Exploring Eastern Europe--Budapest, Dubrovnik and Montenegro
With our bike-boat adventure story behind us, we travelled by train as a group (minus two) to Budapest. We had been given a preview of the city's offerings during the bike tour and we all agreed there would be much more to explore. Afterward checking into two hotels a short walking distant apart, we split apart into small groups with different sightseeing itineraries. "What's App" was our method to keep in touch.
For us, exploring on foot is always the priority and Rick Steves self-guided walks fit the bill. His city walk covers the main sites of the *Pest* side and conveniently put us at the Parliament Buildings for a pre-booked tour with the whole group.
The interior of this spectacular building is as jaw-dropping as the exterior. We learned a lot from our guide about Hungary's past, and marvelled at the enormity of the task of rebuilding after the damage from World War 2. We also witnessed the rather "showy, choreographed" changing of the guard, which was accompanied by recorded band music.
After the building interior tour, we resumed our walk itinerary. As we wandered along the waterfront promenade introduced to many of the quirky statues of Budapest's and Hungary's finest citizens, which included political as well as cultural icons. Surprisingly we stumbled upon a lifelike bronze statue of Ronald Reagan! He never visited Budapest during his US presidency but apparently Hungarians wanted to show their appreciation of his effects in ending the Cold War which put an end to the USSR influence on Hungary. It is ironic that while it legitimately faces the US embassy, at the same time it also looks directly to the monument commemorating the Red Army. Spectacular ornate interior of the Parliament Buildings
The group plan was to reconvene later that afternoon at a central plaza to check out a local wine festival. But the event was not as expected (you had to buy the wine glass--rather impractical for travellers) so it was decided to check out another "ruin pub mall" up the street from our hotel. The lengthy pathway through the building (several blocks long) was lined with an interesting variety of eating and drinking establishments, but unfortunately it seemed that none jad a table for 11. But slightly off the path, behind a wall, tables were eventually found and a great meal of local cuisine was enjoyed by all. It was a memorable ending to a fabulous day of exploration.
On our second day we found a business near the hotel that washed and folded laundry for a reasonable cost. With that chore crossed off the to-do list, we headed to the iconic Thermal Baths for which Budapest is famous. It was a unique but enjoyable experience paddling around a large pools of varying temperatures on a hot sunny day with hundreds of locals and other tourists. Only in Budapest!
Squeaky clean, and warm and fuzzy inside, we took a local bus to the the castle and church that sit proudly above the Danube.
Neither site was purported to be worth an interior visit so we wandered the plazas and viewpoints, with Mr. Steves as our guide.
Unfortunately someone nefarious was watching us, and at an opportune moment, whipped Len's Ipad from his bag when he was distracted during a photo opportunity. We only discovered after we left the area that the IPad was missing--and poor Len spent the rest of the day in shock. It was all we could do to pick up our laundry, grab a quick *commismeratory* drink with a couple from the group in, eat a quick dinner back in the "ruin pub"mall and head to bed.
