May 12, 2024

 Happy Mother’s Day,  :-)

Just back into our room in Budapest Hungary after Another full day!  Every city has it’s own unique beauty but I have to say…..Budapest might take the prize.  One reason for that might be is that our room is actually right on the Danube and across from the Parliament building so that is the view i get (fully lit up and breathtaking) when I glance out the window as I’m typing this post.  Yep….we’re staying in a floating hotel…..thought we’d try something a little different and we love it so we’re booked in here for two nights.

The train between Bratislava, Slovakia and Budapest, Hungary today took about 2 1/2 hours and was very comfortable. We had reserved seats in a compartment with room for 6 but we had it all to ourselves for most of the trip.  The compartment was air conditioned and the train was very smooth and quiet.  As we passed between Slovakia and Hungary it was more farmland and small villages.

Budapest train station we arrived at is really bright and open.  Glass walls at either end and skylights all across the top make it feel quite different than other train stations we’ve been in.

Once we got settled into our room it was off to find the Hop On Hop Off bus as we’d purchased a combo ticket for that and a boat tour on the Danube.  About a 5 minute walk to the Hop On bus stop and then about half a dozen stops along that route took us to within a 10 minute walk of Pier 6 which is where our boat would depart from.  We made it with time to spare before our 6 pm departure.  We’d decided we wanted to see the sights from the river during the day as we’d get the “light show” from our accomodation at night.

After the boat tour we were off in search of food as we hadn’t eaten since breakfast and it was already 7 pm!   Every step we took led us further into the beautiful city.  We were in the heart of the pedestrian only centre (Fashion Street) and the high end shops and hotels were nice to see but definitely out of our budget!

During our search for somewhere to eat I really really needed a restroom.  We saw a sign directing us into the depths of a maze of hallways in a building off the road we were on.  Eventually located the washroom but alas…when I put my money in to open the turnstile it wouldn’t work!  Not to worry….Lynda saved the day…..she figured out how to remove a pin from the concrete floor that enabled a handicapped access which I was happy to use!  I didn’t have to pee in the corner - whew!  Thanks again Lynda!  And, while we were there two others had to access it as well so not only did she rescue me but she rescued a few strangers too. 🙂

Eventually we stumbled across a Languis (spelling could be way off-LOL) street vendor so decided on that for supper.  Basically it is just a piece of fried dough that is then smothered in cheese and garlic.  It is a truly Hungarian street food so we had to do it and it was delicious.  We even had some entertainment at this stop as a couple were in heated dispute and a security guard ended up saving the day.  

Afterward we ended up stopping in another little shop for dessert and coffee.  It was called XO Donut Shop (xodonut.com) and it turns out the owner who started the franchise was our server.  Interestingly, he is also a neurosurgeon and owns multiple high end hotels in the city.  What an interesting man!  As you’ll see in the videos below…he’s a character too.  Well, you’ll maybe hear in the videos too that Lynda is also a character.  While the owner was making our creme brûlée donut a young couple came into the shop and Lynda began chatting with them.  In no time she had them rolling on the floor in laughter.  The kicker was when she told them we were eating our way across Europe and that when we’d started out we were skinny like they were but that we’d been at it for a while.  LOL

After the donuts and cappuccino we were stuffed and had more walking to do so we made our way over to the Budapest Eye (Ferris wheel) where we took a spin to enjoy the lights of the city from that angle too.  This trip up the Ferris wheel was another reminder of just how lucky we are!  When we walked up to get our tickets there was no one in line.  By the time we got off the ride the line up was at least 50 deep!  From there it was back to the Grand Jules Boat Hotel in a Bolt Taxi (way easier than trying to figure out the public transit at the end of a long day.) LOL

Till next time,

L & L

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