Yesterday we piled into the car and headed off to Budapest for the day. Since Budapest was only 2 hours away from Bratislava, we decided to take advantage of our proximity and go there. A two hour drive did not seem like that big of a deal and making it into a day trip. We did a similar thing last year when we headed off to Portugal and it was worth it, so, we thought we would try it again.
It was TOTALLY worth it. Even though our initial impressions were not great, pushy rude Hungarian people and a ridiculous traffic jam about 45 km`s away from Budapest, we were captivated immediately as we left the car at the Citadella. The Citadella provided a great view of Budapest, despite the foggy sky. But, the foggy sky provided a different blessing. The frost on the trees was immaculate and allowed us to take some fabulous photos of the kids in the snow. We visited this Soviet Bunker at the Citadella complete with wax men to give an example of what the various rooms were used for. Some of the pictures were incredibly grotesque, but the image it portrayed of what the area was like during WWII was necessary.
From the Citadella we ventured into the Historic Center and walked across the well known chain bridge. Walking along the Danube River left us completely exposed to the wind and cold so we made the walk as quickly as we could. The kids were hungry and cold so we were thrilled when we happened upon a cafe that served traditional Hungarian food. We thoroughly enjoyed the Hungarian soup and Goulash Stew...the kids had meals and somehow, the total cost was only 14 Euros. I am certain that there was a calculation error, but, I am not complaining in the least. It was delicious and exactly what we were looking for. There is nothing like a good goulash to warm you up on a cold day.
After having lunch we had a fabulous time exploring Historic Budapest. Dimples did a fabulous job walking just about everywhere we went. We probably walked a good 10 km throughout the day and both kids did most of it on their own. We were slightly disappointed when we arrived at the Basilica, a major landmark in Budapest. Not only was it closed for the day (at 2 PM on a Saturday), but, almost half of it was covered in scaffolding. While I understand the importance of maintaining a historic landmark, it was disappointing nonetheless.
Overall, Budapest was a fantastic day trip, but, I wish that we could have had more time there. There was still a lot that we did not see. So, Budapest is on the list for a more lengthy stay next time around (when that will be, I have NO idea).
Today we woke up to snow. Snow was flying around everywhere and it was all over the ground. Princess and Dimples were ecstatic, even though he thought that it was raining. Princess wanted to make snow angles and snowmen, but, there was not enough snow. So, instead of touring around Bratislava for the morning, we picked up a friend and enjoyed some delicious coffee and snacks before beginning our drive to Prague. I am glad that we made that choice because it took us much longer to get to Prague because of the weather than it should have.
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| Beautiful frost makes a beautiful background for beautiful kids. |
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| Daddy and Dimples. |
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| Look! Snow! |
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| Dimples at the Citadella. |
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| Princess in the Soviet Bunker. |
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| A quick picture by the bridge. |
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| So proud of my big boy that walked just as much as the rest of us! |
So now, we are settling into our third hotel this week. We will be staying in Prague for 3 days and then off to Pardubice and Hlinsko where we met 10 years ago.
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