A weekend in Budapest

This past weekend we decided to take a last minute trip to Budapest.  We had tossed around the idea of going to Budapest quite a few times over the past few months, but never made the trip.  Now, as the weeks quickly fly by, and our time in Vienna is almost over, we took the "now or never" approach.  On Saturday morning we caught the 8am train and arrived in Budapest at 11am!

The train ride went smoothly and upon arriving in Budapest we took a cab to the apartment we had rented for the weekend.  Our initial impression of Budapest was that it is still recovering from being a city that was controlled by the Nazis and then ruled by the Communists.  At the same time, there are lots of funky galleries, cafes, and street fairs, around every corner.  Tourists and Hungarians alike loved Hersh and many took his picture.

On Saturday we visit the main square and saw St. Iztvan's Cathedral.  We then went back to the apartment for Hersh to nap.  At that point the food poisoning set in, and Jacob and I both proceeded to get very ill.  Fortunately, the worst of it did not hit us at the same time, so we were able to manage.  We made it through the rest of the day, put Hersh to bed, and waited it out.  It was pretty intense, but when we woke on Sunday, we were feeling well enough to move forward and enjoy our day in the city.

We visited the synagogue, which is the 2nd largest in the world, with a capacity of 3000.  We then went up the hill to Buda and enjoyed the view of Pest.  On Monday we woke and visited the baths that are located in the park.  It was a strange experience at first, being that "baby time" coincides with the over 65 population.  But, this also meant that we missed out having to deal with all of the tourists, who were arriving at the baths just as we were leaving.  We had a delightful lunch at the historic Cafe Gundel and then caught the train home.

Overall, I would say that although the trip had a few bumps, we are really glad that we went and saw Budapest.  We are also constantly impressed by Hersh--he is flexible and friendly, inquisitive and always willing to try something new.  What a little love!

Fun on the train.

Watching the world pass by.

St. Iztvan's Cathedral

Jacob's long lost twin.

Hipster Hersh.

This is where the tourists took pictures of Hersh.

The Opera House.

The Kaczinski Synagogue.

Sunday morning stroll--not feelin' great.

Exploring the lights in the ground.

Lovin' life.

The Grand/Dohany Street Synagogue.

View of Pest from Buda.

Walking around Buda.

Family!

 

Chasing Hershel.

Going home.

Silly.

Sleepy.