Hi BigRuss

I could have included all of those but did not want to make the list too long.

The Synagogue is truly a place to see outside and inside.

Thank or including it.

Yeah kind of a weird looking weeping willow, not the kind I am used to seeing.

Szoborpark goes under several names, The Mememto Park and more commonly The Socialist Park.

I was not really impressed by it , bit I am glad I saw it.

After the end of Communist control in 1989 this is where the removed Communist Statues were put, under one man's supervison.

The Anonymus State is unique alright and is at Vajdahunyad Castle...which is very near Heroes Square...so

another reason to get to Heroes Square.

Thanks for mentioning all these BigRuss, I always like your advice on European places have been to.

The story of Budapest during WWII and the Dohany Synagogue is part of Budapest's character. The Weeping Willow memorial was constructed with money from the Emmanuel Foundation, named for the grandfather of Jamie Lee Curtis.

Szoborpark isn't a visit for the quality of the art, but for what it meant and why the Hungarians initially wanted to trash all of its contents . . .

FWIW, I liked Vienna better than Prague. Haven't been to the others. I'd like to go back to Vienna but felt I saw what Prague had to offer. We had the same number of nites in both (four). However we're classical music buffs and were making a "Mozart pilgrimage."

PalenQ - I was looking at the rail pass, but I saw some info saying that it didn't include the more direct routes and so we'd be on slower trains.... Is that untrue? If not I will definitely invest in that so we can be more flexible!

The Eastern European Railpass covers TMK all trains run by the national rail networks - most of them and all the ones you will be riding or need to I think. For any questions on that railpass or any rail question I always refer folks to Byron at www.budgeteuropetravel.com -I've bought passes from him for years and he will IME answer any question authoritatively - so ask him to be sure - hard to talk to anyone at RailEurope, the originator of the pass - he is a RE agent.

But I'm fairly confident that except perhaps a few private competition train lines it covers all the national rail trains - which run the vast majority of trains in each country and the fastest ones as well.

I was looking at the rail pass, but I saw some info saying that it didn't include the more direct routes and so we'd be on slower trains.>

I am curious as to where you read this and what you read? Not doubting you but would like to know so for my own info I can investigate it. Thanks.

the 2014 Eurail Map that shows validity on passes on train lines includes all the main lines in those countries and as the Eastern European Railpass is a Eurail product that means that pass automatically includes them too - I would be SHOCKED if any main lines or even sidelines would not be included - now there may be a few competing private trains running over the same tracks but if so they are much fewer than the state railways involved - I am sure after looking at the Eurail 2014 map that all mainlines are indeed included and unlike some other countries there are no mandatory seat reservations (TMK) that must be paid for on top of the pass or supplements - just hop on any train anytime (though there could be a few exceptions I haven't heard of).