A Week in Budapest

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After weeks of rainy, cool weather in Stavanger, we all decided to dash over to Budapest and soak in the hot pools that populate this classic European city. Barb and I left early in the week and Jeff & Traci followed for the extended weekend. Budapest, actually 2 cities, BUDA and PEST, divided by the Danube (and no it's not blue), is a city full of history, tradition, and some beautiful architecture that covers many generations from the Romans, the Communists, and now what's become an attempt at modern day democracy. If you look closely, you'll still see many remnants of the Communist era amongst the Roman ruins.

We chose a "resort spa hotel" that was a bit from the center of the action, but our real goal was to enjoy a spa, so all worked out great. We spent each day soaking in the several mineral pools, the steam room, sauna, and whirlpool. We even treated ourselves to a massage and some extras, including a facial for Barb and a fish pedicure for Kevin. Good thing those weren't piranhas in that tank ! The trip coincided with Kevin's 56th birthday and the Skinner's 27th anniversary.

The BUDA Castle is the centerpiece on the Buda side and we spent the day touring all the "castle stuff", riding the Hop on Hop off Bus as our primary mode of transport. We had to do another SEGWAY tour and chose a sunset tour which took us all around the PEST side of the city and islands. For anyone not familiar with a SEGWAY, this was our third tour we've done on them and they are amazingly easy to operate.

Hero Square is another highlight on the PEST side and is a pretty typical large plaza area with statues honoring people that played an important role in the history of Budapest.

Our last night was spent cruising the Danube aboard a dinner cruise boat with an entertaining piano show. Budapest is certainly worth visiting. The food is good, prices cheap, and the people are friendly.

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