Soaking up the good life in Hungry
Our trip to Budapest nearly ended before it even began. We had planned to visit this capital of Eastern Europe over a long holiday weekend, so when we arrived at the airport and saw that our flight was cancelled I was worried we would be staying home. But by the time we had gotten to the front of the Brussels Airlines customer service line, they already had rebooked us on a flight leavening just an hour later on Lufthansa. Tickets in hand, we were off and running. Now that is customer service.
We landed to cold and rain, but that didn't stop us from getting right out there and start our sightseeing. We stumbled upon an Eastern European landmark, the first McDonald's behind the Iron Curtain. Of course we had to stop in for a snack, how often do you get the chance to eat at such a historical place?!? We wandered around the Pest side of town, taking in the shopping street of Vaci Utca and The Great Market Hall. We strolled back along the banks of the Danube River to a traditional Hungarian restaurant and then we took in a Hungarian folk and dance show.
The next day we continued our sightseeing despite the cold, drizzly weather. In the morning we concentrated on the Buda side of the city. We ascended Castle Hill, visited Matthias Church, stopped at the Fisherman's Bastion, and finally checked out the remains of St. Mary Magdalene Church, which was destroyed in WWII. In the afternoon we were back over on the Pest side where we visited the Great Synagogue, St. Istvan's Basilica, The Hungarian State Opera House, and the House of Terror. That evening, we decided to take a walking tour of the city. To our surprise, we were the only ones on the tour! Our guide was great, at the end she said we would be meeting up with all the people from the Pub Crawl Tour for a few drinks, but surprise... no one showed up for the Pub Crawl! So it was just me, G, and three guides. Needless to say, there were no wild parties that night! ;)
The next day we were headed out of town on a Danube Bend tour which took us to the towns of Esztergom, Visegrad, and Szentendre, after an unexpected stop at a "Diamond Center" where we resisted the hard sell to buy expensive jewelry. The big sight in Esztergom was the Basilica and for us, the views just over the river into Slovakia. In Visegrad we got to explore the Visegrad Citadel, the remains of an old hilltop castle that looks over the river. Our favorite stop was the old town of Szentendre. We loved wandering the picture perfect streets, eating ice cream and doing a little shopping. From Szentendre we took a two hour boat ride back to central Budapest, which brought us right by the Hungarian Parliament Building.
We didn't plan for our last day to be too hectic, but we ended up really packing it in. We started by checking out Heroes' Square, the City Park, and the Zoo (we had a bit of time to kill). We then joined a "Communist Hammer & Sickle Tour" which included a trip to Statue Park, filled with statues of Stalin, Lenin, and other reminisce of the communist era. There was even a Trabant, the communist era's most popular car. Our guide was again great. She had actually lived through the communist years and told us many stories of how life was for her and her family. It was a fantastic tour.
The weather was getting a little better, but it seems that the heavy rains of the past few days were causing the river to swell. On our first day we noticed a measuring stick on the banks of the river and we took pictures of it every day. From day one until we left the river had risen substantially.
By now we were done sightseeing and were looking forward to the highlight of the weekend, relaxing as the locals do in Budapest's famous baths. We decided to go really local and take a dip in the Szechenyi Baths, located in the City Park. At the baths you can rent swimsuits (yikes) and towels. Fortunately I brought my suit and after a little searching (it was September after all), we found one to purchase for G. But we didn't have towels, so we rented them. The towels turned out to be more like sheets, but they did the job just the same. The baths were great... fun and relaxing. There are many different pools to choose from, including one that actually pulls you around in a powerful current. It was the perfect way to end our trip to Budapest, soaking up some good Hungarian living.
G at the first McDonald's behind the Iron Curtain
Hungarian folk dancers
The Chain Bridge at night
On Castle Hill
Danube Bend, looking into Slovakia
G in gallows at the Visegrad Citadel
G souvenir shopping in Szentendre
Cruising in front of the Hungarian Parliament Building
Getting ready to drive off in a Trabant
Statue Park
The Szechenyi Baths
We landed to cold and rain, but that didn't stop us from getting right out there and start our sightseeing. We stumbled upon an Eastern European landmark, the first McDonald's behind the Iron Curtain. Of course we had to stop in for a snack, how often do you get the chance to eat at such a historical place?!? We wandered around the Pest side of town, taking in the shopping street of Vaci Utca and The Great Market Hall. We strolled back along the banks of the Danube River to a traditional Hungarian restaurant and then we took in a Hungarian folk and dance show.
The next day we continued our sightseeing despite the cold, drizzly weather. In the morning we concentrated on the Buda side of the city. We ascended Castle Hill, visited Matthias Church, stopped at the Fisherman's Bastion, and finally checked out the remains of St. Mary Magdalene Church, which was destroyed in WWII. In the afternoon we were back over on the Pest side where we visited the Great Synagogue, St. Istvan's Basilica, The Hungarian State Opera House, and the House of Terror. That evening, we decided to take a walking tour of the city. To our surprise, we were the only ones on the tour! Our guide was great, at the end she said we would be meeting up with all the people from the Pub Crawl Tour for a few drinks, but surprise... no one showed up for the Pub Crawl! So it was just me, G, and three guides. Needless to say, there were no wild parties that night! ;)
The next day we were headed out of town on a Danube Bend tour which took us to the towns of Esztergom, Visegrad, and Szentendre, after an unexpected stop at a "Diamond Center" where we resisted the hard sell to buy expensive jewelry. The big sight in Esztergom was the Basilica and for us, the views just over the river into Slovakia. In Visegrad we got to explore the Visegrad Citadel, the remains of an old hilltop castle that looks over the river. Our favorite stop was the old town of Szentendre. We loved wandering the picture perfect streets, eating ice cream and doing a little shopping. From Szentendre we took a two hour boat ride back to central Budapest, which brought us right by the Hungarian Parliament Building.
We didn't plan for our last day to be too hectic, but we ended up really packing it in. We started by checking out Heroes' Square, the City Park, and the Zoo (we had a bit of time to kill). We then joined a "Communist Hammer & Sickle Tour" which included a trip to Statue Park, filled with statues of Stalin, Lenin, and other reminisce of the communist era. There was even a Trabant, the communist era's most popular car. Our guide was again great. She had actually lived through the communist years and told us many stories of how life was for her and her family. It was a fantastic tour.
The weather was getting a little better, but it seems that the heavy rains of the past few days were causing the river to swell. On our first day we noticed a measuring stick on the banks of the river and we took pictures of it every day. From day one until we left the river had risen substantially.
By now we were done sightseeing and were looking forward to the highlight of the weekend, relaxing as the locals do in Budapest's famous baths. We decided to go really local and take a dip in the Szechenyi Baths, located in the City Park. At the baths you can rent swimsuits (yikes) and towels. Fortunately I brought my suit and after a little searching (it was September after all), we found one to purchase for G. But we didn't have towels, so we rented them. The towels turned out to be more like sheets, but they did the job just the same. The baths were great... fun and relaxing. There are many different pools to choose from, including one that actually pulls you around in a powerful current. It was the perfect way to end our trip to Budapest, soaking up some good Hungarian living.
G at the first McDonald's behind the Iron Curtain
Hungarian folk dancers
The Chain Bridge at night
On Castle Hill
Danube Bend, looking into Slovakia
G in gallows at the Visegrad Citadel
G souvenir shopping in Szentendre
Cruising in front of the Hungarian Parliament Building
Getting ready to drive off in a Trabant
Statue Park
The Szechenyi Baths
posted by Swiss Miss | 17:06
1 Comments:
Just like Mr. McCormick's Spanish II class huh Obus (re: the Stocks).
"Check for you buddy!"
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