For our last day in Budapest, we set out for a restaurant that was less than two blocks from our hotel and we ordered the Hungarian breakfast - eggs with bacon and paprika, toast, juice, coffee and a garnish of fresh vegetables. Very tasty and reasonably priced.
We then got on the hop on hop off bus and rode to the funicular - but the line had over 100 people waiting to ride, so we hiked up Buda Hill for a second time. On Monday, we met a couple on the bus - he was 77 years old, his wife 73. He did not take the easy paved path we did - our path went back and forth across the side of the hill and made for an easy walk up the hill. The 77 year old took a short cut up the hill. Today, we decided to take the short cut - when I got to the top of the hill, I took this photo of Harry coming up behind me.
While photos are not allowed in the museum, we went up to the dome and took pictures there.
After spending about four hours in the museum, we went outside and shared a pizza for lunch with a nice cold beer at the outside cafe. We then walked to the other side of Buda Hill and then down on one side to the Hospital in the Rock. This started as the headquarters for their civil defense in the 1930s, but then was used as a hospital during the siege of Budapest during WWII, and then during the Soviet era, it was expanded and used as nuclear bomb shelter with its own air and water systems. It is more than a kilometer deep into the hill and took an hour to tour. The photos only show the entrance.
We later met Sara and Leonora (one of the Hungarians at Angloville; she works for British Telecom and needs better English for communicating with co-workers). We met at Kalvin Ter (Calvin Square) at Calvin Bistro where Harry and I had been a couple of days before.
Leonora has made reservations for us at the If Cafe - it is named after the Island of If (just off Marseille, France) which is where the Castle d'If is located and which was made famous by the story of the Count of Monte Cristo.
After dinner, we said our goodbyes, and Harry and I took the Metro headed home. At the train station, we saw the first crowd outside the Migration Aid office - upon close inspection, this appeared to be a party for those who had volunteered and helped with the refugees who had passed through Budapest.
We then went back to our hotel for our last night. I said goodbye to Harry, as his taxi would be at 4:00 a.m. and mine was not until 10:00 a.m. On Wednesday morning, I discovered that I had the same taxi driver as Harry (we had the bell captain make the taxi reservations upon our return to the hotel). I chatted with the driver and found out that he had been in the Hungarian military and had served in what was then East Germany from age 19 - 21, 1969 to 1971. I told him about my time in West Germany 1967 to 1970. He spoke Hungarian, Russian, German and English. We had a pleasant chat about our common experience in the military during the cold war.
And so my trip ended with pleasant flights in Business Class on Lufthansa from Budapest to Munich and on to Boston for a visit with my sister and her family, and a quick trip to Vermont for meetings related to my classes at JSC and VTC. I hope future trips will be as enjoyable as this was.
We then got on the hop on hop off bus and rode to the funicular - but the line had over 100 people waiting to ride, so we hiked up Buda Hill for a second time. On Monday, we met a couple on the bus - he was 77 years old, his wife 73. He did not take the easy paved path we did - our path went back and forth across the side of the hill and made for an easy walk up the hill. The 77 year old took a short cut up the hill. Today, we decided to take the short cut - when I got to the top of the hill, I took this photo of Harry coming up behind me.
Once at the top, we went in the opposite direction from Monday and went into the former Buda Castle which is now the National Museum of Art.
While photos are not allowed in the museum, we went up to the dome and took pictures there.
After spending about four hours in the museum, we went outside and shared a pizza for lunch with a nice cold beer at the outside cafe. We then walked to the other side of Buda Hill and then down on one side to the Hospital in the Rock. This started as the headquarters for their civil defense in the 1930s, but then was used as a hospital during the siege of Budapest during WWII, and then during the Soviet era, it was expanded and used as nuclear bomb shelter with its own air and water systems. It is more than a kilometer deep into the hill and took an hour to tour. The photos only show the entrance.
We later met Sara and Leonora (one of the Hungarians at Angloville; she works for British Telecom and needs better English for communicating with co-workers). We met at Kalvin Ter (Calvin Square) at Calvin Bistro where Harry and I had been a couple of days before.
Leonora has made reservations for us at the If Cafe - it is named after the Island of If (just off Marseille, France) which is where the Castle d'If is located and which was made famous by the story of the Count of Monte Cristo.
If Cafe has live music. Here is a video of the band warming up. We did not stay for the show, as there was an additional cost, but the band setting up and warming up gave us music for most of our time there.
We then went back to our hotel for our last night. I said goodbye to Harry, as his taxi would be at 4:00 a.m. and mine was not until 10:00 a.m. On Wednesday morning, I discovered that I had the same taxi driver as Harry (we had the bell captain make the taxi reservations upon our return to the hotel). I chatted with the driver and found out that he had been in the Hungarian military and had served in what was then East Germany from age 19 - 21, 1969 to 1971. I told him about my time in West Germany 1967 to 1970. He spoke Hungarian, Russian, German and English. We had a pleasant chat about our common experience in the military during the cold war.
And so my trip ended with pleasant flights in Business Class on Lufthansa from Budapest to Munich and on to Boston for a visit with my sister and her family, and a quick trip to Vermont for meetings related to my classes at JSC and VTC. I hope future trips will be as enjoyable as this was.
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