Budapest

Last weekend my friend Ben came back to London to visit me and to take a trip to Budapest with me. Ben came with me when I first moved here and loved our travels so much, he decided to come back! We had a fabulous time and since we travel well together and appreciate the same things, we had a great time exploring the city and eating really great food all weekend!

This is the Basilica of St. Stephen, Budapest's cathedral. It was surrounded by a nice square with a few restaurants. The weather was so nice the whole time we were there!

This is the Chain Bridge, which connects the 2 cities of Buda and Pest. There is a lot of political history between the 2 cities, but suffice it to say they are connected now (by MANY bridges), both physically and politically. This is the view from the top of the Siklo (uphill tram-type thing) we rode to the top of the Buda hills.

This is the Buda side as seen from the middle of the Chain Bridge.

Parliament, on the Pest side of the Danube River

This is one of the cafes in Franz Liszt Square. There were so many pretty cafes there and as a pianist I enjoyed the shout-out to Mr. Liszt and the piano playing coming from the nearby Liszt School of Music.

Budapest is especially beautiful at night. The architecture was amazing and even though it's seemingly a bit simpler than other cities I've visited, I liked it so much because there was a constant style throughout the city and it was never overbearing. Just very pretty.

The roof in the lobby of the Scheznyi (sp??) Baths. If you're from Colorado, think Glenwood Hot Springs. There were several of these baths around the city from different hot springs and we enjoyed an indoor and outdoor soak at these to relax our tired muscles. And I slept so well that night too!!!

Another thing we noticed in Budapest was the pride they took in their city. All of the windows were spotless, silverware was polished even on outdoor patios and everyone was friendly and welcoming. We never had a bad meal and we tried lots of things. If you are ever in Budapest, just remember that you can make a hearty meal on soups alone! Another area we went (but I don't have pictures of...) was Margaret Island which is a 2.5 mile long island in the river between Buda and Pest. It is all park and we had a nice long walk around and through it one afternoon.

It's been awhile!

Hey everyone, sorry it's been awhile since I posted. I guess life has been getting in the way! I have been keeping busy at work, at least busier than I normally am this time of year. And last weekend I had a great time spending time with friends and in the countryside.

Friday night I caught up with my friends Sam and Sarah at their house and slept over in my "old" bedroom (where I stayed when I first moved here) so that we could get up and go shopping Saturday morning. Sarah drove the two of us to Bluewater, which is the biggest shopping center in the UK. There aren't too many American-type malls here, but this is one. The only difference is that it appears out of the middle of nowhere and doesn't have the massive, sprawling shopping centers around the outside of the mall like you would see in the US. But, there was some fantastic shopping! I even got a hat to wear to the Royal Ascot horse race in June...they are more expensive than you would think!

After Sarah brought us back to London (via a long detour because of a closed tunnel), I headed out to a farmhouse in Essex. I rode on a train for about an hour and then took a taxi for 15 minutes to a beautiful farm. It belongs to the parents of a friend of friends and so I hung out with my friends there. The farmhouse was so old and classically English! When you walk in the main door, the flagstones on the floor are sunk in different places and have obviously been there for at least 100 years. We stayed the night and woke up to the sounds of sheep and horses in the barnyard.

This coming weekend I head to Budapest for the bank holiday. My friend Ben is coming from Denver to join me and we are both excited to explore a new place! Everyone have a great Memorial Day/bank holiday weekend and stay tuned next week for pics of Budapest...

Bank Holiday Weekend

This past Monday was a holiday in the UK. So I made the most of my long weekend by catching up on things in London and taking two short trips. Thankfully the weather has been AMAZING since Saturday, including the whole week, so that makes everything easier.

Saturday I had an adventurous bus ride (only because it was much longer than I expected) to IKEA to get a few more things for my kitchen. I also got my hair cut and went to dinner with friends. But that's all boring stuff.

Sunday I made my way to a small town called Winchester, southwest of London. It was in my day trip book and a smaller town than I had visited before. There were a few sights to see and also some beautiful parks and hilly areas that I spent most of my day in.

Monday I went to Hampton Court Palace, which was used quite a lot by Henry VIII and also several monarchs since his time have spent considerable time and energy (and money of course) revamping everything and adding amazing gardens. The weather was so lovely, I wish I could have stayed all day! Plus the lilacs are in bloom everywhere now so it is a lovely sight and smell (when I'm not sneezing or something from all of the pollen flying around!). I came back to London in the afternoon and met up with friends to enjoy the lovely day together.

I have now been on 5 of the 25 day trips that are suggested in my book!!! Where should I go next???

London Eye

The London Eye is a big part of the London skyline. I'm glad I went on it with my friends and enjoyed the views. It wasn't quite all I hoped or dreamed and I'm not sure if it was worth the £14...but I've done it! Enjoy the views!!! :)