European Adventure: Day Ten - Budapest. Hungary

Waking up Thursday I felt so terrible. It was a struggle to get ready and everything else packed and loaded. As I took my final load down from the room the housekeeping staff started throwing questions at me in Hungarian. I tried to communicate I didn't understand and that I was sorry, and their result was to laugh at me. Such a classy place that Club Dobogomajor was. At check out we were not allowed to leave until someone went and checked we had not stolen things from the room. Cause you know everyone must be coveting the outdated TV, drying rack or the 10 year old phone. 

Sorry, that timeshare isn't a place I am in a rush to return to. 

We met at the same cafe as the day before to have a final goodbye breakfast with Iva and Ivan. I loved spending time with them on this trip, and hope Iva visits Canada soon. She was a lot of fun! (Sadly, the hot chocolate wasn't as good that morning) 

We made our final drive into Budapest with Dad listening to the Audio book once again. I didn't mind and Brian was half asleep in the back. We initially were staying one more night at the timeshare, but since we had a train the next day and had to return the rental car to the airport we decided to come in a day early. Then on one of our walks we found a Hertz at the Marriott and Dad arranged to move the drop off location there instead. The airport was such a hassle and not something we wanted to repeat. Since Hertz was right at the Marriott, that is the hotel I choose for our final night in Budapest, and what a great choice I made. The hotel was right on the Danube with all rooms facing the water. The rooms were large, had an incredible shower, a super comfortable bed, an awesome view and had air conditioning. The trip is far from over but my prediction is that that hotel will be the best of the trip. 

I was feeling worse by the time we checked in but was being stubborn and not wanting to waste my last day. So we got a cab and headed over to the Parliament Building. I had wanted to try and do a tour, and we got there just in time to get 3 or the remaining 4 tickets. We had an hour wait so we walked across to an awful cafe. This place was disorganised, being used as both a cafe and flower shop and the staff were rude. The server spilt some of Brian's diet coke on him and the table and just shrugged and walked away. When I was waiting for the washroom I had a German man mistake me for the attendant and get mad that I wouldn't let him pay. That was an odd experience that may have been funny had the man not gotten so miserable.

The tour began with us passing through security - our bags were X-rayed and we were sent through metal detectors. The whole tour was about 1 hour and took us through about 4-5 rooms. When the building was built there were two houses of government hence the massive size. As there is only one now, the other side is used for the tours. I would love to know how many of the 691 rooms inside are actually used. The building spans 268 meters along the Danube, had 12.5 miles of corridors, a 96 meter dome and is 18,000 square meters in size. 

We walked up 150 stairs to began to the tour which made a lot of the older tourists mad. The guide had warned us and asked if anyone wanted an elevator... yet this group spent the next 10 minutes complaining that they should have been told about this. 

We saw the various rooms and were told a lot of the history surrounding the building and the government. I really only remember snippets as I was getting worse by the minute. At one point I almost fell over and both Dad and Brian insisted I return to the hotel as soon as the tour was over. Brian and I took a cab back, Dad opted to walk since he needed to find a post office in order to pay a parking ticket. As soon as I reached the hotel I climbed into bed and spent the rest of the night there. My plans of walking along the pedestrian street and buying some souvenirs were dashed. Brian went out to try and find some sort of meds for me - he got some tea and some medicated throat candies. Fortunately I had some Gravol and Tylenol with me, along with my ear drops. Brian surprised me and walked back to the market to buy me the wooden Santa I had seen... its a bigger one and so adorable. He also got me the Hungarian wooden nesting dolls and a shot glass - he is a keeper!

I felt a little better later in the evening so we ordered up room service for dinner... then I stopped feeling better so I didn't eat much and went back to bed. Its not how I planned to spend my last night in Budapest, but at least I had an awesome view of the Danube as a consolation. 

European Adventure: Day Nine - Zagreb, Croatia

Wednesday we decided to leave Hungary for the day and drive into Croatia. I ashamedly admit until last fall I had no idea where Croatia was or that it even existed. I remembered Yugoslavia and that counties had separated but had no idea Croatia was one of them or that it was in Europe. Through Ivan and Dan my dad was invited to Croatia last September when they went home for a family wedding. All of us t home had no idea where he was going or what it would be like. So imagine our surprise when he came back and we saw photos of a beautiful European country with sparkling seas and amazing buildings. The area of Croatia that is most well known and travelled to is in the south which is where Ivan is from and that area has a lot of beautiful coastline. Dad would have loved to squeeze in going back there, but it was a 6 hour drive from where we were and our schedule was already packed. However the capital of Croatia - Zagreb - was only a two hour drive from where we were.

Zagreb isn't really a tourist place per say. According to Iva people in Croatia would go there for concerts or possibly to hospitals for certain specialties, but that it is it. In the guidebook I read all European countries were listed with 3 or 4 main city areas and their highlights. Zagreb wasn't even on that list in the Croatia chapter, still we decided to go and check it out. 

We started our day at a local cafe for coffee and croissants. It was a cold day, which was lovely after so many hot and humid ones. I had the best hot chocolate ever at this cafe and their deserts all looked amazing - It was just too early for desert! It started raining as we left, but eventually the rain stopped and we were just left with an breezy overcast day.

Driving in we passed two borders - the first being the old Hungarian border which is now abandoned since the EU was formed. Seeing an abandoned border was creepy and I wish I got some photos. It looked very Zombie Apocalypse. The second border was the one ow used by the EU. I do not get how the borders work within the European Union. We did passport control when we fly into Germany, but nothing when we reached Prague. On the train to Budapest they looked at our passports and stamped our train ticket in each country we passed. The train from Budapest to Vienna they checked our tickets but not our passports, but when driving in and out of Croatia they checked - and stamped - our passports each time leaving us with 6 stamps from that day for some reason. Can someone please explain the border and passport thing to me? Because it doesn't seem consistent!

Driving in Zagreb was confusing even with Iva and Ivan who spoke the language. The first place we planned to park was only a two hour limit, so we drove up toward a restaurant Iva had found on line only to find the road was massively torn up. We drove up a portion of it (not sure if we were supposed to or not) but finally found a parking garage. Then we trekked the rest of the way uphill for about 20 minutes which brought us into upper town. At first glance the restaurant didn't seem that appealing - It was small with not much around it probably due to the massive road work being done nearby. The menu also didn't have anything that really appealed to me as a lot of the dishes were veal or lamb. The recommended dish was a steak but I wasn't in the mood for red meat. I settled on ordering a soup, until the waiter came and explained the steak was turkey. The dish was a traditional Croatian dish of thin turkey meat wrapped up with cured ham and cheese, then breaded and fried (a lot of these main local dishes we are encountering on this trip are fried in some way).  I decided to give it a try as everyone else was, but wasn't expecting much. I was so wrong! Hands down this was the best meal of the trip. It was amazing but so filling I could not finish it. It was another family run restaurant and the name - Didov San translates to Grandfathers Dream. The atmosphere inside was cute as it was fashioned like an old, traditional Croatian home and the staff were friendly and helpful. I admit that my first impression was way off because this place was fantastic and worth the drive from Heviz to Zagreb. 

My dad is trying to do "duck face"

Now all the guys are doing it...

After lunch we walked into the main part of upper town which was pretty quiet. There were some old beautiful buildings as well as a pretty church. As we walked toward lower town, we passed the Museum of Broken Relationships which had been on my list of possible things to do. I had read about this place online and in the newspaper and both places described it as strange, sad and odd, but worth a visit. Dad and Ivan had no interest and wandered off, but Brian, Iva and I went in.

It's more of an art exhibit them a museum but it is exactly as the name suggests - dedicated to the end of relationships. There are various mementos like stuffed animals, photos, shoes, and some strange ones like MP3 players, plastic toys, a wireless router and so on. Beside each is write up from the person briefly detailing the item and what happened. Some are funny like the router one which simply said - We couldn't connect - but many are sad. The two that stick out for me are a stuffed toy caterpillar who belonged to long distance couple. Each time they saw each other they would cut one of his legs off with the idea being by the time all the legs were gone they needed to move closer. The relationship ended so the caterpillar still has some legs. The other one being a postcard that a young man slipped into the mailbox of a girl stating he wanted to marry her. His parents came over to talk to her parents but her parents refused saying she was worth more. The next day he killed himself. The woman who sent it in was over 70 years old. It was a strange place, and definitely sad but I am glad I saw it. It was also surprisingly packed considering how few people we had seen in upper town. It is also a travelling exhibit so someday you may get a chance to see it without having to visit Zagreb. 

We walked to the staircase which led down to lower town and chose to walk down now but ride the funicular up. It was a steep walk but ad nicely spaced out stairs that led through a small alleyway. Once at the bottom there were many people much unlike the quiet, deserted upper part. We walked passed shops and galleries into the main square which was beautiful. It was large and full of life. More shops and restaurants were there along with statues and fountains. A few minutes up from there we reached the main church which was stunning. It was undergoing repairs so scaffolding was on one side, but it was still a beautiful building. 

There was a hop on bus right beside us so on a whim we decided to do it. There were two lines - one that was the main town, and the second which went to the outer part of Zagreb. The one leaving was the outer town, so we figured we would do that first and then come back for the inner town one. What a mistake! This was so boring and almost an hour and forty-five minutes long. The English audio guide was rarely comprehensible and the places the tour took us were a bit pointless. Sure there were a museum or two along the route but mostly it was the outskirts of town, some of which was housing from the communist period that looked run down. It would be like a Toronto sightseeing bus travelling into Scarborough as part of the tour. I fell asleep at one point as did Ivan and Dad but we heard from Iva and Brian we missed nothing.

After that was finally over, we walked back through the square and along the main shopping streets and rode the funicular up to the top (none of us wanted to do the other bus!) After walking downhill through the construction site, we got our car from the garage and made the drive back. The border stopped us for a few minutes - they never said anything but just took our ID and made as move to another area. I guess having 2 Canadians, 1 American and 2 Croatians in the same car may have looked suspicious. But after a few minutes we were able to go. Dad put on Gone Girl for the rest of the drive much to the delight of no one!

By the time we got back to the resort I was worn. My throat and ears hurt so much and I could barely walk. I had been feeling like I was fighting something for a few days but that night I was hit hard by fevers and illness. I quickly packed my bags as we were leaving the following morning and basically collapsed in bed. 

European Adventure: Day Eight - Budapest. Hungary

Because if the late hour we got back the night before we made plans to meet for a late breakfast. Neither group liked the breakfast offerings at their timeshare property so I found as a local hotel that served an extensive buffet. It was pricey for the area (it was a spa hotel) but we had limited options in Heviz and didn't want to wait until Budapest. The breakfast was great - a lot of variety and options to suit everyone - and it fuelled us for another full day in Budapest. The drive in was long but we made a few stops along the way to stretch legs and get drinks. It was almost 1:30 when we reached the city. We again parked at the InterContinental and walked down by the Danube to one of the bus stops. Our plan was to do the yellow bus line since we had managed to complete the red line and nighttime boat cruise the night before. This line looped more around the city bypassing the main attractions which were mostly in the centre of Budapest. Seriously - Budapest is huge! We could have spent a week here and not seen everything.

The first place we got off the bus was at the bottom of Castle Hill. From there we rode the Funicular up to the top where Buda Castle is located. Strangely enough the Royal Palace there today was never occupied by the royal family! Over the past hundreds of years it was a site for castles and palaces with various rulers and royalty living there - but those all were destroyed. The present castle was commissioned by Maria Theresa of Austria as a good will gesture. Over the next hundreds of years it continues to be built and re-modelled and while Royalty did use the castle and stay there it never became a formal residence.  In the past it was used as a nunnery as well as a university and now various museums, galleries, offices, exhibitions and libraries fill the castle walls. 

The view from above 

We walked along the upper and lower parts of castle hill taking photos and enjoying the spectacular views it offered of Budapest. I took a few minutes and sat by a fountain just to take it all in. I was surprised when I saw groups of children climbing all over this statue/fountain that is hundreds of years old like it was a jungle gym. Their parents just sat there ignoring them, while one kid got all the way on top of the head. Not only was it disrespectful to the grounds but crazy dangerous for the kids. Even when the police came and told then to stop the parents did nothing and as soon as the police walked away the kids went right back up. I may not be a parent and I am not one to usually judge but I think that is terrible.

We walked along to the other side of the castle (I think what would have been the main entrance) and Brian, Iva and Ivan tried to get into an exhibit on book burning during Nazi Germany that was showing. Sadly the poster was outdated and it had ended a month prior. We stopped at a small cafe called the Buda Terrace that overlooked the Pest side and gave a great view of the chain bridge. We sat for about an hour having water (it was boiling hot out) and caffeine. There were these amazing cooling fans blowing a misty breeze which made it an excellent place to sit in the hot sun. 

View of Parliament 

We took the Funicular back down and boarded the bus. We had stopped for some gelato but the Nutella flavor I ordered ended up just being a scoop of Nutella. Seriously? People can eat that straight?!? I ended up giving it to dad to mix in his. 

We took the yellow line around past the Parliament building which was massive, stately and slightly over the top. The audio guide told us there were 365 spires on the exterior, it cost enough to build a town for 60,000 people and it's only half used because they now only have one house of parliament. We also passed the University, Margaret Island and the two famous Hungarian Bathes which are open to the public. The tour gave us an excellent guide to the city and the history.

Our final stop we got off at was Central Market Hall which was a large two story building that housed a market of local meats, cheeses, vegetables, pastries, and other goods. We had planned to stop for a light snack there but the options were limited as the main booths only consisted of foods you would take home and use. I did fall in love with a handmade wooden Santa but decided against it because it was a bit pricey. 

We did eat upstairs at a small eatery - I had fried zucchini and everyone else had schnitzel (not exactly the snack we had planned on). It wasn't the greatest food but it was quick and inside the marketplace. After eating we split off into two groups - Dad, Ivan and Iva opted to walk the pedestrian street back and look at more shops and booths whereas Brian and I decided to take the bus back and stop for coffee. Dad, Brian and I were spending our last night right in Budapest at the Marriott so Brian and I knew it was something we could come back to that day along with anything else we wanted to see.

We caught the last bus which dropped us off about 20 minutes from where we parked and Brian and I had a bit of an argument about which way to go. It was hot and we were both tired and worn - plus I was starting to come down with something, so circumstances worked against us. Finally I took the lead and got us back. Maybe his way also would have led there but mine definitely worked. We sat in the bar of the InterContinental and had a drink while we waited for everyone else. They came about 30 minutes later and also ordered some drinks so we spent a little time sitting and relaxing and using the free wifi. So far I have had awesome luck with free wifi in these cities. I may have to pay to use a washroom, but the wifi is free! 

Once leaving I navigated us 30 minutes out of the city and into Szentendre which is an artists area that is recommended to see. Once we were in the city centre (according to the GPS at least) we got a bit lost as there was nothing much to see. It wasn't at all like I was expecting and anything in the GPS attraction list was in Hungarian. Dad opted to turn down a small street at random where we came to some water. It looked like nothing so he drove forward but it ended up being a small creek! The car stalled a few times and Brian and Ivan jumped out to look. The car was so far in that going forward was the best option so he kept pushing forward and finally got through. Of course being the joker Dad is, he took off and left Ivan and Brian there. About 5 minutes later he went back where they were happily stretching their legs and having a cigarette break.

We programmed in a Cajun restaurant I had read about went toward it. Pulling into the area was a strange experience because it looked like some abandoned village. Ivan and Brian made a few jokes but it was super creepy. We parked and walked toward the restaurant and finally found the main town square - with people! I guess this village is more popular during the day as all the artists and musicians weren't out and the museums and shops were all closed, with only a few cafés and restaurants remaining open. We passed a closed Christmas Museum which was sad because that was something I would have loved. There weren't too many people walking outside but there were a few in the restaurants. Dad and Ivan picked one that was family owned (the Cajun one was empty and no one wanted to chance it) and got us a table while the rest of is walked down to the lake. If I am ever back in Budapest I would definitely come back to this town during the day because I think it would be amazing.

Dinner was excellent. Dad and I had chicken that had been cooked on a lava stone (something Dad said he had a lot of in Israel) and it came with tomato and mozzarella. I thought that would be on the chicken but it was actually done as a salad which was better. Everyone else had a chicken stuffed with feta which was remarkable. That's something I am going to try and make when I am back home. 

Our drive back was once again long and late - this time dad put on the audio book of Gone Girl. I had already read it and no one else seemed interested but it kept him awake - and as he said, the entertainment that was supposed to be coming from the back was silent. Eventually the entertainment at the back woke up and after hearing one part of the book made a number of Delaware jokes.. Jokes that would last the rest of the week.