Novotel Budapest Congress

... our neighbouring room which had 3 girls travelling together who could not last a day without an argument of differing degrees (this one lasted 1.5 hours). How appealing. Jumped on a bike tour (I think I enjoy these almost as much as audio guides) and weaved our way about the charming town. Krakow suffered no destruction in WWII so everything is original. Of course WWII plays a major part of its history and it was interesting to find out that the Jewish Quarter in fact only house ...

Today we leave Hungary after five absolutely wonderful days...it's been so good. Monday morning started by our Turkish hotel ripping us off $50, so it was always only going to get better. Landing at 6am we had time to kill before check in so we had some Nutella croissants at a cafe across the road from our hostel. The Boomerang Hostel was brilliant. We were advised before booking not to let the name put us off, and contrary to what you're probably thinking now there were ...

... the morning at the Terror House which is a museum about the communism in Hungry. This was really interesting as I didn't know so much about this - I have spent most of my time in these countries learning about the Nazi regime. It was really interesting although quite sad about some of the horrors that have occurred during these times that really weren't all that long ago. After spending a few hours in this museum I then wandered the streets of the ...

... especially compared to the United States Capitol. After Kossuth Square we went to the adjacent Liberty Square. The buildings surounding it were gorgeous. In the center there was a monument to liberty from communisim. The yellow building to the left of the statue in my picture is the United States Embassy. We couldn't get very close to it because it was blocked off. There was an interesting statue in the square in front of the embassy that was in memory ...

... and is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop). I sat in the Cathedral and read the pages when PLF had attended the holy Saturday service in 1934 as a guest of the Mayor of Esztergom "the burghers in their best clothes, the booted and black-clad peasants, the intricately-coifed girls in their coloured skirts and white pleated sleeves paneled with embroidery ... black and white Dominicans, several nuns ... and near the doors a flock of gypsies in clashing hues ... the Archbishop ...

... I assumed we would go to bed once we were through with the formalities at the reception desk and got into our room. But Su Yeon was hungry and wanted to have a dinner somewhere if possible. However, even if in general we were in the historical part of the city, this was nevertheless no downtown, so the receptionist had to think if there was a restaurant around. Eventually he directed us towards one down the street, but he didn't know if at that hour it was still open ...

... to the center of town. There are no private cars, motorcycles or scooters allowed on the island so it is a wonderful pedestrian oasis. The island also has every imagineable recreation venue and is the sports center for the city. There was a long bike loop, jogging paths, soccer fields, clay tennis courts, water polo stadium and at least 15 pools on this 2.5 km long island. There is a magic fountain at the entrance to the island that is choreographed with classical music. Colorful ...

... leave early, you get some of the money back), Bri and I spent 5 hours and 45 minutes! When our hands and feet were complete prunes, we decided it was enough. Today, we hit the rest of the sites in town - the Great Synagogue - the biggest one in the city or something. It was a neat place, especially since I don't think I have ever been in one before. Then we walked to Gellert Hill to see the other baths and the Citadell monument. Then we found a park, where we ...

... has as yet spit back. When looking at Budapest from Buda Hill, you see what has captivated many a visitor throughout the years. The view is amazing. The Danube splits the city in two, and on each side of the river rises architectural treats. I nearly peed myself in ecstasy. Actually, I peed myself a little, just a few drops to be fair, but it was necessary. Our stroll atop the hill would not last long, as fatigue and nightfall slowly crept in. We walked back down and across the Pest side ...

... in this one. Budapest is a much bigger and dirtier city than Ljubljana, but definatley has some nice parts. Visited the old town of Buda yesterday (our hostel is in Pest, the newer town), saw the castle, St Matthais Church and the Fishermans Bastion, and also visited Margrit Island in the middle of the mighty Danube, which is immense! Got some much needed washing done too, so hopefully will have enough clean clothes to last me til we get back now. Was suprised ...