Our first stop was Budapest. We loved Budapest. I can say that I was the most impressed with this city and to me, it rivals the beauty of Paris. Everything about it was great. First, the B&B we stayed in was the best B&B we have ever stayed in. If any of you ever go to Budapest, please visit http://www.kapitalinn.com/ and book it. I am telling you, you will not be disappointed. I am a bit in love with the couple that owns the place (2 guys that are the nicest men in the world) and am considering going back just to hang out with them. Here I am forcing them to take a picture with me:
Budapest was severely damaged in WWII and the population is still adjusting to changes since the fall of Communism. Currently they are rebuilding the city and to me it seemed like they were making great efforts to retain the old facades while gutting interiors. We loved the energy of the city. There are so many fun, trendy restaurants and little shops to stop into. To us it felt a little like NYC in some areas. Although there are a lot of new places, it still didn't feel too "Americanized" like many of the big European cities do. We didn't see a Starbucks or a McDonalds during our walks, which was nice.
Night 1 we arrived and headed out to see the city all lit up and it took our breath away. The Danube cuts the city in half between Buda and Pest and they light the buildings up at night along the river. I added pics of the Buda Palace and the Chain Bridge at night.
Day 2 we walked around on the Pest side of the river and began our day at St. Stephen's Church. It is the largest church in Hungary and took over 50 years to complete. It survived WWII and in fact, important artworks were brought here during the war in order to protect them. However, the best part of the church is the hand. What hand you say? Ohhh... they have the preserved right hand of King Stephen, Hungary's first Christian king that died in 1038, in a light up case in the Chapel of the Holy Right. No joke. It's a hand that's pushing a thousand years old. Some pics of the church and the hand...
Next we headed towards the Parliament, which we were hoping to tour. However, because we got a late start we missed the tour time. The outside itself is worth a visit though. 
It is a huge Gothic building right on the river built in 1902. I imagine the inside is as ornate as the outside. Cassidy and I then walked south along the Danube (which is not blue, by the way) when we saw a bunch of shoes along the promenade. When we got closer we realized there were not real shoes, but permanent. I took a picture not knowing what they symolized, but understanding it probably was not a positive thing since they were facing the river. I asked Albert and he explained to me that it is a memorial for Jewish people in Budapest who, during WWII, were shot at the river's edge and fell into the water... it was chilling to know that and then look at the picture again. 
However, further down the Danube we got our first view of the palace and the Chain bridge during the day. Legend has it that the man who sculpted the lions on the bridge drowned himself in the river out of shame because he forgot to sculpt tongues on the lions. 
Day 3 had took us to the Buda side of the river. This was also our first of mainy rainy days. The sun did make an appearance in the afternoon and we set out on our adventure for the day. The Buda side has a whole area known as Castle Hill, which has been named a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. It consists of the Royal Palace, which now houses several museums, and the Castle District, which is a medieval neighborhood with cobblestone lanes and cute little buildings. To get up the hill you can take a funicular or walk up...we opted for the funicular. It's about the experience, right? 
We didn't actually go in any of the museums since we were pressed for time, but we spent a few hours wandering and taking pictures from high on the hill of the Danube below. It was absolutely beautiful. The first picture below is the Chain Bridge with the Four Seasons Gresham Palce behind it and behind that you can see St. Stephen's Church. The next picture is the Parliament as seen from Buda...huge, isn't it? 
Some other pictures are just from us walking around and taking snaps in the Castle District. The one were I look a bit confused is because I am standing in front of a home that Frommers told us is one of the most photographed buildings in the district. We couldn't figure out why, but we took the picture anyway. Perhaps it's the most photographed because it's the most unremarkable building that managed to get a write up in a travel book? 
Finally, on our way back to the B&B we passed this gem. Who knew that Colombo had such a following in Budapest?
When it came time to leave, we were sad to be leaving a city that we enjoyed so much and hosts that we loved, but we were really looking forward to our next stop - Vienna! To wrap up, here are random pics of us during our days in Budapest!
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