows, etc…

The next day, I took awhile jetlagging in the morning before finally heading out to my first destination: the Sigm. Freud Museum! While psychoanalysis, not to mention sex & cocaine, have their detractors, IMHO Sigmund Freud was one of the great thinkers of the Modern Era. The guy was insightful, prolific, and connected. This intimate museum is in the house where he lived and worked for almost half a century before escaping the Nazis and dying in exile. His sisters were all killed in the Holocaust!

I learned that he wrote more pages of letters than books and articles. And, that he loved antiquities and chows. And, families matter! Pamuk would approve of this museum! You too can do some of the reading, nicely displayed to read while standing (with a place to lean in). These pix are of some of those readings, some photos, even some artwork, and the building itself, which now has more of a cafe than a giftshop on the ground floor. Interestingly, while I love Freud (and Jung and Adler), I’m less drawn to the psychoanalysis that came after…?

So, after Freud, I took a circuitous walk, partly along the Danube, to my next destination…

Vienna has a tagging problem, albeit I like the grafitti. Here’s some of the better bits along the river…

I was drawn to what is apparently the oldest standing building in Vienna, St. Rupert’s Church, and had a nice chat with Fritz. Nowadays, it serves as a gallery for an art piece by an Italian sculptor about a priest who lost his head to the Nazi’s! Does that date look like 1439? It is, when the current structure was built.

Next, I went to St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the center of town, and a very popular venue. In fact, there was a concert happening right there, with a heavy police presence. Spectacular, but after a trip up one tower, I kept walking on the delightful pedestrian street back towards my hotel…

At some point it got rather cold, and I rather tired. So, via Uber, I hired a Lime Scooter to zip back to the hotel for my jacket, etc., then take it up another compelling street for awhile. And I kept walking…

The building featured prominently in this batch is the Haus des Meeres (English, website), which has many interesting features, including a huge climbing wall, etc. No reservation, no elevator!

Eventually, I found another charming little restaurant for some traditional Austrian schnitzel and meandered back to the hotel after a very long walk. Today looks like rain, so I reserved it as museum day, enough for yesterday. Thank you friend, for coming along…

As you know, in addition to taking photos, I take a lot of videos. However, I realize the time commitment for you, the viewer (and for me, the lazy content creator), is considerable. Too much.

Further, I’ve been having problems downloading regular time (and slo-mo) videos. So, I’m just throwing up some time lapses, usually of roads, trails, or flying that I’m (we’re) going up or down.

These are all on either Java, Bali, or one of the Cook Islands. Enjoy! It’ll go fast, and seem even faster…

And, here’s a batch from my very last day on Rarotonga before going home (for only a week)…

From the plane, first of Hawaii, then of the SF Bay. Photo art…?

And, being home, even for just a week, can include birds at the beach, sunsets from the top of Cuesta, a Pie Ranch Barn Dance, the annual Easter Egg Hunt, BBQ, country roads, and cabin chaos…

As I post this, I’m already on my next trip.

Please come with!

After two nights at the Atiu Villas (perhaps my favorite accommodation on our trip), we flew to Aitutaki. This first batch features some flowers at the Villas, and some signage at both airports, and a couple of uninhabited islands in between, plus the more remote parts of Aitutaki…

The convenience with which I hired a motor scooter at my hotel upon arriving was inspiring, and off I set – as twice before – this time to explore the Aitutaki by this efficiently fun form of frolicking! As you can see, I got around the island and then some.

Those first to panos were taken in the same spot, one looking out, the other looking in! And, please note the vast banyan tree complexes I found in two different places (banyan canyons!). I even made it up to the highest spot on the island where two water tanks have a great view…

Pacific Resort & a coconutty dessert…

On our next, full day on the island, we weent on a lagoon cruise – snorkeling expedition. Captain T’s shirt showed the route out to islands in the corners of the lagoon.

We had three snorkeling sessions. The first featured the giant trevally, intimidatingly big and fast. The second featured some giant clams, big but not fast at all…

Then, out on Honeymoon Island, we experienced some relaxed birds, and had a great lunch…

We had one more snorkeling session after lunch, this one with perhaps the healthiest coral and the most small fish – which are beautiful, but hard to capture with an iphone in a water bag…

The next day was very relaxed, but I managed to do a little more snorkeling in the shallow waters right outside my hotel…

And, I went for a lil’ kayak from Tava’e to Pacific Resort for some happy hour and a great sunset…

After three nights on Aitutaki, we flew back to Rarotonga. The rest of the group left for home that day, but I stayed one more night and a long day in Raro (may add pix & vids eventually).

Thus endeth a wonderful exploration of some, but not all, of the Cook Islands (five out of fifteen).

Here are some pix from others on the trip, these going back to Mitiaro, etc…

Stay tuned, the adventures continue…

After a lovely, healthy breakfast at Junior & Cindy’s, we flew the short hop from Mitiaro to Atiu. We were greeted by Roger who gave us a great mini-tour in his truck on the way to the Atiu Villas, perhaps my favorite place to stay so far…

The Atiu Villas are charming, and the manager/concierge Jackie is too. Some initial pix of the property…

More of the Atiu Villas…

That afternoon, not long after arriving, we took a tour with Birdman George, a local legend and ecology tour guide who educated us, not just about birds, but about plants and nature and the history of the island…

More of our tour with Birdman George, which concluded with a lovely lunch…

Later that evening we went to visit Allen at the Sunrise Saloon – or whatever the exact name is for his place which serves up a local home brew – or bush beer. We learned about the rituals of the rounds of shots delivered exclusively by Allen from his plastic bucket. Went back to the Villas for a wonderful dinner…

The next morning we walked to the cafe for a leisurely breakfast (first two: eggs benedict & Jackie’s office at the Villas), after which Ron & I went for a scooter ride around the island…

Next, we met in the afternoon to take a tour with Joshua, a local botanist, fisherman, rugby player, and cultural steward. First, we drove into the jungle to harvest banyan bark…

Then we learned how to cut and pound the bark into the material for making ceremonial clothing, a practice normally only done by women, his grandmother being the last Cook Islander to know the secrets of the craft. He also provided a wonderful fruit snack, and we eventually went back to the Villas for an equally wonderful dinner…

Before flying away from Atiu, we got up early for another truck ride to catch the sunrise with Lucy Moody for fruity pancake breakfast…

This batch is of pix taken by my fellow travelers which have appeared in my photo stream. Note the approach to the Mangaia airport…!

One more island to go on our tour of the Cooks. Stay tuned…

Mitiaro, also known as Nukuroa, and flat like Mangaia, has even fewer people – just over one hundred. Paul played his eight-string ukelele for the whole 50 minute flight, and again, we were greeted warmly at the airport (a small shed and a gravel runway). Unfortunately, disaster struck when the plane flew off with both my suitcase and backpack (and four other suitcases belonging to three of my fellow travelers).

Here’s proof that I was smiling even though more than a little vexed with consternation at the prospect of being without most of my stuff for a couple of days. Anyway, we went on a tour of Mitiaro Island straight away. I’m in the truck with Junior, who, with Cindy his wife, were our gracious hosts. We circumnavigated the island and were shown most of the interesting sites…

Note the solar power station, me with Chris, a former principal and the other driver, and the flowers in his uncle’s garden. We got word that a plane had brought our suitcases back to the island, so we picked ’em up at the airport before continuing our tour of the island…

We made a special stop at one of the many fresh water caves on the island in which one can take a swim and cool off – so we did. And some of us jumped in from on high. Weird place – very cool…

Next we went to the larger of two fresh water lakes on the island. Wonderful, but not utilized.

Of course we made one stop to check out the ocean, but it seems less accessible here on Mitiaro Island. After our tour we went back to Junior & Cindy’s “Divine Retreat” and had a nice dinner. Very local and homecooked…

The next morning, we went to church – a cultural experience in it’s own right…

After church, we strolled about waiting for the annual event of celebrating the end of cyclone season. Some views of around the harbor at Mangarei Village…

The event involved some community sharing – people dropping off food and redistributing it to the people of the island. Thus, the first few pix are of this bounty. The next are of the ceremony which involved some words from the King & Queen (not married and representing different families. Got to speak personally with both of them. There was lots of singing and dancing, and the locals got us into their groove. A magical moment…!

We walked back to the Divine Retreat and were treated, again, to a banquet of local delicacies…

After that late lunch we rested a bit before walking to another cave pool and taking a dip in the cool waters…

Back again for showers and another rest before an evening dessert. I’ll go ahead and post now, but may add some based on tomorrow morning’s doings. We’re off to another of the Cook Islands…!

In flying from Rarotonga to Mangaia in the Cook Islands, our entourage: Uncle Ron & Aunt Heather, Peter & Viv from Rotorua, Mike & Sarah from Oakland, and me, had the plane to ourselves for the 40 minute hop. Cool views flying over these small islands in the vast South Pacific, but the landing strip on Mangaia is particularly short…!

Shortly after arriving at “Babe’s” (sad story actually: child of the owner, university grad, etc., died too young) guest house, we took a tour of the island, driving around it and stopping a few view points. While Mangaia is about as large as Rarotonga, there are only about 400 people on the island (down from over 2000 a few years ago). After the drive, we walked down to a swimming spot at the ocean, but the tides were too high…

Later, I took a walk on my own into the little town of Oneroa – which is rich in cocoanuts, flowers, churches, lizards, cats, and tranquility…

That evening we had a great dinner, and celebrated the birthday’s of Heather (her 60th was the impetus for this trip but her actual b-day is February 1) and Mike (who happened to have his 74th that very day). Oh, and breakfast the next day…?

The next morning, we went back to the swim spot, took a dip and some pix…

Later, we were driven to the same tourist/historical venue that I’d checked out on foot the day before when no one was there. On this day, we learned much more about the culture and crafts of the island Mangaia, including stringing beads and weaving palm fronds. (Jeana, the Aussie of Cook Islander extraction in the photos, happened to be staying at Babe’s and tagged along for several of our excursions.) Again, food was eventually involved…

That evening, we were able to attend an event that gathered all three clans on the island – the 60th anniversary of Cook Islands’ independence (although it is still a protectorate of New Zealand, the poeple having NZ citizenship and using kiwi dollars. The different colored shirts represents the different parts of the island, which I believe are divided by watersheds. (The two white guys in ties and native headgear are Mormons apparently trying to convert the predominantly already Christian locals. In fact, there are more churches than stores, featuring Jehovah’s Witness, Seventh Day Adventist, various Protestant sects, and one Catholic. Please…? Lots of singing, dancing, kids playing, cool drum interludes, and words we could not understand (but which often seemed to be funny)…

The next morning, we had a nice breakfast at Babe’s, then took an even smaller plane to fly from Mangaia to Mitiaro Island. Quite lovely how some of the folks we met over our two days came to the airport to see us off – again on this super short runway…

We were able to lift off before we ran out of runway and made it to our next destination…

After two Intrepid tours in Indonesia, over three weeks on Java and Bali, I flew to Rarotonga of the Cook Islands via Auckland (from yesterday to tomorrow to today).

I got there a day before Heather’s birthday extravaganza and the arrival of my NZ fam. So after a nice taxi ride with a local dude, Panapa Katuke, I arrived at my Muri Beach Bungalow (Mama Tara’s #1), then eventually took a walk around town and had dinner at the Muri Night Market. Ate so much I had to sleep in the next day until Ron & Heather arrived. We had a nice dinner, and the next morning, I too moved into the Muri Beach Club Hotel…

Having to wait to check into my room, I rent a scooter and took an almost all day ride around Rarotonga, making several forays up roads that all dead-ended up the mountainous ancient volcano which graces the center of the island. In the process, I got to inspect a few water collection and treatment facilities. These batches also include some cemeteries, interesting signs, pretty vegetation, decaying vehicles, a ship, a butterfly, and some Cook Islands geology…

More of my scooter ride around Rarotonga…

After 4-5 hours non-stop scooting around Raro, I came back to the hotel for some champagne festivities, another trip to the night market, and an interesting evening event – first a clear kayak with disco lights paddle around the lagoon looking for turtles, then a dinner and a fire show.

The next morning I used the last of my scooter rental to take Heather to a bookstore on the other side of the island (looked at some shirts). Shortly after we got back, Ron, Peter, & I took a kayak ride out to the smallest sub-island and snorkeled around it. It proved to be a rainy day, but that didn’t really matter when it came to snorkeling…

After that, I hadn’t had enough, so I swam/walked out to the second largest sub-island and walked around it. These little promontories are made up of rocks, lava and/or fossilized corral, and covered with trees, so rather hard to walk across. But I wasn’t in a hurry and enjoyed the patterns, and of course the tree climbing hermit crabs! Note my location…

That evening we had a “Pig & Prawn” feast – so not kosher – and hit the sack. The next morning we were up early to meet Paul and go explore more of the Cook Islands…