One of my favorite topics on Steem blockchain is #travel. I've been blogging about my summer trip for a few months but an 8 day trip is too short to take photos for a whole year. That's why I was happy to see @livinguktaiwan's post about the Haveyoubeenhere 2019 Steemitworldmap Travel Contest. I knew right away I'm going to participate, can't miss it. At least this way I have the chance to relive some of those lovely moments.
The Trip
Last year in July I had the chance to go on an 8 day trip to Hungary, Austria and Slovakia. These are three different countries with different culture and history, even though once were all part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire or the Dual Monarchy that lasted from 1867 to 1918. The first stop was Austria, Vienna to be precise. We spent three days in Vienna, then went to Bratislava (Slovakia) for one day. Sopron came next were we also spent only one day and another two in Budapest, the capital city of Hungary.
My travel series about these cities contains many blog posts but I can only choose four posts, so today I'm going to pick one post from each city to give you an idea what we've seen during these eight days.
First Favorite Post
Vienna - Part 5 - Hofburg Palace - Silver Collection - Part II.
Vienna has been on my bucket list for some time and was very happy to see the city and the beautiful places that Vienna has to offer.
The Hobfburg Palace was one of many places I wanted to visit to learn more about the Habsburgs. Thee collections you see here will leave you with unforgettable memories.
These handmade and hand painted porcelain plates are real work of arts.
The luxurious items you see here will give you an idea what life was once in this palace. This is a piece of the Austrian and European history, a place you really should visit if you are in Vienna. Having been able to see all this with my own eyes helped me understand life during those days better.
Second Favorite Post
Budapest - Part 1 - Shoes on the Danube Bank
We only had two days to spend in Budapest but this place was a must for me, I wanted to see the shoes.
These shoes can be seen along the Danube, in front of the Parliament and it's a monument to commemorate those Jews who were killed here.
They were lined up along the riverside, shot and pushed into the water. The monument is called Shoes on the Danube Bank and is visited by many each time of the year.
I've never seen such a monument before. If I put aside the sad history that this monument symbolize, I'd say it's something exceptional but can't put aside what's happened. Those people were told to take off their shoes and then were all killed without exception. Among them were kids as well, innocent lives.
Third Favorite Post
Bratislava - Part 5 - The Castle
Bratislava is not only the capital city of Slovakia but also a city that can offer you the possibility to visit a lot of old historical buildings, among which the famous Bratislava Castle
The castle is on a hill from where you can see the whole city and the Danube river.
One of the entrances. Look at it and let your imagination free. Imagine what life must have been when people lived in the castle.
This post was my favorite of all about Bratislava as it's about the castle. I love castles even though some if not all of them were built with great sacrifice. This one however is a bittersweet one. While I love the architecture I see, it's sad that the old history is canceled by renovation works. Soon history will be rewritten and the real one forgotten.
Fourth Favorite Post
Sopron - Part 2 - The City, Part III.
Sopron is a Hungarian city that situates next to the Austrian border. Basically it's the last Hungarian city on your way to Austria. In this post I tried to give you an idea what Sopron is like.
Even though just like the other European cities, Shopron went through two world ward but luckily most of the old buildings escaped bombings and can tell their history today. This is the church of the Dominican order in Sopron.
A memorial plaque to remember those who were captured by Germans, taken to Auschwitz. Boros Liána lived in this house between 1933 and 1944 till the Hungarian authorities handed her over to the Germans, then she was taken to Auschwitz where she was killed. She was only 11 years old.
The Orsolya square in the old city center of Sopron, with this nice Maria fountain. Built in the second half of the 18th century was hit by a bomb during the war but was restored later with child Jesus in her arms.
Sopron is a wonderful city, if you are in the area, make sure you have time to visit.
Conclusion
It has been a very nice experience, have seen a great part of Europe's culture and would go back to visit some of the places any time.
I'd like to thank @SteemitWorldMap the effort that goes into curating these posts and guiding people in doing better travel posts. It was a pleasure to read my old posts again and for running this contest. Good luck everyone and I'm already looking forward to seeing some great posts from all over the world.