Truly enjoyed our trip to Budapest. This was supposed to be a solo trip, but my husband rescheduled some things and was able to join me. He even was able to snag the seat next to me on all our flights - winning!
We had a 6 pm flight out of SeaTac on Saturday 3/30. We were at the counter to check in my husband's bag before it opened and were the second family in line. Also, we needed boarding passes because we weren't able to download ours to our phones. Not sure why - we haven't had an issue but it was all good. They weighed my carry-on and gave it a "good" tag - yay! We had dinner and a few beers in the terminal with the idea we would sleep on the flight. Well..... It was a good thing we ate at the airport because "dinner" on Condor was inedible - Dave tasted a couple of things and made his "yuck!" face - I laughed because he is not picky.
Guy behind me slouched down and put his legs in the back of my seat so I couldn't recline after dinner - I noticed HE reclined though. When he got up to go to the restroom, I reclined - I heard him swear when he returned and he proceeded to kick my seat until he fell asleep. Some people have no manners!
Transfer in Frankfurt was easy and uneventful and we arrived in Budapest around 6 pm on Easter Sunday. We picked up our 15 day transit pass in the airport but made a slight mistake - we took the 200E bus instead of the 100E. After a transfer to the M3 and then dodging trash bins for 15 minutes on our way through the city, we found our AirBNB. We dropped our bags around 8:30 and ate dinner at Kiado Kocsma - it was good! Back at the apartment and in bed around 11:30.
Posted by
OP
35 posts
First full day, Monday, 1 April
- Unpacked and situated ourselves in the apartment. It was totally quirky but I loved it. Found a bakery and had savory meat and cheese pastries and cappuccino for breakfast. Then we walked and walked around the Andrassy area and then over to the Jewish quarter. We stopped and snacked and drank whenever a spot looked interesting. Got around 23,000 steps in and met Mr. E for dinner. Jet lag, exhaustion, and food/drink caught up to me but Dave had a good visit with James, lol. Best husband!
Tuesday, 2 April
Leisurely start to the day (we brought my tea and Starbuck's Via packets for Dave so we started our days caffeinated) We got some groceries at the Spar market - it was an adventure! I'm a doofus, but I really enjoy shopping when we travel and playing the game of "Is this milk of some sort or something I won't want in my tea?" "Butter or not?", etc. I don't think we were too annoying. We also had fun with some of the sausage we purchased, namely, "what kind of meat?" Dave hunts and we have venison and in a good year, elk, so we just tried them with an open mind. One was a little strong and kind of reminded me of some bear jerky we were "gifted" with one year, but the rest were yummy, so in general, a bonus.
Lots of walking in the afternoon, we hit multiple ruin pubs and took a lot of photos for our friends. Had dinner at the food trucks nearby - it was good! Finished the evening at Bortodoor City winebar - expensive-ish, but fun. A little over 21,000 steps today.
Wednesday 3 April
- Parliament area - we walked around the area, the waterfront, St Stephen's. Marvelous, stunning, we just soaked it all in. Had fun watching a film crew for a while - had no idea what they were filming, but it was entertaining for a bit. We wandered without a plan, between magnificent architecture and communist era blocks, hidden lanes...The waterfront is busy and we strolled down to the shoe memorial - it stopped us in our tracks. Powerful stuff.
Posted by
OP
35 posts
Thursday, 4 April
Went to breakfast at Lion's Locker - it was yummy. Then took the 16 bus to the Castle district. Had a grumpy bus driver who had no patience with us not knowing where to exit or anything - we had a laugh at his growled "get off here". We walked up and down the lanes, again, soaking it all in. Had a snack from a bakery, grabbed a beer at Fishermen's Bastion, marveled at Matyas church. Missed out on the Hospital in the Rock - our timing was off. Over to Buda Castle and oh-so-many steps!
Met Mr. E at Kadarka Wine Bar and had dinner at Frici Papa - it looked terrible in our pictures, but tasted very good.
Friday, 5 April
Got a slow start and had a late breakfast at Christy's. It was good - seemed a little trendy for us, but that is okay. Then we decided to check out Aquincum - spent all afternoon there - discovered that while I'm picturing ancient lives being lived, my poor husband was bored to (almost) tears. It was HOT this day too after a couple of cool cloudy days. I'm not sure why we struggled so much with the Budapest Go app, but it was quite the adventure to get there and back. Tram to bus there, H5 train to tram back. It took a while and we may have gone the opposite way on the train and had to backtrack....
After a few refreshing beverages and a rest, I let Dave pick dinner - he chose Sir Lancelot's! Okay... it actually turned out to be a lot of fun and we shared a table with a sweet couple from Israel. Sometimes touristy stuff is fun! We finished the night at Bortodoor's again - good times.
Saturday, 6 April
Supposed to go to the baths today but had a little bit of GI issues so went to Margarit Island instead. No problem with transportation today - hooray! We walked and walked around the island and the back down the middle. It was packed with families, young people, and old folks enjoying a sunny spring Saturday - amazing! We stopped for snacks and refreshments at a few different places and just really enjoyed soaking in the atmosphere.
On the way back, we did notice many people carrying flags and such - there was a pretty large demonstration near parliament.
We got back, cleaned up, then walked to our dinner reservation at Rumour by Racz Jeno. I liked the "secret" entry through the pastry shop. We had an amazing multicourse dinner with the wine pairings. It was magnificent! This is only the third time we have eaten at a Michelin-starred restaurant. The food and service was exquisite. We were overcharged, but I didn't care - it was that good. Afterwards, we waddled out of the restaurant back to the apartment and into a food coma/sleep.
Posted by
OP
35 posts
Last full day, Sunday, 7 April
Asked Dave if he wanted to do the baths, he said no. So we wandered down to the Danube. Ended up at the Why Not bar near the bridge. Had a coffee drink and took a few pictures of the cave church across the river. We just walked around the area and drank it in. Meandered through the (mostly closed) great market - it was cool there were a few things open and we could take in the size without a crush of people. We enjoyed walking and stopping for a drink and snack when we felt the urge. Talked with a few people we met and were entertained by a rowdy group at one stop.
Then back to pack and get ready for tomorrow's trip home.
Monday, 8 April
Up and out the door early - caught the subway at the Oktogon to Deak Ferenc then the 100E bus to the airport. The first bus was packed so we waited for the next and were the second ones on - good thing because we had a spot for our bags before it got standing room only PACKED. I tapped to pay because it was not included in my transit pass. Good thing I did, because they had an inspector that checked! First time during our visit. Made it to the airport and I was selected for a super pat down. Why? I'm wearing leggings and a snug shirt - they can see I have nothing but a few extra pounds, lol. She even pulled out my waistband to check - are you freaking kidding me??? My husband is laughing because he's wearing cargo pants and they didn't even look twice at him. Sigh....
The flight back was a bit more comfortable because I could recline. At the Frankfurt airport, there were armored vehicles following the El Al plane and the police at the airport were taking people from the waiting area away to "interview" them. Two came back looking unhappy but they at least made the flight. It was a bit strange.
At Seattle we waited and waited for Dave's bag and by the time it was there, there were long lines at immigration. But it all worked out, one of the kids picked us up, and we were home safe and sound. Was I tired when the alarm when off at 4:40 am? Yes! Was I a tiny bit jelly when I was working and my husband was not? Why yes, I was.
Thoughts
It was a fabulous trip. I have been trying to decide if I want to pursue Hungarian dual citizenship / passport. I was going to meet up with some distant cousins, but the stars didn't align. Will we return? Maybe, but there is a big world to see and we started late. With me still teaching, my time is limited to school holidays which are crowded and EXPENSIVE. Summers are devoted to developing our retirement property.
A BIG THANK YOU to Mr. E, texastravelmom, CW, and others that have posted about Budapest
Posted by
Southern Oregon
627 posts
Fun travel report! Very cool that you got to meet with Mr E. Thank you for writing this up!
Posted by
TX, USA
4809 posts
So glad you had a great trip! Budapest is amazing for just wandering and enjoying! I would pursue that dual citizenship if I were you!
Posted by
Magyarország / Rep of Texas
20168 posts
I'm glad you enjoyed, and like your husband, I think Sir Lancelot's is a hoot. Call on your return trip. I'll be here.
Posted by
near San Francisco
5364 posts
That was fun to read, you crack me up! I love your shopping games!! "Is this milk of some sort?" :-)))))
I'm glad you had fun, even enjoying the mistakes, which are often the best stories!!