May 23, 2016
At this point enough of you are asking what we are up to in 2016. Well here is how this started… It was Friday April 8th and we had a long overdue dinner date with Jim - playing the dual role of friend and cousin. Over this dinner date our upcoming travel escapes came up in topic - like they always seem to when we talk with friends and family. Mark had just gotten word that he was heading to Budapest for work and as you know there is no way in “Pittsburgh” that Jen would not be joining Mark on an exotic international adventure! When this was brought up with Jim, he said - “I’d go to Hungary!” To which we responded - “Ok! Let’s make this happen”. Fast forward the next few weeks - planning went into full swing - travel books were ordered, routes were sketched out, research was done, spreadsheets were made and the result? Pack your bags- we are going to Eastern Europe!! Mark would be flying over to Budapest a day earlier than Jim and Jen - due to a family engagement (Side note - So happy we could be a part of Sam & Jesse’s special day!!).
Jim and Jen flew from CLE to ORD - yes fly west to fly east (Where we had the pleasure of spending our 3 hour layover in the United Lounge enjoying peace and quiet not to mention treats and yummy beverages). We flew a red eye directly from ORD to Frankfurt. The flight was mostly uneventful but there was 1 item of note - a gentleman seated across the plane from us passed out and was unconscious for some time. No worries - there was an abundance of medical staff on board which stepped up and took care of business. The gentleman was upright and talking before we even left Canadian airspace. Our layover in Frankfurt wasn’t even long enough to enjoy a frankfurter in Frankfurt (this is only the beginning of the bad jokes). Then we were on to Budapest!!
Upon arrival in Budapest we hailed a cab to take us to our hotel in the Castle district. Our first sights of Budapest left us intrigued and excited to start our adventure. Much to our surprise Mark had a thoughtful care package setup for us when we arrived at the fabulous Hilton Buda Castle. A Klimek Family best practice for battling jetlag is no matter what - day 1 push it hard, get plenty of fresh air and water!
Our first item of business was to find the practically perfect lunch location. Jen had a very Hungarian seeming grilled chicken caesar salad and Jim had chicken paprikash. We ate lunch outside with a view of the impressive St. Matthias church. What a special lunch location! Did I mention that the weather - high 70’s and not a cloud to be found?
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| Saint Matthias Church Budapest, Hungary |
The sights we took in on Monday were a walk by and peek into the famous Hungarian State Opera House. The Opera House was built in the late 19th century and is the largest opera house in Hungary.
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| Hungarian State Opera House Budapest, Hungary |
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| Hungarian State Opera House Budapest, Hungary |
Then Jim and Jen toured St. Stephan’s Basilica which houses the right hand of its namesake and the first king of Hungary dating from 975-1038. The dome is one of the two tallest buildings in Budapest with the dome measuring 315 feet tall. We enjoyed the panoramic views of the city from the top of the dome.
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| St. Stephan's Basilica Budapest, Hungary
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| Budapest Skyline Budapest, Hungary |
Jim put on a yamaka and I wore a scarf and we went into the Dohany Street Synagogue (The Great Synagogue). Fun Fact - This is the largest synagogue in Europe and it is second or third largest in the world (depending who you ask). Who knew?
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| Dohany Street Synagogue Budapest, Hungary |
On our walk back to the hotel to meet Mark for dinner we walked over the Chain Bridge. The Chain Bridge is a suspension bridge connects the Buda district with the Pest district. One of the fun quirky things about this bridge are the Love Locks with the names/initials of 2 in love that have been attached to the railing of the bridge.
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| Love Locks Chain Bridge Budapest, Hungary |
After a short nap (I know, I know… you never nap on day one) we went to dinner at Pest Buda in the Castle District and had some fabulous schnitzel, goulash and chicken topped off with the first of many apple strudel.
Let me gush about our room for a just a second - we had a view of the river with the House of Parliament in the center. What an absolute treat to wake up and go to bed with a view of such a spectacular structure.
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| Parliament Budapest, Hungary |
Here are our stats for day 1
Steps - 25,067
Miles - 11.43
Stairs - 69 flights