Budapest

We had two days to explore the city of Budapest, Hungary.  It was not nearly enough time to discover this beautiful, fascinating city.

The first place they took us was to Heroes' Square.  On the square we saw the Millennial Monument, which was conceived in 1895 as a national monument to the country's heroes.  In the center is the Millennial Column which features a statue of the archangel Gabriel.  In his right hand the angel holds a golden crown.  According to legend, Gabriel appeared to St. Stephen in a dream, offering him the crown of Hungary.  In his left hand he holds a double barred apostolic cross.

At the base of the column are statues of seven statues on horses, depicting the seven Magyar chieftains who settled their people in the area now known as Hungary.  In my opinion, they are magnificent.

This is the actual view from our hotel window in Budapest with the Danube River in the foreground.

The oldest bridge to cross the Danube River in Budapest is the Chain Bridge, a suspension bridge that opened in 1849.  The bridge connects the Buda side of the city to the Pest side.  Originally, they were two separate cities which were joined to become Budapest.

I was especially intrigued by the stone lions guarding both ends of the bridge.

This is the Hungarian Parliament building, set along the Danube River.

The Parliament Building is on the Pest side of the river…

While the Royal Palace is on the Buda side.

We spent an afternoon in the Castle District, which is quite beautiful.  It's on a hill overlooking the Danube River and the Pest side of Budapest.  I took so many photos here…

Yes, Budapest is magnificent.  This is just a portion of the photos I took.  I will be posting more in the days to come.

Our Journey to Eastern Europe

What a fascinating journey it was!  We visited Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania.  We saw so much and learned so much, and came away with a greater understanding of the world.

This is my husband and myself in Budapest, the first city we visited.

But let me go back to the beginning.  We left on Friday, March 28th.  First we flew from the Cincinnati Airport (which is actually in Kentucky) to Dulles Airport near Washington, DC.  Then we flew from Dulles to Vienna, Austria on Austrian Air (operated by Tyrolean Airways).  That flight was eight hours and 55 minutes and was very pleasant.  I was happily impressed by Austrian Air.  It was a beautiful, new, clean and comfortable plane.  The attendants were impeccably dressed and very pleasant and helpful.  Even the food was good!

Finally, we had a short flight from Vienna to Budapest.  When we arrived in Budapest we were greeted by a guide from our cruise line.  (We were booked on a river cruise along the Danube River from Budapest to Bucharest.)  We went on a city tour of Budapest, where the above photo was taken.  Here are more of the pictures I took that afternoon.

It is a beautiful city and this is just a taste.  I have many more photos to post, from many more fascinating places.  I will talk more about it too, when I have recovered from jet lag and flight fatigue a bit more.  

We're Home!

Tuesday morning I woke up at 2:30 am, stumbled downstairs (actually I took the elevator) in this hotel in Bucharest, Romania.

We had a flight at 6:05 am from Bucharest to Frankfurt, Germany.  We then waited a few hours at the Frankfurt airport, where we waited, receiving multiple texts announcing flight delays and gate changes. (It's a good think I had my phone with me.)

The flight from Frankfort to Newark, New Jersey was eight and a half hours long.  I slept through part of it, but not enough.  When we arrived in Newark we had to go through a series of lines, having our passports and bags checked, then going through customs and finally the security line.  By then, I was feeling the lack of sleep as well as the meds I had taken to try to sleep.

In Newark, we waited.  And waited.  And waited.  Our flight finally took off, four hours late.  Two hours after that we were finally home.  I tried to watch the season finale of "Justified" but slept through the whole thing.  I slept all night and here I am!

The journey home wasn't so much fun, but the trip itself was wonderful!  As soon as I have a chance to unpack my camera and find the proper cord, I will upload my photos and show you some highlights.  In the meantime another cup of coffee is in order!

Catching Up..,

I have not had Internet all along the way but we are in range at the moment.

We have been in Romania and are now in Bulgaria; Romania tomorrow.  Seeing and learning so much!  This part of the world has been through so much, it's fascinating to meet so many people.

I have many photos I will post when we get home.

Eastern Europe

We have visited Budapest in Hungary and Vucovar in Croatia, and are now on our way to Belgrade, Serbia.
It has all been very interesting, inspiring and educational, getting to know about another part of the world, the people and the history.  I am going to study more about it when we get home.