Day 11 continued.....
We hit another very similar restaurant last night, Hungarian music, local food. This time I wanted to go all out and ordered a whole perch grilled. Wow, it was huge, about 14 inches long and tons and tons of meat. Of course I had to fight through the bones but it was definitely worth it. And of course the music was great....a gorgeous night...no blanket needed this night, it was maybe 68 degrees. Being Sat. night the entire streets were crowded and music and young people everywhere. It was fun just being out. D had a Hungarian chicken dish and we both had white wine....local of course.
Justt a nice night.
Tomorrow our last day in Budapest.,
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Day 11
Another fantastic day in the city of Budapest. This trip has been to relax, enjoy and tour at our leisure. And today was no exception. Being Saturday, we headed for the huge market at the bottom of the city....southern end. The city is very easily walkable so getting there was a nice walk. The place is 3 floors of everything one could imagine. First the place was packed, locals and many many tourists. The bottom floor (basement) is mainly fish, exotic meats and wine and pasteries. The main floor is fruit, veggies meat and candy and etc. The top floor is crafts and souvenirs. Of course we headed there first and D went crazy. They had so many really wonderful things (not junk) besides the junk souvenirs, they had goregous leather things, linen sewn things, hats, scarfs and dolls and toys and etc. all very nice quality. I actually found a very neat iinsect sculpture....that makes 4 that Ihave found on the trip. All are quite interesting and different. We also found a nice Xmas decoration for our tree. The food was absolutely incredible...the visual was as delicious as the taste. We did buy a couple stuffed peppers for our lunch and a cream puff....will tell about that alittle later. It was just so much fun walking through the place. After we headed for the river for our lunch. We like to take some meat, cheese and fruit with us in a back pack and with the stuffed peppers and cream puff we had a fabulous lunch sitting on the wall over looking the river and city. The cream push was huge and had white cream, chocolate cream and CAKE in the center of this soft and delicious puff.....itt was the size of a giant hot dog bun.....and oh the taste!!!!!
That done we headed along the river to find the entrance steps or street to the castle area on the hill which overlooks the city on the left side. We found it and started climbing....when we hit the top....what a surprise but a huge carnival crafts and food exhibition on the grounds. They had live music, food, drinks, and every kind of food imaginalble. The place was packed!!!! It was a photographer's paradise!!!! We tookd hundreds of pics of the people, food, and being way up high we had some spectacular panaramic pics of the city across the river. We spent all afternoon walking around, sampling food and like I said, taking tons of photos. WE ended at the other end at a cafe for a nice beer and rest. It was too early to head home so we walked on into the church area which was simply incredibly beautiful So we too more pictures. Again the place was packed with tourists but we did not care....the views were so perfect and the sun was at our back.....mmmMMM..
I must mention this now before I forget. I have never seen as many Japanese (or Chinese) tourists EVER. They are everywhere and not the huge old people tour groups as I have seen many times before, be young couples and young ttour groups.....they were everywhere here.
Like last night I will close now and fill you in again on our upcoming dinner. I do hope it will be as memorable as last ngiths. We have been so lucky because we seem to hit the right days for good weather and each city has its own type of beauty.....I still have a favorite, Prague, for its really gorgeous cityscapes. But Budapest is gorgeous....along witth Vienna and Berlin.....each one has its own unique personality!!!
Will fill more in when we get back home and can describe and show pictures to show. The slide show should be really good.
Another fantastic day in the city of Budapest. This trip has been to relax, enjoy and tour at our leisure. And today was no exception. Being Saturday, we headed for the huge market at the bottom of the city....southern end. The city is very easily walkable so getting there was a nice walk. The place is 3 floors of everything one could imagine. First the place was packed, locals and many many tourists. The bottom floor (basement) is mainly fish, exotic meats and wine and pasteries. The main floor is fruit, veggies meat and candy and etc. The top floor is crafts and souvenirs. Of course we headed there first and D went crazy. They had so many really wonderful things (not junk) besides the junk souvenirs, they had goregous leather things, linen sewn things, hats, scarfs and dolls and toys and etc. all very nice quality. I actually found a very neat iinsect sculpture....that makes 4 that Ihave found on the trip. All are quite interesting and different. We also found a nice Xmas decoration for our tree. The food was absolutely incredible...the visual was as delicious as the taste. We did buy a couple stuffed peppers for our lunch and a cream puff....will tell about that alittle later. It was just so much fun walking through the place. After we headed for the river for our lunch. We like to take some meat, cheese and fruit with us in a back pack and with the stuffed peppers and cream puff we had a fabulous lunch sitting on the wall over looking the river and city. The cream push was huge and had white cream, chocolate cream and CAKE in the center of this soft and delicious puff.....itt was the size of a giant hot dog bun.....and oh the taste!!!!!
That done we headed along the river to find the entrance steps or street to the castle area on the hill which overlooks the city on the left side. We found it and started climbing....when we hit the top....what a surprise but a huge carnival crafts and food exhibition on the grounds. They had live music, food, drinks, and every kind of food imaginalble. The place was packed!!!! It was a photographer's paradise!!!! We tookd hundreds of pics of the people, food, and being way up high we had some spectacular panaramic pics of the city across the river. We spent all afternoon walking around, sampling food and like I said, taking tons of photos. WE ended at the other end at a cafe for a nice beer and rest. It was too early to head home so we walked on into the church area which was simply incredibly beautiful So we too more pictures. Again the place was packed with tourists but we did not care....the views were so perfect and the sun was at our back.....mmmMMM..
I must mention this now before I forget. I have never seen as many Japanese (or Chinese) tourists EVER. They are everywhere and not the huge old people tour groups as I have seen many times before, be young couples and young ttour groups.....they were everywhere here.
Like last night I will close now and fill you in again on our upcoming dinner. I do hope it will be as memorable as last ngiths. We have been so lucky because we seem to hit the right days for good weather and each city has its own type of beauty.....I still have a favorite, Prague, for its really gorgeous cityscapes. But Budapest is gorgeous....along witth Vienna and Berlin.....each one has its own unique personality!!!
Will fill more in when we get back home and can describe and show pictures to show. The slide show should be really good.
Day 10 continued......
I wanted to mention dinner because it was truly incredible. We decided on a beautiful outdoor place right on the water just below tthe bridge. The lights were all on the buildings and bridge and it made for a gorgeous picture as we sat there. The food was Hungarian....D had stuffed peppers (Hungary is famous for its peppers (especially hot peppers)....did you know that Paprika is a hot pepper!!!!! I had a special goulash with lentils. But the surprise was a fabulous gypsy music group that played almost in front of us. They were just great and played all kinds of Hungarian gypsy music. Then after awhile they worked the room and went from table to table playing.....our request (believe it or not) was Country Road by John Denver. THE DID NOT KNOW IT.....but the guy at our next table spoke up and said, "I know that one"!!!! Speaking of.....it is truly unbeliveable that almost 100% of the people here speak English. No matter where we go, there are people who speak to us in English...not just the sales people or restaurant people. Also no matter what restaurant we pick they have English menus!! That is so surprising....and also there are so many signs here in English....truly remarkable.
So we lingered a long time at dinner, listening and having more wine and a beer after dinner....just could not leave the place. Then a nice walk home....also much mention that each day the weahter is simply gorgeous but when the sun sets, the temp drops like a lead ballon to the low50s.....so eating outside all the restaurants actually give you blankets to put around you or on your lap....really neat.
Tomorrow serious touring.
I wanted to mention dinner because it was truly incredible. We decided on a beautiful outdoor place right on the water just below tthe bridge. The lights were all on the buildings and bridge and it made for a gorgeous picture as we sat there. The food was Hungarian....D had stuffed peppers (Hungary is famous for its peppers (especially hot peppers)....did you know that Paprika is a hot pepper!!!!! I had a special goulash with lentils. But the surprise was a fabulous gypsy music group that played almost in front of us. They were just great and played all kinds of Hungarian gypsy music. Then after awhile they worked the room and went from table to table playing.....our request (believe it or not) was Country Road by John Denver. THE DID NOT KNOW IT.....but the guy at our next table spoke up and said, "I know that one"!!!! Speaking of.....it is truly unbeliveable that almost 100% of the people here speak English. No matter where we go, there are people who speak to us in English...not just the sales people or restaurant people. Also no matter what restaurant we pick they have English menus!! That is so surprising....and also there are so many signs here in English....truly remarkable.
So we lingered a long time at dinner, listening and having more wine and a beer after dinner....just could not leave the place. Then a nice walk home....also much mention that each day the weahter is simply gorgeous but when the sun sets, the temp drops like a lead ballon to the low50s.....so eating outside all the restaurants actually give you blankets to put around you or on your lap....really neat.
Tomorrow serious touring.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Day 9
Yesterday we repeated the leisurely touring of the city like the day before. We first slept in and just moved around the city at our leisure. We wanted to make sure we saw the old clock and its moving parts at noon and we did. We walked the pedestrian walkway and shopping area and bought a few things......we cannot buy much due to our small luggage.
WE visited St. Stevens church which was quite "goddy"....pardon the pun, but it was. We did get a nice free concert for a few minutes...the choir and organ were practicing.
We just walked around and tried to see places we missed before. The weather for the first time did nott cooporate....it drizzled and very cool most of the day but did not hinder our progress. As I have said, the weather has been spectacular every day, so one day we could suffer.
For dinner we decided we did not want the usual meat and dumplings so we decided on a Thai restaurantin the old market (we visited it that day and did buy some candy there). It was really good and quite cheap.
We had a very nice walk home and to bed early because we had to get up at 5:45 am for our trainto Budapest.
Day 10
Not a good start. Our train was cancelled and we were told (as we were at the platform) that we had to go to another station to catch it. We hired a cab and were off to the other station, once there we stood in line for about 15 minutes before we were told that we had the wrong stationand to go to yet another station and catch the 10:50 am train. We made it and had a nice trip (best train so far) to Budapest (3 hours). Once there we got a cab to the hotel and for a second time found out at the hotel that the taxi driver cheated us and charged almost 2x the price. WE got cheated also in Prague the same way. There was no way we would have know until we got to the hotel and asked and found out the truth. The taxi in Budapest even had a meter....so we have to be careful in Krakow or it may happen again. Luckily it was only 10 or so dollars more but it is the priciple.
We arrived and immedately ate a wonderul Hungarian lunchof stuffed cabbage and goulash. We walked all over and walked thier pedestrian walkway and enjoyed the area. I kept asking if anyone worked because the area was very crowded with locals IN THE AFTERNOON. So now we are back at the hotel resting from our trip and getting ready for happy hour.
By the way, the weather here in Budapest if incredible......around 75 and not a clowd in the sky.
Also interesting enough but so far we have found that Prague is a much prettier city than Budapest. WE have been told by others that this place was their favorite but so far (just one day) Prague has it beat scenic wise. But tomorrow we start our serious touring, hitting the castle, the parliment building and other important places. Also getting around is somewhat harder here but again we will see tomorrow.
Vienna was gorgeous and very easy to get around but of cuorse we got lost a few times....our mistake of course. Tomorrow is supposed to be gorgeous too, so we will have a nice day to tour the city.
I will fill you in on dinner......we are trying to find a neat Hungarian restaurant to try tonight....of course after happy hour.
Yesterday we repeated the leisurely touring of the city like the day before. We first slept in and just moved around the city at our leisure. We wanted to make sure we saw the old clock and its moving parts at noon and we did. We walked the pedestrian walkway and shopping area and bought a few things......we cannot buy much due to our small luggage.
WE visited St. Stevens church which was quite "goddy"....pardon the pun, but it was. We did get a nice free concert for a few minutes...the choir and organ were practicing.
We just walked around and tried to see places we missed before. The weather for the first time did nott cooporate....it drizzled and very cool most of the day but did not hinder our progress. As I have said, the weather has been spectacular every day, so one day we could suffer.
For dinner we decided we did not want the usual meat and dumplings so we decided on a Thai restaurantin the old market (we visited it that day and did buy some candy there). It was really good and quite cheap.
We had a very nice walk home and to bed early because we had to get up at 5:45 am for our trainto Budapest.
Day 10
Not a good start. Our train was cancelled and we were told (as we were at the platform) that we had to go to another station to catch it. We hired a cab and were off to the other station, once there we stood in line for about 15 minutes before we were told that we had the wrong stationand to go to yet another station and catch the 10:50 am train. We made it and had a nice trip (best train so far) to Budapest (3 hours). Once there we got a cab to the hotel and for a second time found out at the hotel that the taxi driver cheated us and charged almost 2x the price. WE got cheated also in Prague the same way. There was no way we would have know until we got to the hotel and asked and found out the truth. The taxi in Budapest even had a meter....so we have to be careful in Krakow or it may happen again. Luckily it was only 10 or so dollars more but it is the priciple.
We arrived and immedately ate a wonderul Hungarian lunchof stuffed cabbage and goulash. We walked all over and walked thier pedestrian walkway and enjoyed the area. I kept asking if anyone worked because the area was very crowded with locals IN THE AFTERNOON. So now we are back at the hotel resting from our trip and getting ready for happy hour.
By the way, the weather here in Budapest if incredible......around 75 and not a clowd in the sky.
Also interesting enough but so far we have found that Prague is a much prettier city than Budapest. WE have been told by others that this place was their favorite but so far (just one day) Prague has it beat scenic wise. But tomorrow we start our serious touring, hitting the castle, the parliment building and other important places. Also getting around is somewhat harder here but again we will see tomorrow.
Vienna was gorgeous and very easy to get around but of cuorse we got lost a few times....our mistake of course. Tomorrow is supposed to be gorgeous too, so we will have a nice day to tour the city.
I will fill you in on dinner......we are trying to find a neat Hungarian restaurant to try tonight....of course after happy hour.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Day 8
What can I say, yesterday was incredible. We slept in....that is great....then we had the best breakfast since the start of the trip at our hotel. Then we just started walking....no itineray but just a map and ideas where we wented to go. It worked out soooo well. We just went from spot to spot, not getting lost at all and went around this gorgeous city. Seeing sites, buildings, statues and all. We did stop at one church and went to the top of the dome to see the city, the trip up the steps was the real part of the trip...one could look down as we accented and see how high we were.
Our main goal of the day was to end up at the Hofburg house. A huge complex of over 2500 rooms which are museums, office and part of the President's residence. We also got to see the famous horses practicing in a special exercise ring....really cool. We know are experts in Austrian nobility history.....not!!! It is true though that the Austrian royalty was one of the best known. Wealso got to tour the royal collection of silver and dishes, an experience that no one would ever forget. They evenhad several table settings as examples.
But that was not all, we came back to the hotel, changed and were off to the Kursalon fior a concert of Mozart, Strauss and others. We first had dinner in tthe theater's restaurant which was great and then it was off to the concert hall for the performance. IT WAS OUTSTANDING. We even had singersand dancers for the arias. Annnddd, we had front row seats which was great.....it was the first time I wanted to be 6 foot 7 to pay allthe tall people back over the years!!!!!
A very slow walk back to the hotel and bed...............it was quite a day.
PS...the weather was absolutely perfect....about 70 degrees and not a cloud. Today is quite different....we see clouds out our window so far.....and cooler. So we hope no rain.
Today we jusrt walk around again with a few new itineraries to see.....no rush. Tomorrow we are off to Budapest.....early!!!
What can I say, yesterday was incredible. We slept in....that is great....then we had the best breakfast since the start of the trip at our hotel. Then we just started walking....no itineray but just a map and ideas where we wented to go. It worked out soooo well. We just went from spot to spot, not getting lost at all and went around this gorgeous city. Seeing sites, buildings, statues and all. We did stop at one church and went to the top of the dome to see the city, the trip up the steps was the real part of the trip...one could look down as we accented and see how high we were.
Our main goal of the day was to end up at the Hofburg house. A huge complex of over 2500 rooms which are museums, office and part of the President's residence. We also got to see the famous horses practicing in a special exercise ring....really cool. We know are experts in Austrian nobility history.....not!!! It is true though that the Austrian royalty was one of the best known. Wealso got to tour the royal collection of silver and dishes, an experience that no one would ever forget. They evenhad several table settings as examples.
But that was not all, we came back to the hotel, changed and were off to the Kursalon fior a concert of Mozart, Strauss and others. We first had dinner in tthe theater's restaurant which was great and then it was off to the concert hall for the performance. IT WAS OUTSTANDING. We even had singersand dancers for the arias. Annnddd, we had front row seats which was great.....it was the first time I wanted to be 6 foot 7 to pay allthe tall people back over the years!!!!!
A very slow walk back to the hotel and bed...............it was quite a day.
PS...the weather was absolutely perfect....about 70 degrees and not a cloud. Today is quite different....we see clouds out our window so far.....and cooler. So we hope no rain.
Today we jusrt walk around again with a few new itineraries to see.....no rush. Tomorrow we are off to Budapest.....early!!!
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Dayt 7
Off to Vienna today, our train was great...no problems except the taxi had some trouble getting to the station. An accident blocked our way and our great cabby did get us there just in time to board. But the trip was great and the scenery was spectacular. One point that I must mention is that both CZ and AU both have gone green with many many wind turbines all along the route and both (especially in AU) had many solar energy elds along the route. It certainly makes the US look behind the times.
We arrived and as soon as we got to our hotel (a small, quaint hotel) we asked when was the next city tour and the hotel attendant said......10 minutes. So we did not even get to our room....stored the luggage and headed off to our city tour. Included in the tour was a tour of the famous Schonnbonn Palace (sp). It is about 15 minutes on the edge of the city, so taking a tour instead of metroing out there was a plus. Also, the guide gave us much more info that we could ever get ourselves. The place was fabulous, and learning about the family was soooo facinating. We did not get back to the hotel until after 6:30!!! So we got to our rooms, again dumped our stuff and headed to the nearby market for dinner. There were dozens of small quaint restaurants there and we tried to pick our favorite. I got my Vienner Schnizel while D got goulosh.....both of course with 3 glasses of beer.....WE DESERVED IT AFTER SUCH A LONG DAY. All was great and we had such a nice slow walk back to the hotel and to finally relax.
Tomorrow there is nothing special during the day to see, so we are relaxed and will just go with the flow. But tomorrow night is a big night....we have tickets for a special dinner and concert at the Opera House here.....a true landmark. The program is supposed to be Strauss night!!!! So I will close now and get some well worth sleep.
Off to Vienna today, our train was great...no problems except the taxi had some trouble getting to the station. An accident blocked our way and our great cabby did get us there just in time to board. But the trip was great and the scenery was spectacular. One point that I must mention is that both CZ and AU both have gone green with many many wind turbines all along the route and both (especially in AU) had many solar energy elds along the route. It certainly makes the US look behind the times.
We arrived and as soon as we got to our hotel (a small, quaint hotel) we asked when was the next city tour and the hotel attendant said......10 minutes. So we did not even get to our room....stored the luggage and headed off to our city tour. Included in the tour was a tour of the famous Schonnbonn Palace (sp). It is about 15 minutes on the edge of the city, so taking a tour instead of metroing out there was a plus. Also, the guide gave us much more info that we could ever get ourselves. The place was fabulous, and learning about the family was soooo facinating. We did not get back to the hotel until after 6:30!!! So we got to our rooms, again dumped our stuff and headed to the nearby market for dinner. There were dozens of small quaint restaurants there and we tried to pick our favorite. I got my Vienner Schnizel while D got goulosh.....both of course with 3 glasses of beer.....WE DESERVED IT AFTER SUCH A LONG DAY. All was great and we had such a nice slow walk back to the hotel and to finally relax.
Tomorrow there is nothing special during the day to see, so we are relaxed and will just go with the flow. But tomorrow night is a big night....we have tickets for a special dinner and concert at the Opera House here.....a true landmark. The program is supposed to be Strauss night!!!! So I will close now and get some well worth sleep.
Day 6
This day was for the Prague Castle......
This is a huge castle complex on top of the hill which overlooks the city. The complex is huge and has 2 churches, basilica, palaces, and homes for the common people way back to the 10th century. It took all day to review and examine. We first had to climb the steps to the entrance of the massive location......we figured about 200 steps. Not too bad!!! But it was really interesting to see centuries of occupation and royalty. The crowd was not too bad at all and one ticket could get one into all the buildings....we liked that. Also, we got to spend alot of time on St. Charles Bridge which is truly the most popular tourist area in the city. It is on the way back from the castle complex. There were millions of people all over the place enjoying the gorgeous day. The hawkers were all over but none were obtrusive. In fact they had some really nice stuff to buy....we were strong though. We did stop and buy a couple souvenirs but not too bad. Remember we have to bring this stuff back in our small bags....so we always have to be very observing on that.
While over on the other side of the river, we found a great restaurant which we went back for dinner....a real CZ type so I had to order a pork knee or pork knuckle.....it is a huge joint of a pig...roasted to a perfection with a crispy skin and juicy, moist meat. D could not do such a thing and ordered chicken.
Tomorrow we are off to Austria....Vienna by train.
I must say that I really liked Prague. It was a smallish city which was quite laid back atmosphere. The beauty of the city is so apparent that one cannot resist taking as many pics as possible. I really did get some really beautiful pictures of the city.
This day was for the Prague Castle......
This is a huge castle complex on top of the hill which overlooks the city. The complex is huge and has 2 churches, basilica, palaces, and homes for the common people way back to the 10th century. It took all day to review and examine. We first had to climb the steps to the entrance of the massive location......we figured about 200 steps. Not too bad!!! But it was really interesting to see centuries of occupation and royalty. The crowd was not too bad at all and one ticket could get one into all the buildings....we liked that. Also, we got to spend alot of time on St. Charles Bridge which is truly the most popular tourist area in the city. It is on the way back from the castle complex. There were millions of people all over the place enjoying the gorgeous day. The hawkers were all over but none were obtrusive. In fact they had some really nice stuff to buy....we were strong though. We did stop and buy a couple souvenirs but not too bad. Remember we have to bring this stuff back in our small bags....so we always have to be very observing on that.
While over on the other side of the river, we found a great restaurant which we went back for dinner....a real CZ type so I had to order a pork knee or pork knuckle.....it is a huge joint of a pig...roasted to a perfection with a crispy skin and juicy, moist meat. D could not do such a thing and ordered chicken.
Tomorrow we are off to Austria....Vienna by train.
I must say that I really liked Prague. It was a smallish city which was quite laid back atmosphere. The beauty of the city is so apparent that one cannot resist taking as many pics as possible. I really did get some really beautiful pictures of the city.
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