Leaving lovely Ljubljana was difficult but we had to be on our way. It turned out to be one of our harder travel days all together. It was pouring rain when we left our place to walk out of the no-car zone to find a taxi to the train station. We grabbed a panini at a crappy restaurant in the station and were admonished for taking our plates out of the restaurant onto the platform. Then the actual travel began.

Our first train had mechanical issues and we switched to another train. We then had to get on a bus to bypass track work and then get back on a train to get to Vienna. There, we barely made our final train to Budapest. They actually held the train up to wait for us (and the other passengers). And last, we took a subway ride to our neighborhood. If we hadn't already been traveling for several months, the 8+ hours would have seemed like a nightmare but it's just how it goes sometimes. One thing that did really suck was Melissa coming down with a cold as the day wore on.

The view from our place and the only thing Melissa saw of Budapest for a few days.

Budapest was a bit of a strange stop for us. We were there for ten days but MJ was basically bedridden for the first three. Even after the first few days, having a bad head cold isn't exactly conducive to wandering around for six hours a day in 90 degree heat. She was a trooper though and we still saw a fair amount of the city.

It was really hot for most of our time there, so we often found ourselves near the Danube River (which isn't really blue as the classical piece would have us believe). There are plenty of areas to hang out and eat and drink along the waterway that splits the city in two. Fun fact - the west side is Buda, the east side Pest - hence the name Budapest. There are also many bridges that span the River. One in particular is currently closed to traffic so groups of people would bring bottles of wine and beer and watch the sun set behind the Castle District, which dominates the view on the northwest side of the city.

Let's hang out and drink then walk up the curves of the bridge!

Budapest is known as a city that is very beautifully lit at night.

The Castle District is home to, you guessed it, castles. There is an old, walled town on top of the hill and some fantastic viewpoints. It's also home to a short, animated film about the history of Budapest. In 3-D nonetheless! Located in a tower basement, it didn't seem like a very popular attraction but it was air conditioned and a nice little learning experience about the Magyar, the indigenous people of Hungary. Buda Castle sits at the south end of the hill but we didn't go in, just walked around it enjoying the grounds and the view.

Heading even further south, another hill ascends steeply from the riverbank. Atop this hill rests the Citadel and several large sculptures, including the Liberty Statue. Perched on the top of a 27 meter tall plinth and holding a palm leaf above her head, it is a monument to the Soviet liberation of Hungary from the Germans during WWII. Hungary would have a, let's say, “falling out” with the Soviets in subsequent decades.

There are churches in the Castle District as well.

The Liberty Statue is on the left. Some dude fighting a gryphon(?) on the right.

Another piece of history that we toured was the Hungarian Parliament Building - the biggest building in Hungary, the tallest in Budapest, and one of the largest parliaments in the world. There is an impressive amount of intricate statuary, stained-glass windows, carvings, and architectural wonders. It is so detailed and massive that a full time staff of around 300 artisans and craftspeople continually clean and maintain the building, from fixing roof tiles to reupholstering the chairs. There was a large red star affixed to the top of the dome until the Soviet withdrawal from the region in 1990-91.

This is a large building. There is a very good museum in the basement explaining various aspects of how it was constructed.

The interior is just as detailed and beautiful as the exterior.

Our spacious apartment was located on the Pest side near the Jewish quarter. This was the location of the last Jewish Ghetto during WWII and currently home to the second largest synagogue in the world. It is another beautifully detailed building and home to a pipe organ that must be played from outside the building by a non-Jew who volunteers to play. This is due to some Jewish dogma pertaining to Shabbat.

To continue our cultural experience of Budapest, we attended an outdoor symphony at Vajdahunyad Castle. It was a very nice evening for music and wine. We brought the average viewer age down a few years. There was also a really dark and brooding statue there called Anonymous. Sorry, didn't get a picture of it so you will have to take my word for it.

This is only the second synagogue I've ever been in and Melissa's first. We did not know that men and women must sit apart.

The Emanual Tree memorial has the names of Hungarian Jews killed in the Holocaust inscribed on each leaf.

Hanging with the old heads, listening to Mozart.

For funsies one day, we took the tram to Margit Island in the Danube and rode around in a two person bike/car thing. It only had one gear which kept the top speed to about 4 mph. It was more work than it was worth but we saw the whole island and ate some gelato.

Our beer consumption was cut back a little due to illness but we still had a few good brews. Hopaholics and Jonas Craft Beer House are two places that stick out as having tasty beverages. Jonas’ is a very popular spot with outdoor seating right on the river. The Euro Cup final was on one night and we drank average beer at an average outdoor beer garden near our place. Nothing to write home (or in a blog) about.

That's our little maple leaf car. Melissa thought I was going to crash us several times. I did not.

One of many outdoor gathering places to watch the Euro Cup and drink.

Hungarian food is OK for the most part. Beef goulash is pretty tasty. In the Jewish quarter one day, we had some sour cherry soup that was delicious. Being in an apartment with a kitchen, we were more likely to eat in than not. Evidently, Budapest is known for pastry chefs rivaling those found in Paris (which is amazing by the way). There was a pastry shop right across the street from our place and we enjoyed 50¢ pieces of awesome cake a few times.

There is a plethora of interesting, unique architecture and crenellations throughout Budapest but a lot of areas around the city are badly in need of repair. There was a lot of exposed brick where painted plaster had fallen off and whole buildings where half the concrete window sills were missing. After visiting place like Paris and Ljubljana, where these things seemed to be well taken care of, it was a reminder that some places in this part of Europe have not completely recovered from decades of hardship.

Some buildings have an excuse, like this one riddled with bullet holes.

It was nice to settle into a place for more than a few days and Budapest was a good place to do just that. We were lucky that Melissa had time to recover before we moved on once more, this time for a much longer stay in a city I have been looking forward to visiting for a long time - Prague.