I found my Favourite!,

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What a beautiful city !!!

Budapest is my favourite of these Eastern Europe cities . The buildings are lovely .it is really easy to get around , the streets are fascinating where-.ever I have been and getting lost is a pleasure .Although the people do not seem overly friendly they are helpful. . The streets here are relatively straight and have a logical pattern and the street maps are easy to read as the corner building always has the name of the street on it (Prague ,s map was good also ) There are many pedestrian areas . Food is really good , i had wild boar with blueberries on a scone last night , and the subway ,tram and bus system are efficient and not to expensive , a 24 hour pass is @4 dollars . Our first day here we had an excellent lunch at a Planetera project that works with people with disabilities. Their restaurant is doing very well. Omut then took us on a 3 hour walking tour using the transit system to reach different locations. so we could figure it all out . We ended at a restaurant that had a guy playing piano and there was a bit of singing fromour group .I also had my first Hungarian black beer .By then it was 10 pm and we walked to the middle of one of the bridges to see the sites all lit up . It was magical .

Day 2 and 3 have been on our own . I spent the morning g exploring with a young Irish woman whose company really enjoy .We had attended Easter Sunday mass together in Prague and after that we wanted to go to the Spanish Synagogue but it was closed. So , we wanted to go to the synagogue here but it was closed for the holiday We did walk around it and got a feel for what was the Jewish "ghetto". With her I visited St Stephan church and it is awesome . I suggest you check it out on line . It isn't very old by European standards but boy I loved it . The dominant building material used inside is red marble and it is stunning.In the afternoon we headed over to Buda and had a drink at a restaurant overlooking Pest . Later I was able to do a Danube boat tour . Pleasant and honestly nice to sit for an hour .

Part one of these tour ends today so last night we had a farewell dinner as 9 of the 16 end here in Budapest . After supper a group of us headed to a ruins bar .Really . A bar/club that has moved into a wreck of a building . I suspect I may have been the oldest person there and I had a ball . I havent danced that much in a long time . The tequilla shots may have had something to do with it .

Tonight we will welcome one new person . All I know so far is that she is a Canadian and has purchased the private room option soon I will no longer have a roommate ....woohoo!

Today I spent on my own and enjoyed that. Being with people all the time is a tiring . I checked out a new area , wondered about a pedestrian mall and eventually found The National Museum of Hungary. Great place . I even caught a bit of a noon hour concert. .Then I headed to the mineral baths and spent a very enjoyable time there. My hip has been misbehaving and the heat and the waterspouts felt great .

Time to get to the new group meet. And the update on the next few days events . Tomorrow it is a 7 hour train ride to Novi Sad in Serbia . .

Enough for now .Stay in touch ..

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Comments

[Joy]

Cathedral
In 1997, when my friend Marilyn & I were in Budapest, we went to St Stephen's Cathedral for a Sunday service. The symphony orchestra was fabulous. She was raised Catholic so she was able to explain some of what we were seeing. Originally she had refused to go, but I insisted, & she later admitted it was a good decision:).

[Shirley]

Hi
Hey Pam, interesting blog. Some of these cities are the right size with good choices for visitors. Great to hear. Today I planted lily bulbs, a gift from my "boss". Hope springs, dry and cool in Saskatoon. Southern Alberta and SK were walloped with some snow.

[Brenda Niskala]

What you're missing
So it's snowing quite hard at the moment. It's a wet snow, though, and will likely not last past tomorrow. We have moisture to counteract the drought of March and the grass fires of April. Flooding in eastern Canada. Parts of Montreal and Gatineau. But you know all this. It sounds like you're having a wonderful time. Black beer! You mean Guiness? And looking forward to your own space. They won't charge you more for that, right? Carol has asked me to forward your missives, and so I shall. Cheers!

[Lapamba]

Thank you for the updates Brenda

[Krista]

Agreed
Pam, I’m so glad you enjoyed Budapest! The food and the ruins bar sound amazing. The mineral baths are always a good choice. Take care and I look forward to hearing about the next portion of your trip.

[Larry G Raynard]

Actually Jo, not Larry
So glad you are having lots of adventures and meeting nice people. We were at the cabin in the snow storm, reminded us of 2010, same time, same place, but it was 10 times worse that time. This time was bad, but not horrible. We need the moisture, but not the dreariness. Found some felled trees which were already corded, so hauled 3 trailer loads. Will be nice to finally see green, and flowers. I'm sure your yard will be full of new buds, etc. Cheers!