Eighty-Fifth Street Traveler Newsletters

Budapest, Hungary Newsletter

After our visit to Vienna, my husband Joe and I rode the train to Budapest. These are just a few of the highlights from our personal visit in April, 2005.

Budapest is a very large city of 2 million people and is split down the middle by the Danube River. The east side of the river is Pest, the commercial heart of the city. We choose to stay on the Buda side in the Castle Hill district. Badly destroyed in World War II, it has been lovingly restored to its former glory and contains the city's most important medieval monuments and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our modern hotel, the Burg, was in the old medieval area, right in front of Matthias Church (pictured at right), named after King Matthias who ruled in the 15th century. The church is a neo-Gothic creation with a colorful tiled roof and remarkable interior. It is known for its stained glass windows, frescoes and wall decorations. The church celebrated the coronation of Emperor Franz Joseph and Elizabeth as King and Queen of Hungary in 1867.
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Vienna, Austria Newsletter

My husband Joe and I spent four full days in Vienna and even that was not enough time for all the city has to offer its visitors. These are just a few of the highlights from our personal visit in April, 2005.

A brief history. Austria became a part of the Holy Roman Empire established by Charlemagne in the year 692. My research on the Holy Roman Empire reveals that it was just a name for the empire. The first family to hold the title of Holy Roman Emperor was from the House of Babenberg but were eventually replaced by the Hapsburgs, who ruled Austria for 645 years. Under the Hapsburgs, Austria rose to be one of the grandest powers in all of Europe.
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Copper Canyon Newsletter

The Copper Canyon, is a treasure chest of Mexico that is practically an unexplored frontier. The Chihuahua and Pacific Railway was inaugurated in 1961 after 76 years of labor and is an engineering masterpiece. The train covers 390 miles, has 39 bridges and 86 tunnels. It loops from sea level to 9,000 feet and back again through some of Mexico's most majestic pastel-colored, rugged mountain and pine forest country. Two other notable features include the train looping over itself at "the Loop" and a 180 degree turn inside a solid rock tunnel. The Reader's Digest called it "the most dramatic train ride in the western hemisphere."
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Yellowstone Newsletter

This was my third winter in the park, each year I grow in knowledge and appreciation of how blessed, we the American people, are to have this magnificent park on our soil.

The story of the park starts in 1871 when General Henry Washburn, a newly appointed Surveyor General of Montana, explored this area. It was around an evening campfire that the idea came to him that this fantastic area should not be turned over to settlement, but set aside "for the benefit and enjoyment of the people." This idea was sent to Washington D.C and one year later, President Grant signed the papers for our country's first national park.
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