Yum!

We just returned from a 2-week trip that started in Prague and ended in Budapest, with a cruise along the Danube in between. Many beautiful sights along the way (I can send you a link to the whole on-line album), but I also couldn't resist photographing occasional foodie-type moments. I was thrilled to meet a lovely lady on our ship who does the same thing!




I'm not a beer drinker, so on our not-infrequent stops along the way, I usually opt for a Coke light. In Prague, they were served crispy cold in glass bottles! I can't remember the last time I had a Coke from a glass bottle, but they definitely taste best that way. But the beer was way cheaper (by half!)









Sometimes I'd have a cappucino instead. This one was at a sidewalk cafe in Salzburg, close to Mozart's birthplace.



Since we docked in Linz, we just had to try the Linzer torte. That led to an adventure of sorts. The evening's shipboard entertainment in Linz was a scavenger hunt. We were given a sheet of questions about Linz, and then left to answer them by wandering around the city center looking for clues and talking to the locals. We paired up with another couple (she's the other food photo maven) and just did it as a lark, as we sought our slice of torte (to share, as we each just wanted a taste, given the enormous dinner we'd had on board earlier) .

As luck would have it, the first two places we checked out were all out of torte. The third had tortes, but limited English skills. None of us had ANY German skills, so in the ensuing confusion instead of getting the single slice and 4 forks , we ended up with a WHOLE, albeit somewhat small, Linzer torte. That did result in a lovely dessert for the next days' lunch, though.

THEN...at the cocktail hour the next day, the winner of the scavenger hunt was announced: our 4-some!! And the prize? You guessed it: a whole Linzer torte! We laughed all the way through dinner!!




We celebrated our anniversary in Vienna, and our favorite bartender in the ship's lounge made us a lovely special nightcap (Kahlua, vodka and cream) in a beautiful presentation.












We couldn't stay in Budapest without trying Hungarian Goulash, and it was delicious! It was a lighter broth than the Czech version (which was more like a stew), but very filling and tasty nonetheless. I had a white wine, which in retrospect was not a great choice...the local beer that Bud had proved a better pairing for the smoothly spicy soup.




And with all the walking we did, as we explored the wonders of Prague, Vienna, Budapest and points in between, I didn't gain an ounce!!