Friday, 13 May, 2016 – Budapest
No, there is no bad luck on this day. In fact, it is a very good day. Julie decides to walk into town where we are to meet at Jan & Hugh’s Hotel, so off she goes. Edith shows up at the spa hotel and shortly thereafter our driver shows up. We drive into the city and to the Hotel and there are Julie and Hugh waiting out the front.
Our first stop is at the Citadel, a site on the Buda side of the river. From there you can get a panoramic view of the river and the Buda and Pest sides.
At this stage it is time to discuss the bridges of Budapest which link the Buda and the Pest sides. During World War 2, the Hungarians were originally on the Nazi side but toward the end of the war, one Hungarian politician declared they were no longer supporting the Germans. In retaliation, the Germans destroyed all nine of the birdges over the Danube which had to be rebuilt after the war ended.
After the Citadel, we went to a Brewery/Restaurant for a tour, tasting and lunch.
We were promised a tour of the brewery and soon enough the third generation owner comes by to lead or tour. We are all given a glass of beer to assist the touring.
We complete the tour and go back to our table. We order some Hungarian wine while Hugh sticks to beer, getting one of the other of three beers they make. He does not like it as much as the first one and it is eventually replaced by the first one by the owner. We order our food.
After lunch is finished, we go to the Budapest market. It is modern and clean and has a large variety of stalls. Jan buys her faourite Paprika to take home.
We go upstairs in a corner for a bar area which is known as “The Library” as this is where the men typically go when they are tired of walking around the market with their wives. Julie continues on the prowl around the market.
Very impressive market and great photos Julie. Any way, it is time to depart. We drive past some scenic sites although I fall asleep and miss most of them. When I wake up, we are back at the Spa hotel, they decided to go there first. So I hop out of the bus and say goodbye to our wonderful guide for the last two days, Edith. Julie, of course, goes back to the city so that she can walk back. The following are some of the photos she took while on the prance.
When Julie finally returns, I had been snoozing, we do not need a big dinner as the lunch had been huge. Edith had kindly done some baking and provided that and other snacks which was perfect for what we needed to eat. Thanks, Edith.
I will add Edith’s contact details as soon as I can find them. Highly recommended.
The photos are great,get a real sense of the town