[Michael B]

I got lazy and never posted on my trip to Austria and Slovakia the week of Labor Day last year. I had Large Ass sitting next to my scanner and just forgot about it. As Leon said to me 'It is just a hobby'. Be that as it may his scans give the gist of the trip and I thought I should add some photos and commentary. The one thing I have done in the log is buy a local postage stamp and have it cancelled in the book. I believe this is the second time. It would be nice to see others do this. Most postal authorities will affix a cancellation to any stamp of proper postage as long as it is affixed to something. I think this adds to the overall look.

As you can see we spent several days in Vienna visiting all of the important museums, a few churches and a castle. We walked 5-6 miles each day after getting into the old city from our hotel on the Danube river After Vienna it was a short train ride to the capital of Slovakia, Bratislava. Bratislava is the only world capital that abuts two other countries; Hungary to the south and Austria to the west. The hotel in Bratislava was across the street from a very large mall. Unlike in the U.S. the mall is opened until 9 p.m. seven days a week except for the few national holidays. There were 4 banks in the mall which kept the same hours as the mall. It was great to go in there on Sunday night, prior to leaving on Monday, to exchange my Euros. The exchange rate was great. The interbank exchange rate as €1 = $1.25 which is the rate you would see on any currency converter website. They exchanged at €1 = $1.22 and the transaction fee was only about $5.00. What a deal!! Here are the photos

1. Large Ass with 'Napolean at St. Bernard' by Jacques-Louis David. Almost every book about Napolean contains a reproduction of this painting. David painted 5 originals of this painting. This is the one he did in 1803, the 4th version. This debunks all of those people who say paintings are 1 of 1.

2. I swear neither Large Ass or myself is responsible for the paint missing from this statue.

3. 'The Kiss' by Gustav Klimpt. One of the most famous Austrian paintings ever by one of their most celebrated artists. The number of people taking selfies (hate that word!!!) with this painting is ridiculous. It even has its own guard standing next to it the whole day.

4. Large Ass in the Heldenplatz at Hofburg Castle. That gentleman could see I was tired and was kind enough to bend down so I could rest Large Ass on his head. This castle houses several large collections - armor, musical instruments, china. We got to see a Stradivarius. The castle is also home to the state library and the Spanische Hofreitschule (Spanish Riding School) and the Lippizan stallions.

5. I tried to trade Large Ass for this crown from the crown jewels. I thought it was a fair deal, but they did not.

6. Large Ass likes classical music so we made our way to Mozarthaus. This is residence is where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed "The Magic Flute".

7. The hotel sits right on the Danube River so Large Ass spent a little time hanging out riverside.

8. Large Ass at the World Olympic Collector's Fair in Bratislava.

9. Large Ass with the Olympic flag signed by all the participants of the fair. Yours truly signed in the yellow ring.