May 4, 2013 - Budapest, Hungary

Budapest is the capital of Hungary and is affectionately called "the Little Paris of Central Europe" and "Pearl of the Danube." Home to almost 1.7 million people, it is the largest city in Hungary, brimming with history, culture, politics and commerce. Budapest is made up of three cities that were merged in 1873 to become a larger metropolis spanning both side of the Danube. Buda and Obuda on the right bank are set in a landscape of rolling hills that drop steeply toward the river. On the other side is Pest that occupies a flat area that...

Apr 26, 2013 - Day 4 - More of Budapest

Today was a relaxing day with no special tours planned. We had the “normal” or “usual” breakfast to get us started. Our first activity was a lecture from a Budapest local who is a WWII survivor. It was quite interesting hearing him describe what it was like living in Hungary both before and after – as well as hearing the answers to the audience’s questions about what it was like for his grandparents. Then we were off to the city – this time the “ Pest” side. We took the tram to the Central Market – as Wendy wanted to see it (or we wanted...

Apr 25, 2013 - Day 3 - Budapest City

Today is our first full day of touring so of course we started it off right with a good nutritional breakfast – actually it was. Breakfast is served buffet style – so you have your choice of fruit, cereal, omelets made to order and the special of the day was French Toast! Then of course there was bacon, sausage, ham and every combination probably possible – actually they do have lots of kinds of sausage in Hungary and we were told that they are “very good at preserving the meats because they had to travel very far into the country across...

Apr 24, 2013 - Day 1 & 2 - travel to Budapest

Well we made it – basically one very full day of travel. We left the farm at about 6:30PM Tuesday because we did not want to be late with any possible effects of traffic or “the sequester”. Randy drove us to the airport – thank you Randy – and we checked in, got something to eat and went to the gate. It was rather uneventful. We purchased a few snacks, some water bottles, a neck pillow and we were off – flying British Airlines first to Heathrow (London) and then on to Budapest. Our first flight was uneventful – we had an empty seat between...

Nov 8, 2012 - Budapest

@@@@@@@ BACKGROUND In the interest of expediency, here are some excerpts from the Lonely Planet – Central Europe chapter on Hungary and Liechtenstein: There’s no other Hungarian city like Budapest in terms of size and importance. Home to almost 20% of the national population, Hungary’s capital is the nation’s administrative, business and cultural centre; everything of importance starts or finishes here. But it’s the beauty of Budapest – both natural and constructed – that makes it stand apart. Straddling a gentle curve in the Danube, the...

Oct 10, 2012 - Budapest, boat, market, Jewish museum

Oct 10 Budapest First thing in the morning, Grammar and I went to the Jewish Museum and the Great Synagogue. Hungary had a rich Jewish culture before the Second World War; 25% of the population was Jewish. Now, 0.5% are Jewish. The Great Synagogue, second largest in the world, looks a lot like a Christian church. It was neglected for many years but restoration started with support from actor Tony Curtis who had Jewish-Hungarian roots. Others with similar background are Goldie Hahn, Henry Houdini, ZaZa Gabour and Joseph Pulitzer. The small,...

Oct 9, 2012 - Budapest bus tour and opera

Oct 9 budapest Budapest is big.  We started our time in Budapest with our usual bus tour. The hotel recommended the red hop-on-hop-off tour.  For 5000 E you can ride the red and yellow buses and the blue boats for two days. We took this and did the red route. The bus tour was really good. It even stopped at a marvelous vantage point where we could see both Buda - with its hills, castle, churches and fortress - and Pest - the low-lying, often flooded, commercial core of the combined city. Of course the historic Danube flows through the...

Oct 8, 2012 - Hospital visit and travel to Budapest

More arm and travel to Budapest Grammar went to a hospital today in Vienna that was recommended by the doctor who sat at our table when we watched the gypsy fiddler. The hospital visit went well: two and a half hours from entry to exit including (all done by different people): - review of case and discussion of options - they feel the arm looks good but warned her not to lift anything!!! - removal of cast - removal of stitches - x-ray. They were able to access the previous x-rays from their sister hospital in Linz. We now have the x-rays on...

Oct 1, 2012 - Budapest

This is probably my first big planning stuff-up.  I only allowed 1.5 days and really I think I could have spent a week here.  Scott took the kids to the baths so they could swim and wallow in the water for a relaxing half day.  The various pools were of different temperature, varying from 20-38 degrees.  The water rises from the ground at 76 degrees but they cool it so it can be comfortable.  The architecture of the baths is nothing short of spectacular. Meanwhile, I went on another historical walking tour.  The tour guide was sensational,...

Sep 26, 2012 - Budapest - packing for return

Budapest and packing for the return We biked 15 miles today for a total of 527 miles We awoke to yet another sunny day. We packed our gear for the return and headed for the airport. It is difficult to bike to the airport. Due to an inordinate amount of broken glass bad roads, paths, fast aggressive drivers and buses. The route is easy to follow on Ulloi Ut, until you get into the burbs. Then it gets really difficult. We backtracked a few times but found our way to the airport eventually. That would be my suggestion for Budapest - make a...

Sep 25, 2012 - Zagreb and off to Budapest

Zagreb and off to Budapest We biked 36 miles for a total of  512 miles. We had a thunderstorm after we went to bed last night. Bikes got a little wet. Had good continental breakfast. We found out last night that we would not able to take a train in this AM like we thought. We have to take a train at 4:08 pm for Budapest. We had more time on our hands. We decided to go on bike paths and along the Sava river, which turned out to be a good choice. This was flat and fun. We stumbled upon a Croatia athletic complex. They had rowing, soccer and...

Sep 16, 2012 - Final Day of Buda And Pest

Good Morning BudaP. This report will be rather short. Last full day before heading on to Vienna. Not much Good Sleep, but I had my eyes closed for a few hours. I'm up and out by 930am. Today, train day. I'm hitting all the stops I did my first day/night trekking. Wanted to get some day pictures since most were at night. First on the agenda, buy my Bus ticket to Vienna at the Intl bus Station. Completed that and now i know how long and where to grab it. Stress reduced and its Go-time. I revisited the Parliament, Buda Castle, Chain Bridge,...