We have been 3 days 4 nights in Budapest. Our first impressions of the place were not great, the roads are a mess and most of the buildings are dirty and in disrepair. (Except for their major tourist attractions and the more modern buildings). But the signs are there of major improvements. There are road works everywhere and so many buildings have scaffolding on them, so I think Budapest in a few years will be really nice. On Saturday we went for a ride down to the river, hoping to find a decent bike path along it into the city, we found that the bike paths are few and far between and the main one along the river is a mess with a lot of bitumen missing and all sorts of other road works crossing it. As we wound our way into the city,we had to take a lot of care with the traffic because they drive crazy here. On the way we found a building that looked like an old train station, lots of people coming and going but on closer inspection found it to be an indoor market. It was great, 2 stories of all sorts of stuff and people everywhere. Upstairs they had a lot of tourist souvenirs with the hand-embroidered patterns that Hungary is famous for. Really beautiful stuff, but as we had no need for these we could just admire. After purchasing something for morning tea we wound our way down to the river. We came to a dock for sightseeing cruises and decided “why not”. So we spent a pleasant hour admiring the views of the city, ( or 2 cities, Buda & Pest) either side of the river. We were able to learn a little of the history and it gaves us a nice break from the bikes. We ended up riding our bikes along the river and over a bridge to the Margaret Island which is like a park and recreation area in the middle of the river. As it was Saturday the locals were out enjoying the lovely weather. We finally got back to camp about 5 hrs later, totally exhausted and stressed out.

We spent Sunday in the campsite mostly, it ended up be a restfull day and we had the chance to catch up on a few things. The most strenous thing we did was go for a small walk around the block and buy an ice-cream.

Monday morning we were able to catch up with our family on the msn, before heading off sightseeing again. This time we decided to get a hop on, hop off bus tour. The whole route takes two and half hours, so it’s a good way to see a lot and then decide what is worth getting off for. We disembarked at the hill overlooking most of the city and decided to have a small snack and beer for lunch at the cafe there. It was quite warm, so the beer really did hit the spot. The view was spectacular and it would have been easy to sit there all afternoon drinking but we knew we had to make the most of the bus ticket and so caught the next one to the palace district. We just had a wander through here and just enjoyed the scenery and the great views over the river.

We ate tea in town in a very small cafe with traditional food and then took advantage of the evening boat trip that was included in our bus tour ticket. As it got darker and the lights came on highlighting the buildings it really did look wonderful. All the decay and building works were hidden and just the magnificent facades highlighted. Budapest in its heyday must have been a truly wonderful city.

So today, (Tuesday) we pack up and head south. We are still deciding where to go, either along the Danube or to the very large Balaton lake which is the “Hungarian sea”. It is the resort area of Hungary, lots of camping grounds, thermal baths, swimming and other recreational activities. So…???? Decisions decisions.