Buda

We started the day by strolling the Vaci ut from the hotel to the Great Market Hall. (Think shopping Hungarian style). I thoroughly enjoyed this experience including bartering with the shopkeepers. I bought a traditional, handmade embroidered blouse and a couple of gifts for family. From the Market we saw the National Museum, Synagogue, and Parliament. We had a decent lunch at a cafe, then strolled across the chain bridge into Buda. Let me stop here and say that Budapest is a beautiful city and the views from Buda (west of the Danube) are phenomenal! We took the tram (bus) up to Castle Hill, because the funicular is being repaired (seems to be a theme here as everywhere you look things are being repaired or restored). We walked all over hilly Buda and saw the Hungarian National Gallery, the castle, the overlook, and several other museums. The photos from this afternoon may be some of the best of this trip. We were estimating how many miles we thought we had walked in the past week... Stacie suggested it might be equivalent to an entire Avon 3-day Breast Cancer walk ;) We plan to enjoy some much-needed R&R at the thermal baths tomorrow afternoon. But not before, seeing Pest on a Segway... Cheers!