Vacation in Budapest

My parents came to visit me in Budapest for six days, so I took two days off + an afternoon of lessons in order to be able to spend more time with them. I didn't realize how much of a different perspective their visit would give me on the city I've called home for several months.

Above: me, Mom, and Dad in front of the Margaret Island fountain that began singing days before their arrival. This was a quick stop on our long and adventurous bike ride to Szentendre.

As our busy days flew by (you had to go through physical training before you arrived to have me as a Budapest tour guide because it was a LOT of walking and biking for that matter - they said) I noticed that I knew the city a lot more than I realized and this gave me a certain sense of pride. Something I've accumulated over many days and nights of practice getting around. Budapest seems a lot smaller than it did two years ago when I first got here.

Therefore, I had a lot to show them and a lot of new things to see myself. Here's what we covered:

* toured Margaret Island and marveled at how old and massive some of the trees are,

* rode the Children's Communist Railway and chairlift down Janos Hegy, I think a favorite of Dad's as he filmed the entire ride down,

* toured the Castle District,

* summitted Gellert Hill by winding trails through the forest,

* visited the Terror Museum and were subsequently a little terrified after we left,

* traveled to Vienna for the day by train and went to the Sisi Museum (it's important to learn a little bit about Elizabeth as she's immortalized everywhere in Hungary) and the Hofburg.

* rented bikes from a friendly and helpful guy in Budapest and rode to Szentendre, past my school where I was supposed to be teaching if I hadn't taken the day off (man was that liberating!) and after a few hours of cruising along the Danube, we got somewhat lost at a nude quarry beach junction. We did finally ask a German biker who struggled to give us help as the sudden burst of heat seemed to suck up his knowledge of English and our patience.

Below: sparkling clear swimming holes off the beaten path "on the way to Szentendre"

* visited St. Stephan's Basilica, a place that's always stood out in the Pest skyline, but somewhere I'd never gotten around to visiting. It was ten times more grand inside.

* ate great food at a variety of different places.

We had our cake and ate it too...literally.