Day
5
We left the hotel early with our bags and walked to the motor coach for the ride to Budapest. It was supposed to be a 4.5 hour trip, but there was a ton of construction and we were way behind schedule. We ended up needing to stop at a different gas station for lunch because the driver needed a break. The good news was it allowed us set foot in Slovakia!
Even with the delay, the drive seemed to go pretty quick. We tried different regional treats, we did interviews with our buddies so we could learn more about each other and Katka gave a great history of Budapest as we got closer to the city.
Because our scheduled local guide had become ill, we were able to enjoy the quirky and kind guide Monika during our time in Budapest. We arrived late due to the construction. While The Group quickly threw our bags into our rooms, Katka and Monika planned a new itinerary (as it was getting dark out). This is one of those moments that everything works out perfectly because we ended up seeing Heroes Square at dusk and it was beautiful. After visiting a few more spots we jumped on the subway to our group dinner at Gerloczy Cafe.
Day
6
The theme for this day was FOOD. After checking out breakfast at the new hotel, we met Monika again for a walking tour of Buda. As she often kindly asked "ladies and gentlemen please follow me" we obliged following her bright umbrella throughout the city, finally making our way to the amazing Parliament building.
She then led us to our cooking class at ChefParade and we said our goodbyes to Monkia for the day. The staff had us each draw out of a bowl what dish we would work on. Anne worked on the Cracking Cream (YES, made from pork cracklings) and Ben helped with the Mushroom Paprikash. It was fun working with the other group members to make our own lunch. We must say, we did an amazing job - one of the best meals of the trip. SPOILER!
As we rolled out of the class, we stopped by St. Stephen's and Katka gave us an orientation for those who wanted to go back to the hotel. Most of the group went with her to check out the Great Market Hall.
Since we had not taken out any money for Budapest yet, we went looking for an exchange but they were both closed! We also needed to use the bathroom, but without change we were kinda stuck. We were able to jump on the tram and get to an ATM at a bank easily. At that point, we were close to the hotel so we went back to the room to freshen up quick.
Within about 30 minutes were were back at our place - The Great Market Hall. We decided a hotel room picnic would make for a perfect dinner so we picked up some sausages, kraut stuffed peppers, fresh cucumbers and a loaf of bread as we walked around the market. Apparently, buying food made us hungry again, and we indulged in a chocolate Lángos.
After rolling back to the hotel, now pro's on the public transit system in Budapest, we ejoyed our picnic dinner before meeting a few members of The Group and Katka in the lobby for our evening cruise. We traveled together to our meeting point with the rest of The Group that stayed out exploring the city and jumped on the boat. This was a fantastic adventure (we sat outside!) and a great way to view the city. We were invited to go out with some of The Group for a drink, but decided to just have a nightcap at the hotel bar and returned to our room for a good nights sleep.
What we learned Being late can work out When you want to see sites in Budapest head toward Mexico It's much easier to know where you are going in Budapest You can buy beer at McDonalds Ben admitted he likes going to the Theater (??)
What we learned Always take the seats out in the cold When in doubt add more cracklings Bring a small tote bag for shopping Might be worth it to bring some currency with you from the states - it was stressful not having cash for bathrooms Hotel room picnics are the best