Saurday, September 22, 2013

Arrived yesterday afternoon after an exhausting trip - 28 hours but with the time change it was a mere 19 en route. I crashed for an hour while Charlie reconnoitered.  He had tried the Argonne Labs "jet lag diet" and refused to succumb to fatigue.  (Just like Air Borne for not getting sick on planes, cherries for sleep, and pixie dust to fly, it only works if one believes.  I ate the same stuff for the three day run-up and was wiped out for lack of sleep.)  Anyway, we made it for a short walk and a delicious dinner (Trattoria Pomo D'Oro) and he was asleep by 8:30.  

So today was really day one.  We woke up refreshed and on Budapest time. As usual, we took a Hop-on, Hop-off bus tour to get the lay of the land, hopping off at the more remote and inaccessible spots. This meant more time in Buda, which is the hilly side. Spent time at the Citadel on Gellert Hill and on Castle hill, a charming area around the National Art Museum and the Fisherman's Castle.

The view from the top of Gellert Hill.                 

Charm

The view from our lunch table, where I dined on the ubiquitous goulash, which was quite good.

Back on the bus -- the view of Parliament from across the Danube

Walked back to the Starlight Suites Hotel, which I would recommend, BTW, knowing pretty much what we want to see and do the rest of the week. Had dinner at a rather disappointing nearby Hungarian bistro.

First impressions:  the people are young, generally fit looking, well-dressed.  I had been thinking more Russian - that dumpy / frumpy stereotype, but no, they're very attractive and about half of them look like someone I know.  Many of the names are familiar too.  Plenty of smokers, but not as bad as most Western European nations.  They say the birth rate is falling, and there are many parks with empty playgrounds, but judging by the number of strollers I think they're gonna turn that around. Traffic is light for a big city, but it's Saturday and I could change my mind about that.

 Walked 16,634 steps today (7.1 miles) which is pretty good for a day spent on a bus