Budapest, Hungary

Adam and I went to Budapest for three days and had a fabulous time. I knew this was going to be quite the experience, and it was...as soon I stepped off the airplane. The city was lit up in beauty. Driving to the hotel, this is what I saw:

(Thanks for the pic, Wikipedia!)

While Adam was conferencing with the US and Hungarian Military Doctors, all of the spouses went on touring and shopping excursions. The greatest part of it all was our ride to all of the sites. We all rode together in a coach touring bus with the Hungarian Military Police as our escorts. The sirens were blaring and the lights were flashing as we went along our way. YES, Imagine a police car with a huge bus following closely behind driving down the middle of the road, through all the red lights! It was great. We were so important that everyone had to get out of our way...no one could stop us from our shopping! :)

(Notice that we are driving on the wrong side of the road here!)


Day 1:
We traveled north of Budapest to Szentendre, a picturesque town that sits at the bank of the Danube River. We went on a guided tour of Kovacs Margit Museum, which featured the works of Hungary's most renowned ceramic artist.
Then, we hopped on the bus and drove to the Citadell, and climbed part of the fortress atop the hill.



Later that evening, Adam and I had a nice evening out on the town. We walked the Chain Bridge, did some shopping on Veci Street, and had a great meal with some great friends. Did I mention that the food in Hungary was very tasty? We were fed like royalty every day and it was wonderful!

(Picture from the internet, we couldn't get one as good as this!)

(Goose leg with potatoes and red cabbage)


Day 2:
We drove down Andrassy Avenue to Hero's Square. The center of the square is the Millennium Monument, built in 1896 to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of the Magyar conquest. The statues around the momument include kings, governors, and others held in high reqard, like King Steven I, who brought Christianity to the country.



We then walked to Vajdahunyad Castle (can you say that??) and viewed the architectural design, then quickly moved on to the Basillica of St. Steven, Hungary's largest church.
Then, we went to The House of Parliament. This magnificent structure was built as a symbol of Hungary's independance in 1867.


(The Royal Crown Jewels of Hungary, guarded by the Royal Army 24/7)

Finally lunch time came around, and so we drove to Gellert Hill and ate at the top of the hill and had a wonderful panoramic view of Buda and Pest, with the Danube right through the middle.
Before we called it a day, we went to Castle Hill, where Budapest was founded. Here we quickly viewed the grounds and walked through the inner village.


That evening we drove about an hour out of Budapest for a Puszta dinner and evening show. It was excellent! We were taken by horse through the farm and brought to an arena where we watched an Arabian Horse show. It was nothing like we had ever seen before. We were so amazed! The show was followed by a delicious dinner where we were enchanted with music and dancing.






Day 3:
We drove to the city of Godollo to visit the summer residence of Franz Josef, Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary and his wife Elisabeth ("Sisi"). This was my favorite place to visit. I could just stay there forever imagining what it would be like to live as an Empress! I learned much about Sisi, and came to adore her.

(Wikipedia pic, again! The pine tree is now majorly leaning towards the house because poparazzi would climb the tree to try and get photos of Sisi and Franz Josef!)

After lunch along the Danube River, we headed to the Central Market Hall, a great shopping attraction! Here we had 45 minutes to shop till we dropped before meeting up with our husbands. I was able to purchase Hungarian Paprika powder, Hungarian lace, and a cute little shirt for Addison.
Once we met up with our hubby's we made our final tourist stop to the Military Hospital and Nuclear Bunker located beneath the Buda Castle.

Soon after I had to say goodbye to "the Paris of Eastern Europe" and catch my plane back to Heidelberg. But, I wasn't too upset leaving this spectacular city because I had my sweet baby boy to come home to.

(Addison wearing his Hungary t-shirt)