We are now at the end of our exhausting whirlwind tour of Bratislava and Budapest. Today we met our guide Vlasta, early in the morning to catch the train to Budapest. We took a bus from our hotel to the train station, boarded the train and was on our way. The trip there is about three hours by train so we had some time for interesting conversations, played a few games and took some quick naps.
We arrived in Budapest at the oldest train station there which is incredibly beautiful. Vlasta gave us a quick foot tour of the old part of Budapest. I have to admit..I always thought Prague was the loveliest city I had visited in Europe however Budapest has won over. The architecture is stunning to say the least!
We headed for the market at the end of the city where we all had a chance to do some quick shopping. It is basically a flea market atmosphere in an incredibly beautiful old building. All kinds of offerings were upstairs including the usual t-shirts, souvenir items plus leathers and the beautiful Hungarian embroidery.
The main floor held stand after stand of fruits, vegetables and meats galore. As we were walking towards the marketplace I spied a vendor selling Langos (pronounced lan-gosh)...one of my favorites. It is basically fried bread dough smothered in garlic and salt. What a treat that was for me!
After our quick shopping excursion we headed toward the Danube River. Since we only had a short time in Budapest Vlasta thought it best to see the city by boat. We boarded a tour boat and sat down with our headsets on while a recorded message talked for one hour as we cruised up and down the Danube. The city has an incredibly rich history! The tour was over after an hour and I'm not sure I retained much of anything so I will have to consult my tour books to follow up. The architecture is simply amazing!
We then headed for a late lunch/early dinner at a local restaurant in Budapest. I have never seen a buffet with so much food! You could order several different kinds of meats and fish cooked to your liking. Another room held salads, fresh fruits and vegetables along with regional specialties including Dobos (dough-bosh) torte.
We left the restaurant stuffed and all agreed we did not need dinner! The train ride back was a quiet one as we were all exhausted and stuffed.
We had a farewell drink in the lobby with Vlasta and then headed outside in the beautiful evening for a night-cap. Many laughs were shared during the day.
Tomorrow we leave early to go back to the airport to pick up our van in Vienna and head to the beautiful Tatra mountains.
Suffice it to say that today was just a teaser...and we will be coming back!
We arrived in Budapest at the oldest train station there which is incredibly beautiful. Vlasta gave us a quick foot tour of the old part of Budapest. I have to admit..I always thought Prague was the loveliest city I had visited in Europe however Budapest has won over. The architecture is stunning to say the least!
We headed for the market at the end of the city where we all had a chance to do some quick shopping. It is basically a flea market atmosphere in an incredibly beautiful old building. All kinds of offerings were upstairs including the usual t-shirts, souvenir items plus leathers and the beautiful Hungarian embroidery.
The main floor held stand after stand of fruits, vegetables and meats galore. As we were walking towards the marketplace I spied a vendor selling Langos (pronounced lan-gosh)...one of my favorites. It is basically fried bread dough smothered in garlic and salt. What a treat that was for me!
After our quick shopping excursion we headed toward the Danube River. Since we only had a short time in Budapest Vlasta thought it best to see the city by boat. We boarded a tour boat and sat down with our headsets on while a recorded message talked for one hour as we cruised up and down the Danube. The city has an incredibly rich history! The tour was over after an hour and I'm not sure I retained much of anything so I will have to consult my tour books to follow up. The architecture is simply amazing!
We then headed for a late lunch/early dinner at a local restaurant in Budapest. I have never seen a buffet with so much food! You could order several different kinds of meats and fish cooked to your liking. Another room held salads, fresh fruits and vegetables along with regional specialties including Dobos (dough-bosh) torte.
We left the restaurant stuffed and all agreed we did not need dinner! The train ride back was a quiet one as we were all exhausted and stuffed.
We had a farewell drink in the lobby with Vlasta and then headed outside in the beautiful evening for a night-cap. Many laughs were shared during the day.
Tomorrow we leave early to go back to the airport to pick up our van in Vienna and head to the beautiful Tatra mountains.
Suffice it to say that today was just a teaser...and we will be coming back!
The Famous Gerbaud Restaurant
A delight from their bakery shop
A young Hungarian woman in her beautiful native costume
Several shots of the beautiful architecture
Paul, Deb and Denise (did I get it right Dave?) on the boat ride
Our wonderful group
Okay...I lied...it's Day Three...it's just that we have seen sooooo much in the past few days....and I'm tired!!!
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