All in all, a good tour -- glad I went
Perhaps the best thing about this tour was the guides. The tour director was outstanding, as were the local guides. The local guides were amazing in their knowledge of their subjects, always willing (and able!!) to answer questions from the group, and very patient with those of us who had difficulty walking or climbing steps. I can't single any one out because they were all excellent in their own ways. We were lucky to have these wonderful guides show us their cities. I also need to say that everything went like clockwork. I doubt anyone gave it a thought that the bus was always on time (and the drivers very professional), that the guides always met us at the appointed places and times, and kept to the schedule without making us feel rushed. But everyone associated with this tour was very professional and dependable. BRAVO! It was difficult to tell from the written descriptions which optional activities would be most enjoyable for me. Some were described as "castle" tours when they were actually tours of "chateaux" (e.g., Godollo). For me, this meant looking at old furniture and clothing, seeing over and over again the opulence of the few Rich while the masses were starving. However, at one of these chateaux (Chateau Sychrov), we heard one of the best chamber concerts I have EVER heard in my life! The concert room had marvelous acoustics and featured a trio of musicians (G1 Partners) who were EXTRAORDINARY! The dinner provided after this concert was mishandled by the staff. Some of the dinners arrived much later than others, and, the dining room was swelteringly hot, which greatly reduced my enjoyment of the meal. Unfortunately, the weather was unseasonably hot in Vienna and Prague. This was nobody's fault, but I was less able to enjoy those cities in the 90 degree heat. But the hotel in Vienna had the most elaborate, remarkable, complete breakfast buffet I have ever seen. It included well over a dozen different types of bread and rolls, yogurts, cereals, meats, cheeses, spreads of various kinds, fruit salads as well as fresh fruits, etc. I wish American hotels would adopt such buffets! The most interesting cities were Budapest and Prague. The effects of communism are still apparent in both cities, though they are both making admirable progress toward stabilizing their economies and gaining full status in the EU. Their history (especially that of Budapest) is written on their buildings. The post-Stalinist architecture, the neglected upkeep of older buildings, the bullet holes in outer walls.... It was very sobering and edifying to come face to face with this history. The hotel we had in Salzburg was memorable for the view. We could see the alps and the fortress beyond the city rooftops from our window. And the hotel used their 15th floor restaurant for a breakfast room -- WOW! No better way to start the day! I'm very glad I took this tour. I would recommend it to others, whether they want the security of group activities or whether they like to explore on their own. I would probably recommend that they try the tour in the fall if they can, thereby avoiding the unpleasantness of the heat.
