Good weather day

 May 18, 2026

Yesterday it rained all day. It was Sunday and we found an Episcopal church recommended by the U.S. Embassy that had English services. We walked to that church from our hotel and got almost 4000 steps! It was small but interesting and we met some expats. 

We looked for a Sunday farmers market and ended up finding the Central Market Hall, which we found out today was the location of our chef-led private tour. Not many stalls were open on Sunday. But today, our guide Andrew, did a great job of explaining the history of Hungary and the market. 

Back to yesterday, because of the rain, we decided to go back to our hotel and chill for the day. David went to the hotel “gym” and I went to the hotel restaurant and had a burger and a glass of wine and read my kindle book. 

That evening at 9:20, we had an evening cruise on the Danube. The information we got through our headphones was interesting and well done. Budapest is so beautiful from that vantage point at night! 

Monday the weather was finally nice and so we crammed a lot in one day. We had our 9am tour with Andrew at the Central Market Hall and then he helped us buy our tickets for the #2 tram, which rides along the Danube and ends at the Parliament.

The iconic Parliament building is massive and opulent. The 1 hour audio tour was interesting. We saw the Hungarian Crown Jewels, which were originally made for Hungary’s first king’s coronation in the year 1000 - St. Stephen. The crown and scepter went through a lot over the years, including being stolen and buried a couple of times. During World War II, the crown was somehow stored in Fort Knox Kentucky. Jimmy Carter actually returned it to Hungary in the 1970s. 

At 3, we had packed our swimsuits and towels (lol, David grabbed hand towels instead of bath towels, but it was ok). We did our first Metro ride to the Szechenyi baths. We each got a changing room and we had to buy flip flops. We first grabbed a table and had a drink, then we ventured into the 101degree bath outside, then another drink and then to the indoor pools,. There we tried the 101 degree pool and the 65 degree cold plunge pool! 

We had dinner at a traditional Hungarian restaurant with a quartet. David had the Goulash (better than the one I had at the New York Cafe) and I got the Chicken Paprikash. 

Back to not being able to upload photos 🤨


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