Orthodox Church along the Danube
L
ast spring, Morgan Hill Mayor Steve Tate and wife,
Jennifer, combined a riverboat cruise in Eastern Europe
with a visit to Morgan Hill’s sister city, Seferihisar,
Turkey. They traveled down the Danube on the riverboat
AmaPrima and then spent time on the beautiful Aegean coast as
the guests of Seferihisar’s Mayor, Tunç Soyer. The two mayors con-
tinue to work together to develop our sister city relationship.
Lots of South County folks know Jennifer, but not everyone
knows that she studied cultural anthropology in college, which
made it particularly fun to spend a recent Saturday morning with
her to hear stories about the Tates’ travels.
“I get into all of the culture, especially the food, costumes, folk
dance and music,” Jennifer said. “It’s fun to trace the migration
patterns of people around the world and see the impacts on differ-
ent cultures.”
Austria
The Tates spent their first day on a walking tour in the magnificent
city of Vienna. “It’s a beautiful and pedestrian-friendly city. There
is so much to enjoy in terms of the architecture, the gardens with
their statues, the art and music.”
They saw the Schönbrunn Palace, the imperial summer resi-
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
dence of Habsburg monarchy, and St. Stephen’s Cathedral, a gothic
giant that the Viennese, with their characteristically dry humor,
nicknamed Steffl (little Stephen).
Hungary and Croatia
Jennifer described their tour of Castle Hill in Budapest, a World
Heritage Site dating back to the 13th Century. The Castle district
of Budapest was built, destroyed and rebuilt several times over the
centuries due to invasions and wars. Today, the buildings along
its cobblestone streets reflect a multi-cultural blend of Gothic,
Baroque and Renaissance architecture. Within the Royal Palace
complex are the Hungarian National Gallery, the Budapest History
Museum and the National Library.
“The palace at night is truly spectacular,” Jennifer said. “During
the day, the markets are brimming with fresh produce, meats, flow-
ers, spices. It’s a colorful and vibrant scene that takes hold of your
senses.”
Next stop: Villány. Located at the southern tip of Hungary
along the Croatian border, it’s among Hungary’s top wine regions
for white Olasrizling, red Portugieser, and Bordeaux varietal wines
– a unique wine-tasting experience.
“The oldest wine cellars were originally built underground as
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