Budapest Trip

During the holidays, we went to Budapest, Hungary.  We did a home exchange online and switched apartments with another family.  So, we packed up our backpacks and kids and took the train to Budapest. Dan & I have both been to Budapest before about 12 years ago.  We really enjoyed the city and thought it might be nice to go for the weekend during the holidays.

It was about a 3 hour train ride to Budapest and the kids did great.  They're a bit obsessed with trains so generally any train experience seems like a very exciting adventure to them.  And it was definitely an adventure.  We realized early on that Budapest is not stroller friendly.  There are no elevators to the underground metros - you have to use the escalators.  Generally, I avoid the escalators as much as possible with a stroller and these were even worse because they were fast.  Seriously - they moved zippy.  We survived and arrived safely at our apartment for the weekend.  The location could not have been better.  It was in the heart of downtown, right around the corner from the Christmas market and above a McDonald's!  The kids were thrilled.

We were also a couple doors down from a TGIFridays.  While this is not my favorite restaurant in the States - there was something rather magical about our dining experience there. It really felt like we walked into a vortex that took us back to America for one meal.  First off - Calvin & Christian had fallen asleep in the stroller, so we were two kids down.  (This was the making for a perfect meal no matter where we ate!)  Upon our arrival the kids were given balloons, coloring pages and crayons.  We had English menus with things like onion rings and potato skins in them and best of all... I ordered a real American-tasting Cheeseburger and my memory is a little foggy on this point, but I think my Coca Cola even had ice!

We also took advantage of being so close to the Christmas markets.  From what I've experienced, I really like Hungarian food.  We had some fantastic dishes.  One thing that we loved was this bread loaf roll (I have no idea what the correct name of it is).  It was a roll of bread baked over warm coals then coated in cinnamon sugar.  It was scrumptious!  You can see it here in the plastic wrap.

While we were there - Dan got this hat.  It probably wasn't his first choice style-wise, but he bought it so we could quickly identify him if separated.  Most people here have black hats, so it's almost impossible to spot someone if everyone is bundled up outside.  Having a blue ball on top makes life SO much easier for us.

The kids really liked the treat.

Incidentally, this outing helped me to make a decision.  From here on out - I make hot cocoa at home, put it in a thermos and bring sippy cups for the kids. 

Some pics from our trek around town.  

It was really, really cold.

One thing we did was go to a puppet show. 

We weren't quite sure how this would go, but decided to give it a try... none of us speak Hungarian. 

It was terrific - even in Hungarian.  The kids really enjoyed it.

Add Especially William.  He howled the first 10 minutes.  We had people around us laughing at his enjoyment.  He has a fantastic no-restraint laugh.

They had a lot of puppets from past productions on display

The train station in Budapest... that is not our train.