We enjoyed the first weekend of May visiting Budapest (map), which is the capital city of Hungary. Budapest is a huge modern European city that has been around since Roman times and is centered around the Danube River. The river actually splits the city into two separate cities (Buda on the West bank and Pest on the right bank). Famous sites include the Buda Castle and the Chain Bridge, which crosses the Danube, along with plenty of old statues and interesting architecture.

The Danube River and Chain Bridge in Budapest

Highlights for us included walking along the Danube, having a drink in a few of the city’s many open squares (always a great place for people watching), walking up to the Buda Castle for a great view over the city, and seeing all the old architecture and sculptures that seem to be everywhere. Many (seemingly all) of the old stone buildings have gargoyles and various human faces built right into them, which certainly gives them a personality of sorts.

We also enjoyed a couple of very nice dinners out - once to a restaurant called Rezkakas Vendeglo, famous for it’s authentic Hungarian cuisine and live string music (one guy also played the saw.. check the pics!), and the second night we dined at a place called the Columbus Pub, which is a floating restaurant on the Danube where they had a live jazz band show.

Lastly, I should mention our visit to the Great Market Hall, which is a huge multi-floored building full of market stalls, where you can buy nearly anything. Interesting items included, Hungarian paprika, hand-cut crystal, any kind of meats imaginable, pastries galore, fur pelts, linens, and strange political Matryoshka dolls (Russian nested dolls). We picked up a great set of multi-colored crystal wine goblets, which we’ve been enjoying back in Geneva

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