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Post by whollygoats on Nov 29, 2017 22:16:01 GMT
Hungary?
Yes.
In particular, I crave information on accommodations in Budapest. I don't know if anybody here has even passing familiarity with Budapest.
We will be in Budapest, more or less, from May 2 until we fly home on May 17. We are looking to book a guesthouse room/apartment/flat for the two weeks. I've done an initial search on priceline.com and come up with some likely prospects. We are wondering about a couple things, though.
When we put in our desired price range, we tended to pull in apartments. Asking for free wifi really constricted that list (to two). We don't know if this means that the accommodation does not provide free-wifi, but it is available downstairs at the taverna (or whatever). If we want free wifi, should we make sure that we arrange for same in booking our accommodation? It means a difference of at least $10 a day in baseline accommodation cost.
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Post by whollygoats on Nov 30, 2017 3:04:56 GMT
Nevermind....
I found a guesthouse that didn't show as having free wifi, but had a great location. I looked closer, at the guesthouse self-description, and they offer up free wifi. So, we're booked for 12 days in Budapest, after our barging in.
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Budapest
Nov 30, 2017 9:28:35 GMT
via mobile
Post by tangent on Nov 30, 2017 9:28:35 GMT
Nice
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Post by raspberrybullets on Nov 30, 2017 9:56:41 GMT
Nice. And in Europe you can generally get free wifi everywhere else anyhow. Now like in Australia where for some reason they can't seem to catch up with the times.
Oh in Budapest is a fantastic gelati place - one of my top 10. They also make it so beautiful when they pat it into your cone, it looks like a rose. two or three flavours is optimal for this. They're in one of the main squares and we had ice-cream there every night. I'll find the name for you.
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Post by raspberrybullets on Nov 30, 2017 10:05:00 GMT
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Post by raspberrybullets on Nov 30, 2017 10:11:10 GMT
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Post by raspberrybullets on Nov 30, 2017 10:13:39 GMT
Also do yourself a favour and have some Hungarian cucumber salad to go with your schnitzel, with some potatoes - it's the bomb.
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Post by raspberrybullets on Nov 30, 2017 10:17:38 GMT
Hungarian food and Bratislavian food are almost the same - there are some national Slovak dishes but with Budapest and Bratislava being so close to each other there is a huge overlap and it's just some of the best food on the planet. I'm totally biased of course.
Btw, are you planning a trip to Bratislava at all? We may end up being there in May now instead of September, due to our wedding plans in November.
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Post by Kye on Nov 30, 2017 12:25:50 GMT
I'm hoping to go to Budapest this summer with my daughter. I have relatives there whom we may visit, but I'm not even in the planning stage yet. I'm taking note of all these suggestions!
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Post by whollygoats on Nov 30, 2017 20:53:49 GMT
YOU BET!
This is just the kind of stuff I like to get in advance. Tres helpful, Raz!
At this point, I'm thinking of hiring a car and driving to Krakow...via Bratislava and Brno.
I'm also absolutely set on getting to Hallstatt, so I'll be going back to Vienna and on to Salzburg.
Swimmer is musing over trying to overnight train to Venice. She's got the Italian bug.
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Post by whollygoats on Nov 30, 2017 20:58:00 GMT
Dear Raz....I rillyrilly appreciate your missives on food.
But sadly, I regret that I must inform you that cucumbers do not like me.
Unless, of course, Hungarians and their Slovak neighbors have taken to cultivating lemon cucumbers?
They normally bloat me and make me dyspeptic. It is not a pretty sight.
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Post by raspberrybullets on Dec 2, 2017 2:04:33 GMT
Ah well, nevermind the cucumber then. But the other stuff is all cucumber free so you should be OK. You can still have yummy schnitzels without cucumber salad, I just personally love the combination because it's a little sweet and sour and very refreshing with the fried meat. Exciting that you'll be going too Kye! Budapest is a beautiful city. We did not spend as much time there as I would have liked. In Bratislava this place is the best for some actually good Slovak food dunajska.mestianskypivovar.sk/en/ - it's been approved by my parents and my grandma as well. Incidently you can get schnitzel and cucumber salad here too.
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Post by whollygoats on Dec 2, 2017 2:38:21 GMT
I'm sure I will find plenty to tempt my palate. Probably too much.
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Post by whollygoats on May 19, 2018 0:05:16 GMT
Okay....So a quick overview of where I went. For me, as much as for others.
We flew in to Bucharest, Romania, four days prior to our embarkation on the M.V. Concerto, of the Grand Circle Cruise Line. We explored on our own when we were actually awake and cognizant of the strange and interesting world around us through our jetlag induced haze.
On day five, we joined our group in the Bucharest Sheraton and got a more guided introduction to Bucharest.
On day six, we bused to Constanta, did the local tour and put our footies in the Black Sea. We boarded our ship and took stock of our accommodations.
On day seven, we embarked upon the canal and to the Danube proper, inland. Docked at Ruse and departed for Veliko Tarnovo and Arbanassi, Bulgaria.
The following day, we docked in Vidin, Bulgaria. Vidin tour, Baba Vida Castle, meet with local group building children's activities.
Day nine was sailing....through the Iron Gates gorge of the Danube. Watched the Carpathian Mountains slide by on the right, and the Balkans on the left.
Day ten was spent in Belgrade, Serbia. Tito Museum and a huge cathedral still in process.
The following day was spent in Novi Sad, Serbia. Walking tour of the garden city, followed by bus tour to Sremski Karlovci for wine and honey tasting.
Docked in Vukovar, Croatia, and toured Vukovar and Osijek, and participated in home visits with locals in the Osijek region.
Final two days included entering the schengen union, including passport face checks, docking in Budapest, a day, plus, guided to sites, and released to check in to our guesthouse.
Transitional apartment on Kiraly utca, one night.
Connection Guesthouse room, just out Kiraly 400 feet, for the remainder of the stay in Budapest, twelve nights.
We did Hero's Square, wandered the big city park, the Transylvanian castle in the park, the palace grounds, the Terror Museum, the Buda upper city and the Fisherman's Redoubt, St. Matthias, the Great and small synagogues. We shopped and ate at the Great Market and sampled at all sorts of restaurants (and bakeries). Swimmer did multiple spas, comparing and contrasting. Me? I did one, Szent Lukas Spa, after I returned from Krakow, sore from the salt mine visit; five hours of soaking and cavorting in the nozzles. I did Szent Istvan's basilika, the waterfront including the Parliment Building, and found Ronnie's statue (and George Washington, too!), and actually taxied out to the Aeropark Aviation Museum near the airport.
I took a sidetrip via mydaytrip.com to Krakow, Poland, where I did the moot thing with Genie and her boys on the Great Square. I also wandered the Old City, the Jewish Quarter, the Jewish Ghetto, and visited Schindler's factory. I spent half a day visiting the salt mines, which were awesome, but left me with sore leg muscles. I managed to taxi to the Polish Aviation Museum.
I passed through Slovakia, twice, on my way to and from Krakow. Had lunch in Donovely one direction, Banska Stiavanica the other.
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