I recently had the chance to visit a new city, Budapest. It was never on my must visit list but now I can say that it should have been. With the World Synchronized Skating Championships being held there, it was the perfect opportunity to combine my favourite sport with some touristy things.
When we arrived, it was a quick walk to the terminal and luggage pick-up. Then we headed out to find our driver to the hotel. The driver was great and gave us a little history of the city and where to go and what to see. Once at the hotel, the staff was wonderful from the start, shout out to The Corinthia. The room was great and looked over one of the huge atriums of the hotel, just to feed by love of people watching. Since food is always on my mind it was a quick change and headed to dinner in the hotel.
The restaurant was a delight and I enjoyed a lovely mushroom soup followed by Paprika Chicken and decadent dessert. My first taste of a real Hungarian dish. I must say that overall I loved the food and the paprika in just about everything including the butter was delightful! I will be using paprika a lot more now.
As I felt like I was coming down with something I headed to bed pretty early that night in a half hearted attempt to fight the bug.
The next day held some adventures in and around the city. Heading up to the Castle district, we explored the old streets and the Palace. It of course wouldn’t be complete without a nice goulash for lunch. Side note, make sure you eat quickly or he will remove that plate before you can soak up all the deliciousness with the bread.
The evening consisted of getting a little lost on the way to the ice rink but with a little help we made it almost on time. For once the rink wasn’t freezing since it was in a convention center but no complaints here. Below are a few shots from the short program.
Saturday brought lots of knee pain and croaky voice. So all full of medicine I left the hotel to continue to explore, this time the Jewish quarter and a bit of the city center. If you know what that means, it means shopping. The streets are quaint and the little markets are very enticing. Again with an abundance of food!
Again time to head back to the rink for the long program. There were some great programs and of course some upsets with Russia taking home the gold.
All that cheering meant some dinner was in order. Es Bistro was yummy and the waiter even spoke French, a helpful point which meant less menu translating for the group. Running for the last metro we made it back to the hotel and I just about crashed, by now the effects of the Communications@Syracuse Immersion flu taking full hold of me and my knee swelling pretty nicely.
Sunday was our last morning so we took a stroll to the Basilica. Just in time for mass, it was lovely to see a service in another country and in such an amazing place.
Just afterwards we ran into traditional Hungarian dancers out in the square. It was a real treat to have this little glimpse into their culture. Their outfits are very intricate and colourful. A quick run to the Hero’s square and some photo ops and it was time to head back to the hotel to say good-bye to Budapest.
The city was truly lovely and the service everywhere was great. And most surprised by the courteous gentlemen that wait for women to pass first, hold doors, and give up their seats on the metro! Thumbs up from me. Although some buildings were a little grubby with years and years of dirt and history, the charm and culture were amazing. There is a really interesting atmosphere. There is still a lot to see in this lovely city and I hope that I can return in the future!
Natascha Happens... 
Sounds like a great place to visit. Thank you for the thorough review of your experience.