We had another rocky morning today. I thought we were better international travelers than this, but this trip is keeping us humble. Matt and I worked on city bus passes last night and this morning, we both downloaded the app and it worked for nether of us. And that’s why we hunted for an hour to find a place to buy an elusive €15 24-hour family bus pass, only to give up (after 3 strike outs) and pay full price at our original vending machine. Anyway.
We bussed down to our Big Bus HQ for them to activate our tickets and decided to try our first Hungarian street food, chimney cakes. We got Nutella dipping sauce with them and they were so good and also don’t even ask who had it all over their face, chin, and neck. (it was Matt)
We got onto our hop on hop off bus and they had a tarp roof on and I swear the bus was smaller than normal. I felt so stuffed into my seat!
We rode until Buda Castle and the Chain Bridge.
Then we started our castle ascent.
We offered to let the girls ride the funicular but the lines were so long that they opted to walk.
Budapest is so beautiful. Maybe more beautiful than even Paris or London or Rome. The architecture is amazing, just everywhere you look!
Tongue out 👆🏼 Tongue in 👇🏻
These Easter stands at the top were so adorable, but unfortunately were just selling lunch food.
Photo cred - Adi
We were freezing on the bus! The windows were down and when the bus started going the wind whipped at our faces, so being outside here helped, but we were still on the chilly side.
We were also on the hunt for decently priced lunch since we had a buffet dinner on tap for tonight and wanted to make sure we were good and hungry for that (spoiler - we did it)
I’m trying to get other people to remember to take pictures. It’s going, but not well.
Right at the top of the hill was this huge mansion with still soldiers that we thought maybe were mannequins, but weren’t. Turns out it’s Sandor Palace were the president lives.
There’s the 2 cute guards in their little guard shacks. We got to watch them do their little marching routine and switch stations, so that was pretty cool.
Also, they’re doing a lot of construction to make the castle and surrounding buildings look less Soviet, communist era. At least that’s what we heard when we passed by a tour group.
Then we walked down the cutest little neighborhoods to Fisherman’s Bastian.
The churches here are on point!
Fisherman’s Bastian and alllll the picture takers.
We wanted to get back on our bus but also to eat, so we found a Soar quick service cafeteria style and we each picked a few things and came out to our bus stop to find we’d just missed our bus. So we parked it on this wall and ate overlooking the Danube.
There are so many souvenir shops and we went to exactly one. That will be on tomorrows agenda.
That wet area behind us has ice skating in the winter and we think maybe paddle boat rentals in the summer.
The Cinderella Castle.
Photo credit- D.
Matt did this and then a line of people formed and posed with this guy. 🤣
Out bus was taking a break so we walked through the courtyard and admired the beauty all around.
Matt wanted Delaney to pose with her hood with this statue, but it was pretty high and oddly shaped for a human to shoot him, so I said “I don’t even think she can get up there,” and then like a page from a parenting magazine she said, oh yes I can, and did exactly what Matt wanted. 🤣 she did slide down the lap at one point, but she saved herself.
Is that a little piece of home? George Washington, I see!
We just missed our bus again, but decided to wait the 20 minutes (that turned into an hour) on the bus that was there and get the good seats up front. Photo bomb!
Photo cred - Frankie.
The front seats are so fun!
Their little trams are so cute!
We rode to stop 18 and our pass ended at 5:00 so we’d have had to get off in 2 stops anyway. And we check out Margaret Island.
It’s like central park but island style. There’s a nice exercise loop around the island and tons of runners and cyclists and dog walkers. There’s green spaces, exercise parks, a pool, sports fields, restaurants, and this cute area with carnival rides and concert venues.
So very cute!
The Parliament is huge and gorgeous!
Photo cred - Adi
We took 2 trams to our dinner cruise and got all situated.
We got a buffet dinner cruise with traditional Hungarian music and dancing.
It was a splurge but it was also a cruise, dinner, and a show, so we splurged.
And it was lovely - the food was good, the music and dancers were fun and Budapest at night might even be prettier then during the day.
But also, just to keep it real, they nickel and dimed the whole evening and I don’t like the way that feels. Drinks, including water were not included, which we knew after I bought the tickets and before we ordered drinks. They charged a service fee to our drink bill, which I assume was a gratuity and then hovered while their machine asked for another gratuity, which we paid and is sort of fine? Then the musicians came around and solicited gratuities, then the dancers. It felt a little much for something that was already spendy. But also, I think maybe I’m kind of cheap. 🤷♀️
Anyways, we had fun and tipped with our American dollars and the last of our euros because we were caught off guard and still haven’t taken out any Hungarian cash.
And the buffet dinner was fun to get to taste everything, which was all very tasty.
I especailly liked the vegetable cake and sauce, the cabbage, cucumber salad with sour cream dressing, and the pasta with Hungarian stew meat.
Photo cred - Adi
They might have solicited for tips, but they did a good job of including everyone and making it fun.
And the girl danced with this wine jug on her head, so that was cool.
Matt whispered after they left that that bottle has now been on everyone’s head, cool cool. We have a (very) few bites and anytime we stay in airbnbs the thought of bedbugs is somehwhere in the back of my head. I’m sure it’s fine. 😬
Trust Matt to do the best pose.
Frankie got a little sun and also was cracking up from embarrassment. 🤣
Idk
Frankie’s new picture faces are killing me. 🤣
Our costly serenade. 🤣
It was fun and unique and I’m glad we did it and will be prepared if we do it again with the proper denominations and country’s currency.
Also one of our bidders was the cutest older man that just won my heart. His English wasn’t great, but he asked where we were from and got so excited. He knew we were on the east coast and said the US is his favorite country and started listing places - 4 corners, Central Park, Maine, chicage, the Rocky Mountains. I asked if he’d been to those places and he sheepishly said just to NY. He’d come by and talk to us about different places every few minutes. He knew about Washington DC and Washington state and chief Seattle and Forks and Twilight when we told him we were from Seattle originally. Anyways, he was adorable so we tipped him with our euros too.
Adi mapped our way home and really wanted to check out their subway which I was apprehensive about but ended up being the cleanest and nicest subway I’ve ever been on.
Then when we got home they wanted to bust into our giant kinder egg.
Which they literally did bust into it.
It also had a giant toy inside, a Batman car that D put together. I guess it’s the Batmobile now that I’m thinking about it. 🤣
We ended our 13 hour day with showers and beds and full tummies.
We rode to stop 18 and our pass ended at 5:00 so we’d have had to get off in 2 stops anyway. And we check out Margaret Island. 
Adi mapped our way home and really wanted to check out their subway which I was apprehensive about but ended up being the cleanest and nicest subway I’ve ever been on. 
Then when we got home they wanted to bust into our giant kinder egg. 
Which they literally did bust into it. 
It also had a giant toy inside, a Batman car that D put together. I guess it’s the Batmobile now that I’m thinking about it. 🤣
We ended our 13 hour day with showers and beds and full tummies. 
