Budapest

As we look forward to the new year, we're trying to take this week to catch up on some posting here. We've definitely dropped off from our earlier posting pace, but it's been such a busy year, with Erika in Africa for the better part of the first six months, the wedding, and Erika's recent work in Taiwan. Still, this year has been an other wonderful opportunity for us to travel a little bit. In November, we flew to Budapest with our friends, Pete and Azure, for a quick weekend of sight-seeing and, as always seems to be the case, amazing dining.

While Rob had been to Hungary before, neither of us had ever been to Budapest and we were excited to explore the city. We got in on a Saturday morning and wandered through the city, starting in the old Pest side where our hotel was, and working our way across the famous Chain Bridge into Buda. We had a late, delicious lunch and wandered without much purpose, taking in the beautiful buildings and river scene, so by the time we made it up the Castle Hill, or Vár, the museums and churches were closed. We wandered over to the Fisherman's Bastion, an old battlement on the land that is said to have been manned and defended by local fisherman during the Middle Ages. The bastion is incredibly well lit and gorgeous:

After a solid day of walking (and climbing up and down the Vár) we took a break on a cocktail-fueled river cruise along the Danube. The view from the river at night is astounding, though the glass windows prevented us (but not the obnoxious girls in front of us, whose camera flashes were blinding) from taking any good pics. Still, the boat ride was very educational and we'd recommend it to anyone visiting Budapest.

We finished off the first day with a truly incredible meal at the restaurant Klassz, which, in addition to fantastic food (who knew Hungarian food was so good?) had an extensive collection of Hungarian wines (who knew Hungarian wines were so good?).

Sunday began with another trip back across the Danube to visit the Cave Church, a, um, church in a cave that still serves mass and is run by an order of monks that date back to the 13th century. Outside the church is a statue of St. Stephen, a canonized king of Hungary who founded the state of Hungary in the 11th century, and who remains the symbol of the republic. That's cool and everything, but check out his crazy toes:

We made a sad, late attempt to get into the gargantuan Parliament building, but the English tour was sold-out well before we arrived. We settled for a quick pit stop at the "most beautiful McDonald's in the world" in one of the train stations, but despite the lovely light fixtures, we were unimpressed- the most beautiful McDonald's in the world still smells like french fry grease. Here's Parliament:

After two solid days of walking, you need a break. What better way to relax than in one of Budapest's famous spas? In pools of 100 degree (or warmer) natural spring water, we relaxed with 300 of our closest friends- it was a little crowded. Refreshed, we headed out for one last, memorable Hungarian dinner before returning home the next morning.