Budapest, Hungary

Brian and I have a list of places we'd like to see and things we want to do while we're here. Last year, we decided for our birthdays that we would plan trips for the other's birthday and keep it a surprise until shortly before the departing day. My surprise for Brian this year was Budapest...although, this was shared much earlier than planned due to an inkling that Brian had that we might be planning the same trip. It was a good thing the secret was revealed as Budapest was one of the places Brian had considered for my birthday in April.

Budapest is actually 2 cities, Buda and Pest, joined together in the 19th century, but still remains divided by the River Danube. The city is known for its rich musical heritage and underground arts scene; we were drawn by the beautiful mosaic Turkish baths with a variety of hot baths, saunas, and steam baths in different temperatures.

We stayed at the Hilton on the Pest side and spent the first day exploring Pest and what that side of town had to offer. We stopped at Dohany Street Synagogue, one of the largest synagogue in Europe, browsed the streets and shops (many were closed), and walked through the Central Market.

Our second day was spent relaxing for hours at Szechenyi Spa--what a treat! We celebrated Brian's 33rd birthday with a fabulous meal of sushi at Kyoto's; Brian was in sushi heaven!! After dinner an evening stroll was just what we need to walk off our meal; with camera in hand we strolled along the Danube taking pictures of the Parliament, evening lights of the Buda side and the bridge connecting the two cities.

Buda was saved for the third (and our last) day; among the sights we touched on were: Castle Hill, Royal Palace, and Fishermen's Bastion.

Our stay at the Hilton was fabulous; wonderful breakfast buffet and made-to-order breakfast daily, nice rooms, comfortable bed, nice showers, cable tv, the works...we found a steal of a deal on Expedia for 55 Euros a night.

We really enjoy our weekend holidays; living in Europe makes travelling for long weekends incredibly easy, affordable, and perfect for escaping on a budget. Can't wait to see what Brian has in store for April!