Budapest Pictures

I have been home for three weeks but I haven't gotten around to getting an update on here until now (jet lag is a very real thing). Budapest was a really nice adventure. I didn't know what to expect but it was a lot like the rest of Europe with cobble stone streets and outdoor cafes. We stayed in a really nice hotel right on the Danube River which seperates Buda and Pest, orginally two seperate cities. There are a lot of great architecture. Budapest has a very interesting and tuberlant history. It was has been occupied by the Romans, the Ottoman Empire, the Hapsburg Monarchy, and most recently Communist USSR until 1989. They are just now really blossoming economically with captialism. The people were friendly. We were able to visit an equestrian farm one day on the trip. The Hungarians really embrace an agricultural lifestyle outside of the major cities and horses and competition is a really big part of that. The food was overall good but they are crazy about paprika. They use it in about everything goulash of course, a spread for bread, in bread, and in soups and stews. Budapest is also a city of ancient baths so we checked out on the last day to make good use of the medicianal purposes. Our guide told us that insurance companies cover many spa visits and treatments a year. We also went to Vienna, Austria for a day which was neat. It is a much more glamourous city, very guilded. It is also the desert capital of the world so it's good that we only spent a day there! It was nice to spend some time with my mom. We did as much shopping as site seeing. It was also interesting to know how much American cutlure, economics, and politics affects everyone else in the world. Burger Kings, McDonalds, American music, and brands are all everywhere. Overall, it was a great trip but of course it is always good to come back home!