Second Day in Budapest

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April 21, 2006

Well we (Nagy, Mamma, and I) arrived in Budapest yesterday at about 11:30 or so… Liz was scheduled to land 20 minutes after us and we had absolutely no problem finding her—we just waited in baggage claim until she walked by…J

From the airport we easily contacted a cab (impossible without Nagy)… Taxis were waiting, but they were charging an arm and a leg just to get into the city… I am supremely impressed with Nagy’s ability to recall a language that she uses only every 10 to20 years. I think she is excited too—giddy almost—wanting to “go here” and “see that,” and motivated to walk everywhere (which she wasn’t in London). Hopefully she can maintain that energy today.

Perhaps I should more carefully recall yesterday:
So we were settled into our “hotel” by around 1:00, but things were looking grim… From the outside (see pictures) the place looked GRAND… the entrance hall contained a majestic stone staircase, but we took one look at our rooms and everyone’s spirits dropped… The place was undoubtedly overpriced and our reservation was wrong… We hastily dropped our things, crammed a third bed into one of the tiny rooms; and departed to explore, shop, and find some lunch…

At a charming restaurant we enjoyed a leisurely lunch with traditional Paprika chicken and such... The castle district (where we are staying for two days) is a fantastic area for shopping and everything is reasonably priced—especially compared to London… We found art, jewelry, and Herend!!! While wandering around this vicinity, enjoying the views from the bastion, and all of the spectacular gothic architecture; we discovered the Hilton where we were able to relax with some cappuccino and live piano music. One by one we all admitted that we didn’t want to go back to our little hovel—At ALL! So we began to make inquiries at the surrounding, and CHARMING hotels… Luckily a sweet hotel called the Burg (castle in German) was available!! In one fell swoop we respectfully declined our original reservation and moved to the new hotel… Everyone was relieved! In celebration we decided to have wine with dinner at a WONDERFUL restaurant with live gypsy music. I was able to video tape song after song… At times other diners even contributed lyricsJ One Scottish couple even sang “Georgia” to us!!
By 11 we all crashed and slept soundly.

Today we plan to video Nagy describing her experiences here, and delve into the local history. Within the castle district is a wealth of history-- embedded in the worn cobblestones and visible on the facades of the buildings… I will have more to share by the end of todayJ

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Photos

Reclaiming our Roots--Via Herend
Yes those are Herend Bags

Gate to Palace Courtyard on Castle Hill
This is a Magical Space

Comments

[Shelia Carroll]

glad to hear you're having fun
Katie, I'm so jealous. I'm glad you're having fun!!!!

[John Barnes]

Sounds Wonderful
Thank you Little Cat for keeping us up to date. It is wonderful to hear what you are doing. It sounds like it is quite an adventure. I miss you all!

[Josephine]

priveledged
Katie, I truly do feel priveledged to be a part of your "glog" group. I feel that I am there with you and am so thankful that you have this most wonderful time together. I look forward to following your adventures/ Is your Mom going to get another pedicure in BUDAPEST? tHAT WAS AN experience!!!! lOVE TO YOU ALL. jOSEPHINE

[Elizabeth]

So Exciting!
Oh my gosh! It's so terribly exciting that you are there. We are waiting to read and see your every word/picture!! Mom will be here on Sunday and together I'll show her how this blog works. I can barely believe we'll be there in a MONTH! ich laufe-Elizabeth

[Betsy Hayes Gefaell]

Go to the spa
So happy to be on your blog list. I am thrilled that ya'll are getting to do this - 3 generations with Mom is really special. I loved Budapest and when I was there, I often wondered what it was like when your Mama was a little girl. I look forward to the next installment. Have a blast.