October 6 Budapest

Breakfast is the three of us at the hotel...same song different verse. We then sash shay down to the Metro station and buy a one week pass which allows fare free travel on any public transportation..street car, bus, subway, ferries etc..It cost 4950 Hungarian Florins which is about $18.00 US dollars.

The five us take a tram, and then a bus, up to the Castle Hill District

where the presidential palace and St. Matias church reside. The church is the most ornate we have seen on this trip. It was occupied by the Moors for a couple of hundred years and you can clearly see their influence in the interior and decorations. I am just going to post a bunch of pictures because I can not do it justice with my limited vocabulary. It is a busy place with brides posing in their wedding gowns, and lots of young people wanting their pictures in front of the church. The weather is beautiful.

On the grounds of the presidential palace we witness the changing of the guard along with a procession of people with period correct costumes marching through and playing drums and a bagpipe-like instrument made out of a cow's stomach (I think cow). It is interesting and there is a dude in a red jacket in the procession with enough mustache for about six normal men. It is pretty crowded with looky loos, but not too bad.

We stroll down a back street and find a place to eat somewhat less congested than the area right around the church. I have goulash, Mike has soup and salad, Carroll has goose liver salad as does Shirley and Kay has a dish of pancake like thing stuffed with chicken (it kind of looked like a chicken burrito). Once again good food and not too expensive.

Taking the bus on the steep ride from the top of the hill to down by the river we see the marathon. Lots of people running and the streets are all jammed up because they have traffic blocked and the pedestrians can not cross the streets because of the runners. Saturday was a half marathon and today, Sunday, is going to be a full marathon, probably even more of a mess.

After our "normal" happy hour back at our hotel we walk down to the restaurant recommended by the bartender. It is a fancy place and in a building that has been converted from an old church. I have duck, Shirley has some mushroom pasta, Carroll has chicken, Kay has pork wrapped in bacon and Mike had goulash soup. Good grub.

Tomorrow we are going to meet Mike and Kay at their Catholic church at 6pm and then go to their apartment for supper. Will be an interesting day.

3.8 miles and 9,772 steps today...almost the same as yesterday.