I Heart Budapest

Before we left Hungary, Phil and I got to spend a whole day in Budapest, just like in the good old days: roaming around  on foot and periodically hopping on a bus, tram or subway. We thought it would be best not to expose the Bean to the plethora of delinquent city-germs that dwell on Budapest's public transit so we left Beanie home to hang with Grandma Pam, a program she preferred anyway. Going Bean-less allowed us to hit a lot of our favorite spots, plus our trip didn't leave me mad and frustrated at the utter stroller/wheelchair inaccessibility of the city and its public transportation system. We walked along the Danube Promenade, marveled at the Chain Bridge, the Elizabeth Bridge, the Parliament, the Basilica, the Gresham Palace and all the other architectural masterpieces that adorn Budapest's downtown. We had lunch and lots of fun with some dear friends at a Turkish restaurant and then we headed up to the beautiful Castle district on the Buda Hill. While strolling around the narrow cobblestone streets, soaking up the magnificent view of the city, I was suddenly hit by the sweet scent of kürtőskalács, a sweet cylindrically-shaped yeast pastry to die for, and I just had to go and sniff out the street vendor who was making it, hidden among all the craft booths. See if you can spot it among the slideshow pictures. The fact that it hangs out of my face and I ooze utter satisfaction is probably a giveaway.