Ed and Annette's Excellent European Adventure: Frist day in Budapest

Our ride from Dresden to Prague on the midnight train was quite the experience. After we boarded, the "train dude" showed us to our first class 4' x 7' efficiency sleeper car. The bunks were made up and ready for us to bed down for the night. We were thrilled to have our own bathroom as I was expecting to have to go down the hall. (see pictures below) Ed was kind enough to take the top bunk (Beth had the top bunk in their car). They both indicated the next morning they feared falling a few times as the train rounded some sharp corners. I had hoped to be lulled to sleep by the movement but no such luck. Although I didn't sleep much, I was very comfortable and loved spending the almost nine hour ride in a horizontal position. I would totally do this again if given the opportunity.

I have to admit, upon arriving on the train I felt I had stepped back into the 1950's Soviet ruled country. The train station is very old, in desperate need of repair and has a very utilitarian feel to it. Stepping outside and into the Metro (subway) system still didn't change my mind. The first train was a little more modern, but the second train was a perfect example of what would be cast into a movie depicting an old communist country subway scene. Once we emerged from the underground to head to our hotel we noticed more modern buses/trams but it's hard not to feel repressed.

Our hotel is actually a two bedroom apartment on the top floor of a modern building nestled in with old apartments from the 50's. There is lots of space and a terrace that wraps the unit with a view of the whole city; good pick on this one Beth! We are one block down from a rather new area with office buildings and a giant shopping mall and one block the other way to the old historical structures of the city.

We walked through the new mall to check it out and headed out for some sightseeing. We went to St Steven's Basilica. This place is HUGE. It is located centrally to the old town area and has concerts typically in the evenings. Since it can sit up to 8,500 people I don't think you will ever feel crowded in this place. Once again, pictures don't do most of these old buildings (especially churches) justice.

A walk down the plaza from the church we arrived at the Chain Bridge on the Danube River. What a massive wide fast flowing river. From this vantage point we could soak in the size of this city and eagerly await exploring it. On one side is the ancient town of Buda, the other is the town of Pest; they joined in the 1800's to form this massive city. We walked along the river for 1-2 miles, saw the immense Parliament building before heading to a bus back to the apt. We are all wiped out so we got a baguette, cheese, salami, chips, chocolate and beer to sit and enjoy on our terrace for dinner.