hungary: budapest

When Katie was first planning her trip to Europe, she had to figure out where she was going to go...one family she babysits for in the states is half Hungarian, and when they found out she was going to Europe, they told her she had to go to Budapest, and stay in their family flat...when she told me, of course I agreed :)
We took the train from Amsterdam to Eindhoven, and a bus from that train station to the Eindhoven airport...even the guidebook says Eindhoven isn't known for anything in particular, except for the increasing number of budget flights from this airport...

The flight was easy, as was landing in Budapest...Katie collected her bag and as we exited she saw the grandma of the family waiting for us...grandma drove us to the flat, gave us the nickel tour, then said she would be back in the morning...
She came back the next morning and walked with us to the metro stop...she also drew us a map, but I'm really glad she walked with us, as I never would've been able to follow her map...she also bought our first metro tickets, yahoo!

This first metro ride was only to the center of town, to an information office, where we picked up the Budapest card each of us had bought...the card entitled us to free entry to some sights, free public transport, and as couple other benefits...
The next chore was to find a ticket office where Katie could buy a train ticket to split, Croatia...after that was accomplished, we hopped back on the metro...
A couple stops later we got out, and picked a direction in which to walk...somehow we stumbled onto the platz in front of st Stephen's basilica...it's a big platz...

we didn't know what we were looking at, we had to check the map...how awesome that we stumbled across what is probably the most important church in the country...we ate lunch at a cafe on the platz...
We went in the church, I was really impressed...so was Katie...I'm not often impressed by churches anymore, but this church was worth it...around the back, in a small, closed off chapel, we saw the mummified hand of st Stephen...I don't remember the story of the mummified hand, I don't need to remember...I'm both fascinated and grossed out by mummies...

We walked out of the church, and down the street in front of the church...there were a couple cafés, a couple souvenir shops, and a couple office buildings on the street...at the end if the street we went right, to cross a small park...at each end of the park was a statue, each person was probably important...I found them picturesque :)
Between this park and the river was a big street...we crossed the street, and took in the view...we were on the pest side of the river, so we had a great view of the chain bridge, over to the Buda side, with the castle and such...an awesome view...

We walked across the chain bridge, which had been turned into a pedestrian bridge for the holiday...
I suppose now is a good time to mention that we visited Budapest over the festival of st Stephen, one of the biggest holidays of the year, as st Stephen is the patron saint of the country...
There were plenty of people out walking, enjoying the great weather and the holiday...heaps of people taking photos, of course...i don't know if everyone in the country gets the day before the official festival off, but it certainly seemed that way...

We walked each way along the river, checking out the food stalls set up for the holiday...one of the stalls was selling the official birthday cake of Hungary...there were two options, one of which was sugar free...(what's the pour of sugar free cake?)...we bought the other choice, which I was excited to try, until Katie told me she could smell and taste alcohol...booo...it looked good, I had to satisfy myself by smelling and looking...
After food, we found the funicular and took it up the hill...a short ride, but fun...unfortunately, not super cheap, and not included in the budapest card...it should be!

The funicular let us out at a spot on top of castle hill...we went right, walking past a couple impressive buildings...we turned right again as we came upon the church of st Matthew...otherwise known as the coronation church...this is where hungary's kings were crowned, though that no longer happens...
Katie wasn't as impressed by this church...I wasn't either, but it was by no means a shabby church...a small area on the second floor was a museum, with some history displayed...

At the back of the church is a bit of stone carving...according to the sign, this was the oldest stone carving still in it's original location in either the country or city...
After the church, we took a quick glance at the Fisherman's bastion, which had great views over the river...there is an entrance fee, but both of us were satisfied with what we saw for free :) ...(that and we didn't know where the actual paid entrance was)
We walked back in the direction of the funicular, stopping in a small supermarket for water and snacks...

From there we walked to the Budapest history museum...we got to a set of gates, only to find a folk festival taking place...the folk festival had an entry fee, and we weren't interested in the festival, but the only way to get to the museum was to go through the festival...argh...we showed our Budapest cards to the guys taking money, and explained where we wanted to go...one of them used his walkie talkie to speak with someone, then asked us to wait a couple minutes...

Eventually someone from the museum came out to escort us through the festival to the museum...(on the way back we had to do the same thing in reverse order)...
The museum itself covered a large period of history, I don't think it's possible to really take in everything in one visit...my favourite exhibit was the one that showed various habitations of people in the Budapest area through history...from small homes to soviet style apartment blocks and everything in between...we didn't have time to see everything in the museum before closing time came...

After this museum, we took the funicular back down the hill, then went back to one of the food stalls for dinner...then we walked back across the river, and followed the bank of the river for a bit...we had purchased tickets for an evening river cruise, a popular tourist activity...(totally worth it)
It took us a while to find the exact company with which we'd booked, then the lady tried to tell Katie she didn't have a reservation...she was actually quite rude about it...I was watching what she was typing, and realized she was typing the reservation number incorrectly, and told her so...she was only slightly contrite when she had to face her mistake...
We boarded the boat and I took a couple photos of Buda hill, brightly lit up across the water...as the boat started to move, we put on our earphones and listened to the spiel...it was a bit confusing (they were trying to be creative) but I enjoyed learning something about a few of the buildings we passed on the river...

both Katie and I noticed the family in front of us had wasted the money they'd spent on this cruise...both parents were glued to their phones, barely looking up, not wearing the headphones...the oldest kid was also attached to her phone, taking several selfies and texting them two friends...the two youngest kids were running around, but at least they looked out the window a couple times...
Anywho, after the cruise ended, we took the metro home and went to bed fast...

The next morning was the festival of st Stephen...(the festival is only one day officially, but preparations take a bit longer and some events take longer)...
We'd read in the guidebook that there is still a crown of Hungary, though there is no longer a monarchy...the crown is occasionally displayed for the public in the halls of parliament, on holidays...we figured this must be one of those days...we took off early in order to get to parliament before the expected queue got too long...our timing worked out well, as there was a queue, but it wasn't too long...

the line started moving soon, and moved steadily...occasionally we looked back to see the line growing quickly...
Eventually we got to the front of the queue, and went through security...we followed everyone up the stairs into a grand entry hall, marveling at just about everything...while on the boat tour we'd heard there are something like 11km of stairs/hallways in parliament, we only saw a small amount...after the entry hall we followed into the next room, which was where the crown was displayed...there were guards around the walls of the room, I think nearly the only thing they did all day was tell people photos were not allowed in that particular area...that didn't stop some people, who still took photos from other sports when the guards weren't looking...both Katie and I were surprised that the crown wasn't very shiny, it didn't seem very blingy...it's not as if I have heaps of experience with crowns to be able to make such a judgement, but I remember being under impressed...

After exiting parliament, we walked as far as we could to the banks of the river...unfortunately this was when we came to the point where we were not happy about the holiday festival, as the sidewalks this close to the water were blocked off by fences...argh...we'd wanted to see a modern art piece on the sidewalk, we had to settle for seeing it from a distance, through the fence...
We walked along the river back toward the centre area, eventually getting to the great synagogue...it's the biggest synagogue in Europe...we had to wait in a short queue to buy entrance tickets, which was annoying only because it was raining...the worship area had several tour groups, the guides giving information quietly...

There was an upstairs area that had been turned into a museum...some exhibits showed items used in Jewish life, some showed the history of this synagogue and it's congregation, and some showed some of what happened in the Holocaust...a small museum, but I liked it because I was able to absorb the information without feeling overwhelmed...
There was a memorial garden out back...very peaceful...
Lunch was in a random cafe across the street...
From the cafe we took a tram across a different bridge to the chapel in the rock...the entrance fee included an audio guide (a bit too preachy for me) so we learned more than the guidebook said...various chapels had different stories to tell...the church is more of a natural cave that has been carved out a little more to make a small church...

Across the street from the chapel is the Gellert baths, some of the biggest in the city...the lobby area was pretty impressive...
More walking (back across the bridge and down a pedestrian street) took us to Gerbaud...Katie's friends in the states told us we had to go there for tea, and I'm so glad we did...everything on the menu looked good, it took us a while to figure out what we wanted...it was very well presented, and really good...(and our waiter was good looking too:)...
After tea we used the subway and more walking to get to lukacs baths...our Budapest cards included free entrance to these baths, of course we wanted to know what all the fuss was about...
There wasn't much English inside, it took us a while to figure out where to go and what to do...but once we did, it was fun...the baths were all heated to different temperatures, (the coldest was 32C and the hottest 40C)...everyone moved around every so often...we were plenty pickled by the time we left...

As we walked toward a metro stop to get home, we crossed another bridge, covered with people staking out a spot for the fireworks scheduled that evening...I bet people come out there pretty early in the day, the bridge spots were a great place to see everything...we heard most of the show, which was impressive...loud too...
That was our last night in Budapest...we took the metro home, it wasn't nearly as crowded as I expected, considering all the people out to see the fireworks...
The next morning both of us were up, and left the city...I have to go back!

the Netherlands: amsterdam

When I landed in Amsterdam I was in for a rude awakening...I hadn't checked the weather report before flying, but I assumed it would be summer weather, just like it was in kyiv, and Barcelona...it wasn't...AT ALL...it was only 15C! I was not prepared, to say the least...
I had the address of my hostel, and the name, but I didn't really know how to get there...so I went to the information desk, and the guy told me what to do...a quick train ride, then a quick walk...
I'm glad I knew the name and the directions, and I had google mapped it before arriving, otherwise it would've been very difficult to find...it was actually quite large, and quite new, but located in a residential area not so close to the city centre...plus they didn't have street signage pointing the way, as hostels that have been around for a while do...

Eventually I did get there, chatted with another girl in the room for a while, then tucked in for the night...
The next morning I was up early to make sure I got to the airport on time to pick up Katie for her first trip to Europe! As she arrived she told me she'd had a first class seat, how awesome is that???
We took her stuff back to the hostel, and left it in my room, as the clerk told us she would sleep in there that night...we got back early enough that we were able to eat breakfast before heading out...not much variety, and all carbs, but at least it was food...

The hostel had given me an information sheet when I checked in, telling which trams to take to go different places of interest to tourists...we used the information to find a tram to take us to an area called leidesplaan (sp?)...i didn't have a guidebook, so i was feeling rather naked...i'd located a bookstore close to this tram stop, so that was the first order of the morning...the bookstore dealt only with travel related books/maps/etc, totally awesome...they had a special deal going, so i got a couple travel journals along with my guidebooks...yahoo!

we spent the rest of the day just wandering wandering wandering...the city centre of amsterdam is built on and around canals, with small bridges going over each of them in many places...
we found anne frank's house at one point, but the line seemed awfully long, so we decided to come back later...when we came back later that evening, the line was still long, but quite a bit shorter than we'd seen earlier, so we joined up...it was really windy, so i was cold in only my t-shirt and skirt...

i visited anne frank's house with my family when i was only 11 years old (i think that's the right age?) and i remember thinking it was so small...i don't know why, but during this visit the house seemed quite big to me...that being said, considering the number of people who lived there, and weren't able to go outside at all or even out of just a few rooms, it is really small...8 people hid in a small part of the house, just missing the end of the war...it's still a mystery as to who turned them in to government officials...

we went to a pancake restaurant for dinner...a huge list of options for flavours, both savory and sweet...they aren't pancakes as american's think of them, more like blinis or crepes...we split a pancake with bacon and cheese, YUM...
on the way back to the hostel we bought 24 hour public transport passes on the tram, we hadn't been able to do it in the morning...considering katie had to deal with jet lag, she did really well and didn't seem tired at all...
the next morning we had the same breakfast at the hostel, then started walking...we wanted to take a few photos of places we'd seen from the tram the morning before...

we walked through one park, found a big supermarket, etc...in the supermarket i found the sprinkles section: YUM...how has this tradition not spread to other countries? who wouldn't want sprinkles on toast as breakfast??!!
after a while we caught a tram to the central train station...in front of the station are several places to hop on a tour boat, or park your bike...(there are bikes EVERYWHERE in amsterdam)...we followed one of the streets, which took us to a central platz called the dam...there is a palace on one side, a statue in the middle...the guidebook told us this is where demonstrations and big announcements take place...

after a bit of people watching we kept walking, eventually getting to the bloemenmarkt, which was originally a floating tulip market...it doesn't float anymore, but it's still huge...you can buy tulip bulbs, in any color or variety...tulips are my favourite flower, i would've bought them if i had been able to carry them with me...
we used free wifi at a nearby cafe, also warming up a bit...from there we walked to a company called gassan diamonds...the netherlands is one of the most popular places in the world to buy/sell diamonds, and this place offered a free tour of sorts...we got an explanation of how diamonds are made; we were also able to see artisans cutting diamonds and got an explanation as to how this works as well...the last part of the 'tour'  was in a secure room where our guide showed us diamonds...

he gave us the information (cut, clarity, carats, etc) about each diamond, then we were able to take a closer look...i have expensive taste :)...in the souvenir shop katie and i each took advantage of the free coffee/tea...
afterward we wandered a bit more, just to see where we would end up...we got to the central train station, and decided to hop on a tram just to see where it went...fun :)
after dinner at a thai place we went back to the pancake restaurant from the night before and indulged in a dessert pancake...YUM...

after returning from haarlem the next day, we hopped on another tram we hadn't ridden, this one went in a totally different direction...this one we rode all the way to the end, then went all the way back into the city...we found a new place to have dinner...meatballs for our main course, then two different dessert options...mini pancakes with ice cream and a big pancake with bananas and chocolate...YUM...
the next morning we had breakfast, then checked out of the hostel...we figured out how to store our bags at the central train station, then walked to one of the many canal boats for a tour...the boat we chose cost 8euro...on the other side of the same canal the boat tour cost 15euro...katie and i both wondered if it was really twice as good a tour...we both enjoyed the tour, even though it sprinkled from time to time...
as we got off the boat, we walked by a church and found the opening to be only five minutes away, so we stuck around...the inside of the church was pretty, i'm glad we saw it though it wasn't stunning...

we stopped at another random restaurant for lunch, i had steak...not the best steak i've had, but not awful...the best part of the meal was the brownie i had for dessert at another cafe...YUM...
from there we walked back to the train station, and left the city...

the Netherlands: haarlem and national park zuid kennemerland

katie and i both wanted to ride bikes in the netherlands, but both of us were a bit worried about riding in a crazy city like amsterdam...every dutch person rides a bike regularly, kids learn how to ride at a young age...even before they learn how to do it on their own, they are in bucket seats on the bikes of their parents...one day while katie and i were walking around amsterdam we saw two moms riding along with their kids in front seats...one of the kids was asleep, the mom was holding up his head with her hand while riding along...i wish i'd been able to capture the image with my camera but they went by too quickly...

we took a train to haarlem, the ride was cheap and only 15 minutes...in one area of the train station we were able to find a bike rental place...the prices were definitely lower than the prices we'd seen in amsterdam...we both rented cruiser bikes, with foot brakes and not a lot of gears...
almost immediately i regretted not renting fancier bikes...it was windy and rainy, YUCK...we both had rainjackets on, but lets face it, with that kind of wind we knew we were both going to be soaked...for both of us, the only concern was for our cameras and phones...

we were able to follow a main road out of the city, all the way through zuid kennemerland national park, to the windswept beach...sooooo windy, but still fun...we parked our bikes near a police shack, then ran around a bit...we didn't stay around as long as either of us would've liked, as the wind was strong, and the sand being blown into our legs was almost painful!
we spent at least an hour inside a cafe, warming up and drying off with hot chocolate...
we rode back into haarlem and explored the city...in terms of aesthetics, it reminded me of amsterdam...canals, bridges, churches, etc...there was one big difference though: far fewer people...

when we parked our bikes near one of the churches we finally found the locks on the bike, so we weren't stressed anymore about someone taking our bikes while we were inside...(that was why we parked near the police shack in the national park, wouldn't people be less likely to steal from right next to a police shack?)
there is a center platz in the city, with the city hall on one side, a church in the middle, and other cute buildings...there must've been a festival/concert the night before, as it was still being cleaned up when we arrived...

we saw a bridge that turned sideways to allow boats to go through instead of splitting in half and raising up...(we also saw one of the latter bridges as well)...
we saw a windmill that was more for show than anything else...due to the crappy weather, the photos didn't turn out so well...(i spent much of the day trying to keep the lens dry, or wiping water drops off the lens)...

haarlem felt like a small town, very attractive...if it hadn't been such crappy weather we would've walked around more, both in the city and in the
national park...

spain: barcelona

for the first time in i don't know how long, i had an actual holiday...
i flew to a budget airport about an hour outside barcelona, then took a shuttle bus into barcelona...i checked in late, then went straight to sleep...
i spent a total of 10 days in the area, only leaving for a couple days to go to andorra...i did a couple day trips, but basically spent more time relaxing...i went to the beach, i saw the sights, i ate good food...i was able to have dinner three nights in a row with a garmisch friend who happened to be in the city at the same time...sooooo good to catch up with her...

i have always been impressed by the work of famous artist Gaudi, though it isn't really my style...if you want to see all the Gaudi sights in barcelona you'll need a lot of time, and a fair amount of money...the sights are all quite busy, most of them offer online booking that allows you to choose a specific time for your ticket, so you have it ahead of time and don't have to wait in line...
the busiest sight is definitely the sagrada familia...no matter how you buy your entrance ticket, (in person or online) there is a time printed on the ticket, a 15 minute period during which you have to enter the cathedral or you don't get to enter...

even though getting a ticket was kindof a pain, i'm glad they keep the number of people in the cathedral at any point under control...it was crowded, but it could've been a whole lot more crowded if there were no ticket times...
one morning i got up to walk to parc guell...it was neat to see, both for what it is (originally intended as a living neighborhood) but also as a place with nice views over the city...
barcelona is the capital of the spanish area of catalan, most locals speak catalonian...

i recognized some words, others sounded completely foreign...it took me a few days, but eventually i was able to speak in spanish (only a bit, not anywhere close to fluently) when i was in a restaurant or a store...
lots of people go shopping in barcelona, i did some of that as well...sometimes it was just so i could get out of the heat (35C or warmer each day!) and sometimes just because i wanted to wander...

when you visit one of the cathedrals they won't let you in at all if you are not dressed appropriately...and by appropriately i mean more in the way women dress...at least short sleeves (no tank tops) and skirt to close to the knees (no short shorts or skirts)...i'm guessing men aren't supposed to wear tank tops either...
i had fun listening to the different languages spoken on the beach...so many...the beaches were crowded, but i'm good at tuning everyone out, and just relaxing...

barcelona is a foodie city...food of all different types is available, so good...i figured out which tapas i like best, i indulged in indian food, as i had great seafood...there is so much good food in the city, you have to be careful not to eat EVERYTHING in sight...
there are parks all over the city, i spent time in quite a few...it's nice to sit on a bench and read for a while, or watch people...
i got lost a couple times walking through the old city...like any old city most of the streets aren't in quadrants, so it's easy to go the wrong way...oh well :)

i didn't visit any of the famous museums of the city, maybe during another visit...long lines for those too...
barcelona is awesome, as is the surrounding area...i would gladly go back :)