Budapest Christmas 2013

Work over, another farewell, next day off to Budapest.
Easy flight with connections in Munich.

Hotel very nice ( quiet rooms, good showers, extensive breakfast buffet).

view of Pest from Buda over the Danube.

Nice time of year to be away as there are Christmas lights everywhere.

Hotel recommended a restaurant so we found our way there through dodgy streets ( our hotel is in a less fancy part of town). Wonderful food and service a great start to our stay, there was even a man playing the piano accordian.

 

It was foggy all the time we were here so the photos are a bit grey, day one and two we did the hop on hop off bus tours all over the centre city. The old castle was great with lovely views and colourful roof tiles. We did a boat trip on the Danube. We did a walking tour with a communist history theme.

sunshine in Gyor, everything closed.

 

Link to photos 

Christmas eve day everything was shut in Budapest so we got the train to nearby town of Gyor, it was shut. Everything but one cafe where we got lunch then it closed as well.The sun was shining which was a nice change from fog.

Train back and then a massive effort finding somewhere to have dinner. Finally found a nice cafe but it only had a set menu, fortunately they gave me some pumpkin soup and a feta main.

The other had a fish soup that tasted like the sea. A meat dish that was "interesting" and we all gor poppy seed, apple, sponge cake. Then the gave us the bill to which they had added a surcharge double the normal cost.... we should have asked first.

 Also went around the Xmas markets lots of them with mulled wine, strudel and cinnamon swirls. Plus lots of gifts.

Spent a day ice skating in the morning beside a castel.

And at the hot pools in the afternoon. Three large outside pools and lots of indoor ones and saunas with plunge pools the P and B used but not C or me. I had a foot massage and B had a back massage as well. A lovely relaxing day.

 We had booked a meal for Christmas day night, after the last nights cost I checked their website and they were going to charge a set E145 each!!! So we didnt go instead we wandered along the road from  the spa and found a restaurant. We were the only ones there and after we ordered our meal they asked us to move as the table was too small for the platter B and C had ordered. A huge wooden plank arrived with three types of meat and wedges and pickles and all sorts of stuff so much that the two of them couldnt finish it. Lots of local beers and wines and nice apple pie later we paid a tiny amount and tried to give them more in tips.  What a contrast to last night.

Overall we all enjoyed Budapest and it was lovely to have Claire and Blair with us for Christmas.

All too soon it was home time and we headed back to London.