Budapest...so much to see!!!

Where do I begin!!?? When I last wrote we were settling in with Kyle and Lynnette and getting ready for our first taste of Budapest! On Sunday we took several forms of transit (train, tram, funicular!) to get ourselves to Castle Hill which is on the Buda side of Budapest (for those of you who don't know it is split into two sides Buda and Pest by the Danube River). We had some pretty spectacular views over the river to Pest! After that we made our way over the Chain Bridge to the Pest side to a very excellent Spring Market...our trip coincides with the annual Spring festival! SO we were lucky enough to take in some great (and very odd) music...excellent pottery, crafts...and some tasty food. Our favourite new treat is called Kurtaskolach (don't know the spelling) which is a sweet dough rolled onto a cylindrical piece of wood and cooked over a fire....then it is sprinkled with your choice of cinnamon....walnuts....or vanilla sugar...so yummy! We then walked around the immediate area...down Vaci Utca, which is the main shopping touristy stretch in search of a good cafe! Eventually we met up with Kyle, grabbed some dinner and walked down by the river to catch a glimpse of Budapest at night....well worth it! After a stroll back to the car, we drove up to the citadel above the city for some beautiful night views.

On Monday, Rav and I decided to test our knowledge of the Budapest transit system. We went out to a town about 40 mins. northish of Budapest called Szentendre (which is on the Danube Bend). I had images of us floating serenely down the river, gazing at all the 'Bend-like' scenery I was expecting to see! Nothing like a little rain and it being March to burst my bubble! We took the train/subway to get out there....and back as well when we found out that....no, sorry...no boats at this time of year. Maybe next time! Szentendre was a really lovely little town with a Mediterranean vibe. Being one of three tourists there that day made it pretty easy to get around! We really made the food our focus as we dodged the raindrops to get prime seats in the Marzipan Cafe! We made our way back to Budapest and checked out the Grand Market Hall which is full of everything Hungarian, from ritzy tableclothes...to lots of sausages! After delicately handling the transit system once again, we made it home to a delicious dinner of lesco (a mixture of Hungarian sweet peppers, onions, tomatoes, and sausages) made by Lynnette. Then we watched a movie about the 1956 Hungarian uprising...so interesting...and a great precursor to some of the history we hope to look into on Tuesday...until then :)