Small Leather Goods: Louis Vuitton Mini Pochette

One of my most versatile Small Leather Goods is LV Mini Pochette.
I bought this to help organizing stuff inside a Speedy bag, that can look like a big dark hole :). Since Speedy is equipped with a D-ring, you can use any small purse with a hook as an extra pocket.

Prints
I chose Monogram (again) simply because I thought I would use the mini pochette by attaching onto Speedy bag (like image below), hence needs to be matchy-matchy.
But that is not really the way I most use it now...oh well.. 

  

Mini Pochette Bag Charm on Speedy B 30

What Fits

I always bring the Mini Pochette everywhere to my main bags. Currently it holds as a make up (lipstick, eyeliner and compact) pouch. If it is used in Favorite PM Clutch, it will hold important stuffs (cards, iPhone and some notes) as it can be hooked to side rings on the clutch.

Use

Main usage of this are as a bag organizer or as a pochette for added security in my clutch (Favorite PM). Although I initially got this for the purpose of  extra pocket in the form of bag charm on my Speedy, or small wristlet on its own...
Anyway, I just love a multipurpose goodies! :)

I have  used LV Mini Pochette on its own when I do not want or need to carry many things at all. Especially during business trip when I only need  mobile phone, room key and cards.

Budapest City Cycling

 

In the morning, we headed to Great Hall market using tram to try local Hungarian meal for breakfast. The market was only few stops from our stay. We saw lots of local produced and Hungarian specialties spice (i.e. paprika, processed meat) but could not find a local ready-meal. We found out later that all ready-meals are actually located in the second floor along with the souvenir shops. This market in Budapest reminds me to Queen Victoria market in Melbourne. We tried few meals like the goulash and the Hungarian pancake. It tasted okay, slightly on the greasy side for our liking.

 

  

              

 

From the various souvenir shopping in Budapest, the one that I really adore are the leather bag charms and embroidery cotton top. I have eyes for leathers goods and found the irresistible leather bag charms for around AU$ 10 each. I would think leather goods in Europe is much cheaper than in Australia (definitely) or Asia. Embroidery, on the other hand, is part of Hungarian culture and hence various embroidery on table cloth, vest, tops are sold in the market. I bought the embroidery that is beautifully stitched on 100% cotton top "Made in Hungary" for approx. AU$ 35 (bargaining is recommended).

 

We visited Budapest Great Synanogue or known as Dohany Street Synagogue but it was unfortunately closed due to Easter break so photos were only from the outside. Weeping willow with names and tattoo numbers of the Holocaust victims are hang and engraved in the willow. Looking at the photo of weeping willow, I just also realised that the Gheto is actually inside the Synagogue complex.

 

 

 

Weeping Willow Budapest Synagogue

We chose to cycle around the Budapest to experience the buzzing city life. There is available hired bike called "Bubi"  with numerous pit stops. It is free for the first 30 mins so if you are in the budget, swap for other bike on other pit stops in the map before the first 30 mins ran out.

 

Bicycling through Budapest 

We cycled from our hotel to Parliament House along Danube river. There is a Holocaust memorial on the pedestrian/bike pathway along the riverside. The memorial is the hundred pairs of steel shoes on the edge of river to commemorate all Jews shot into the river in the second world war. It is an eerie but important reminder. It was also quite a melancholy view because I could easily find kids shoe amongst those victims. There were numerous river cruise ships also stopped along the area.

 

 

 

Holocaust Memorial on Danube Riverside in Pest

 

 

 

It was a cold day of approx. 3 degC during the day so experienced Szechenyi Budapest hot spring/thermal public bath was in our agenda. From our hotel to Szechenyi Budapest is a good 5 km by bike. The terrain was challenging for me, mainly because we had to share roads with motor vehicles. Some main road has bicycle pathway but some not, hence the challenge was not only sharing roads with motor vehicles but also ensuring to obey traffic signs on the main roads. We passed Váci utca as well, which is Budapest main shopping road, but no time for shopping off we went. There is a designated bicycle stop to secure your bicycle in front of Budapest public bath. The public bath itself consisted of changing rooms (separated for male and female), shared indoor and shared outdoor bath. Entry fee per person was approximately HUF 5,000 (AU$ 25) for the whole day. They would give you a bracelet that used as both access pass and locker key so please ensure to keep this safe. The indoor bath had few different area and temperatures with the highest temperature at around 40 degC, whilst only one large outdoor bath is available. By the way, unlike in Japan, all the baths are shared between male and female so you need to wear appropriate bath suit. We enjoyed our thermal baths (we spent total 2.5 h alone bathing :)) especially the outdoor one to warm up from the cool weather. Comparing Budapest thermal bath to Japanese hot spring, I like the Japanese one to better since it is more hygienic and convenient (amenities are provided in Japan).

 

We left our bike behind in public bath and walked pass the majestic Heroes Square which was empty at night ! (It was very packed during the day) and then took Metro to return to our stay. Oh..what a day!

Night View Budapest Heroes Square

 

Elegant Vienna

We arrived in Vienna on Sunday Easter early in the morning  from Budapest via train at about 9 AM. We had decided to stop at Rathaus (Town hall  for city council in Vienna) before went to our reserved hotel. As it was Sunday, the area was pretty quiet and we saw few men dressed in period costume selling culture experience of 'Mozart' concert ticket concert. We did not get the ticket as we would be seeing one in Salzburg. Rathaus was not opened for public when we came so we did plenty of photos instead around the area.

 

For the shoppers, Sunday and public holiday were definitely not for shopping because all shops except souvenir shop will be closed. This condition applies to at least for Central Europe (and likely for Western Europe). We did not know this when we come, so to avoid disappointment, do schedule your shopping day accordingly. 

Rathaus Vienna
 

 

Men in Period Costume

Initially we just wanted to drop our luggage but ended up checking in. The good thing about hotel in Europe is that they allow an early check-in whenever possible (and am talking about 10 AM in the morning. How great is that!). I have not seen this happened for hotel in Australia or New Zealand as check-in time approx. at 2 or 3 PM.

 

We stayed in Imlaur Wien Hotel for 2 nights for AU$ 236 without breakfast, which we thought was a very good deal,  considering it was quite close to Ringstrasse (city centre) in Vienna. The room itself was clean, not facing a crowded street and had distinctive spacious bathroom (I think at least one third of the room).

 

Our Room in Hotel Imlaur Wien (1)

 


Our Room in Hotel Imlaur Wien (2)
 

I love to see culture in each city so Kunst Historiches Museum Wien was definitely in the list. We would like mainly to see its popular Baroque style interior and its art collection. Entry ticket per person was not really cheap of approx. 13 Euro (after Czech and Hungary, this felt expensive :) ). As expected, the interior was presented with an elaborated Baroque style so definitely did not disappoint. It had large art collection from pottery, paintings, gold coated wares, etc. The "ex stolen" famous Cellini salt cellar is still in place, which we managed to view :).



In front of Kunst Historiches Museum Wien and Maria-Theresien-Platz

 

 

 

Baroque Style Décor in Kunst Museum

Paintings, Gold coated antics and wares, Pottery in Museum

 

The Famous Cellini Salt Cellar

 St. Stephen Cathedral in Vienna reminds me to Matthias Church in Budapest due to its Mosaic roof tile. The Mosaic roof looks lovely complementing its Gothic style. We did went to the Crypt under the church that opened to public with a small fee. It was definitely not for the faint-hearted. Besides the mass grave, there are small chapel and artefacts stored in Crypt. In the end of the day, it was a cemetery for the priest as well as its descendant and thousand of peoples. Not sure what to write about the Crypt experience but we went there because we were curious to see a period cemetery. I think this will be a one-off experience only. Did not take a picture since it will be a bit unpleasant to keep. Based on the info that was given, many commoners buried on the crypt from natural death and black plague.

Horse-drawn carriages are common sights in Vienna even in the alleyway, which I thought is a smart way to celebrate the memory of period era. Three things I will remember about Vienna are the horse-drawn carriages, art of patisserie and definitely the classical music!  

St. Stephen Cathedral, Vienna

Interior of St. Stephen Cathedral, Vienna

  

Common Sights of Horse Drawn-Carriages in Vienna

We went to Peterskirche Vienna Austria to celebrate Easter Sunday mass. It was a good eye candy during the 1 hour mass due to its Baroque style. In the end, after so many Baroque buildings they kind of look the same :).

 

 

A good entertainment and knowledge for those with kids or interested with music is House of Music in Vienna. We had zero knowledge about classical music but since the visit we have learned a bit of other composer besides W.A Mozart :). Interior is decorated based on the composer's music legacy or popular cultures during the music era (i.e. Waltz fever during Strauss time). There is also interactive activity in which you will be a Conductor to lead an orchestra of classical music ensemble - was surely a good way to get you moving!

 

 

House of Music, Vienna

 

Conductor Practising in House of Music

 

 

Hungarian Adventure in Buda and Pest

Budapest consists of two areas, that are Buda and Pest, separated by Danube river. Our first visit in Buda area of Budapest was Matthias church that is situated in Buda Castle complex. The first thing that caught my attention when sighting the church was its beautiful mosaic roof. The white limestone structure in gothic style looks divine and compliments the mosaic roof gracefully.





Matthias Church in Buda Area, Budapest

Matthias Church Tower

Although entry to the church is not free, getting into the church is a must. We bought combined tickets to enter  both Matthias Church and Fisherman's Bastion (which is located in front of the church). Price per person on April 2015 was 1300 HUF (AU$ 6-7). Note: Hungarian currency is Hungarian Forint (not Euro).

 

The interior of Matthias church has baroque style that is adorned with exquisite colourful frescoes (wall paintings). Some of the frescoes resemble golden embroideries, which  reminds me to Persian cushions! In my opinion, the church interior decoration displays Eastern influence, which is very unique  - am not sure if this is due the Turks influence who had conquered the city in the past or else. There is a tour inside the church, in which you are allowed to climb to their balconies for different vantage view points of the church.

Matthias Church Interior

 

 

Tombs of the King Matthias and his Queen inside the Church

  

Next to the church is Fisherman's Bastion (Halaszbastya), an old rampart  site that was defended by the guild of fishermen  during the Middle Ages. This site is also one of a kind as it reminds me to "Dwarf houses". The walkway area in this little fortress is an open space with some steps so flat shoes and weather appropriate clothing are advantages. Fisherman's Bastion in Buda is also a highpoint where you can overview Pest area on the opposite side. Both Matthias church and Fisherman's Bastion are in my extra-ordinary places to visit.

Fisherman's Bastion



Fisherman's Bastion from Different Viewpoint

In Fisherman's Bastion Area with Matthias Church Background

 

In Fisherman's Bastion Area with Parliament's House Background in Pest Side

Buda Castle complex has been significantly reconstructed due to major damages in the past. I think all the original architecture and influence has been retained as much as possible, like the Dome decorating the complex and, similar to Prague, its touch of Habsburg (Viennese) influences. The popular part in the Castle complex area is the bronze equestrian statue of Sigismund. Some of the castle area has turned into National art gallery with paid entry ticket. For those art lover, entry is worthwhile if you have time to kill otherwise city sight-seeing maybe a better option.

Hungarian Guard on Duty

Bronze Equestrian Statue in Buda Castle Complex



"Lovers" Inside Art Gallery in Buda Castle Complex



Cool 3D Paper of Medieval Castle sold in Art Gallery - Quite tempted to buy this!

 Typical road in Budapest (Pest side) retains the old and beautiful architecture but I think it needs some good scrub to reveal its true beauty. Essentially, it is not as clean as in Paris or other Western Europe.

Typical Road in Pest Side

We returned to hotel to get ready for our night activity that is watching an opera in Hungarian National Opera House. We never watched an opera before so our goal is simply to experience it. I also randomly chose the opera performance without knowing the story and composer. I chose opera called "Parcifal" by Wagner for 14,500 HUF (AU$ 70) per person for almost-front-row seats. The interior of the theatre is a baroque style with magnificent golden painted carving decorations. Most of the guests were well dressed with the men wearing suit and ladies wearing dresses. I wore my modern "Kebaya" and Batik skirt to match the occasion (actually that night was so cold at approx. -1 degC, I needed to wear my Ugg boot to walk there for warm and comfort! But of course change from Ugg boot to heels upon arrival :) - there is  cloak service available for opera guests).

 

Hungarian National Opera House Baroque Style Interior

 

 

 

The opera started at 5 PM and we thought we still could have had a 'late' dinner after the opera. The theatre is equipped with mini  subtitle reader on the top of the stage, allowing foreigner guests to understand the performance. If you sit on the front row, however, this could bother you as you need to keep tilting your head to read subtitles especially in a long opera performance. That was what happened to us. After 4 hours (yes 9 PM), the performance kept going.. and going.. and everything seemed to be in slow motion :). I literally felt sorry for my husband as he was actually struggling to stay awake an keep focusing to the opera  - and so do I!  After finishing the second plot (there are three plots in total so maybe another 2 hours before conclusion), we decided to go back to sleep in our hotel room instead :D. It is certainly not the actor or the opera singer that bored us but I think the whole story plot is somehow very slow and dragging. Upon "investigation", Wagner-composed opera is actually known to be slow to exhibit all emotional aspects of the story, which is not our thing. Based on this, opera might not be our kind of entertainment (I think it will be while before I can convince my husband to watch an opera again :D - maybe Mozart opera will change our current perception).

 

My travel tip based on opera experience is do not skip your homework should you want to watch an opera to avoid disappointment. This is largely to understand not only the story plot but also the opera composer delivery style so you can ensure the opera delivery style suits you.

 

Night View of Buda Area from Our Hotel Room