Journey 11B1: The Three Capitals ... Budapest1

Dates -- July 18-21, 2016

Cap 'n Baldy here!

   As I now begin our account of our actual experiences in The Three Capitals, we have immediately returned from Europe and are understandably THRASHED! However, this is a very good thrash since our European adventure has been a most memorable and satisfying one!

  And so ... to BUDAPEST ...

The National Flag of Hungary

 

    Now here this! It's because I love you that I must educate you now on one important FACT about Budapest! Budapest is NOT pronounced BudaPEST with PEST pronounced as in reference to rats, termites or obnoxious people! PEST in Budapest is pronounced PESHT! Now that we are clear about that fact, we can proceed on our itinerary...

 

    After a 6,100 mile overnight flight from San Francisco via Frankfurt, we gratefully approach our landing at Budapest. A long Economy Class flight is never comfortable but Lufthansa is a very good airline and our in-flight  needs are well taken care of  aboard the huge Airbus A380, largest passenger aircraft in the skies...

 Our first view of Budapest ... we are sitting on a wood bench by the Danube, utterly exhausted from a sleepless night of flying. We learn that Budapest was not a unified city until 1873 when a bridge was built over the Danube and the towns of Buda, Pest and Obuda (Old Buda) joined to form a city that now has 1.8 million inhabitants ...

    Our MCI Tour Manager, Jared Fuerst... this magnificent guy meets us at Budapest Airport and stays with us 24/7 until we are safely checked in for our homeward flights at the end of our tour! He takes care of ALL the details and keeps us informed every step of the way! An affable Austrian, he speaks excellent English and is a very pleasant person to be around ...

    While waiting for our ride to our hotel, we spot this little dude wearing a tee shirt entitled "I'm the BOSS!" ... he is indeed!

 

 Hotel Budapest City, Vigszinhaz Utca 3, 1137 Budapest, Hungary

 

    Our hotel is the NH Budapest City ... modern in every way ... rooms are spotless and restful...the breakfast buffet, laden with fresh fruits, eggs, fresh breads, cheeses and cereals, is jaw-dropping! Oh, as to my packing a roll of toilet paper, that was a stupid idea ... the toilets everywhere here are of standard design and easy to use...toilet paper is always in ample supply!

   A word on coffee ... as I am a "coffee enthusiast" to put it mildly ... my blog entries will always have a word or two on coffee! Push a button on a machine, the beans are instantly ground and in a few seconds out comes your coffee. It's a small amount ... Espresso ... smoothly delicious and a potent force to be recognized!

 

    Our first group dinner at our Budapest Hotel ... fixed menu ... three-course... roast pork with savory sauce, crisp potato cones, vegetables al dente ... the national spice is paprika ... dessert is caramel-apple tart with whipped cream! It is luscious! So is the night's sleep that follows!

 

 

    Our Budapest City Tour guide is Gabor ... a most gracious host with an immense knowledge of Hungarian history ... he speaks very good English in a rich Hungarian accent reminiscent of the Count on Sesame Street ... possesses a dry sense of humor! Our tour-mate Carol Yuiska has her camera ready...

 

   We learn that Hungary, now with a population of 10 million inhabitants, has a grand and tormented history. Founded as a nation in the late 9th century under Grand Prince Arpad and Christianized under King Stephen I around 1000 A.D., the nation was overrun by the Mongols under Genghis Kahn, languished under the Ottoman Turks for 120 years, absorbed into the Austro-Hungarian Empire and lost much of its territory in the abrupt dissolution of that empire at the conclusion of World War 1. Hungary suffered greatly under the Nazis and then under the Soviets for 45 years. Gabor says, of that period, that Hungary "exchanged one devil for another".

 

    We climb Royal Castle Hill, after crossing the Danube, climb to the top of Fisherman's Bastion for awe-inspiring views of the city and river below us ... 

 

    There's more on our next post...have a look!

 

     Affectionately,

 

 

     Baldy aka Bob