Bits and Pieces: Buda, Buda, Buda

First, let me say that Budapest was incredible. I didn't really have expectations, but I came back so refreshed and full of energy. Budapest was reconfirmation of my travel skills. I thought Nice might have done me in and I no longer had the touch after all of the transport issues, bad shoes, etc. But I've still got it - I just think the French le stink (although, Paris still has my heart).

I arrived in Budapest on Friday night around 6:30, unsure of what terminal I was in. I flew KLM out of Schiphol, which meant my weekly run through the airport was once again exciting and fun. I had ridden my bike to the train station with my backpack from work and realized that the train I intended to take was delayed 30 minutes due to engineering works. I grabbed the nearest slow milk run train to the airport and got there with 20 minutes before boarding closed. I proceeded to get very friendly with a security guard after setting off the alarm at security. She said I was a random selection, so lucky me. I think I get the fully pat down about 50% of the time, which means I've been rubbed down about 15 times this year. It's is a very personal pat down....why they need to find out what's in your bra is beyond me. I started pretending it's an uncomfortable massage. It's the only way to get through it.

After sprinting to my gate, I got my nice aisle seat and deciphered what my move was at the airport when I landed via my trusty RS guidebook. RS really out did himself on this trip....the book is excellent. So easy to follow and all of the recommendations were spot on. Other than....

When I landed, I couldn't figure out what terminal I was in, so I just grabbed the first cheapest option that RS recommended for transport to the city. That happened to be the airport shuttle. I purchased a round trip and found out I was at terminal 2. After we drove off, I saw that Terminal 1 looked like it was Soviet era and hadn't been used since the 1980s. It was completely grown over and desolate. RS missed on that one!

The shuttle was perfect though. It was relatively cheap ($10 USD each way) and was door to door service from hotel to airport. Can't beat that with a stick.

Hotel was Hotel Victoria which was by far the most fun room I've stayed in during my time here in Europe. Close second was the room on Trafalgar Square in London. But this was incredible. I went to bed watching the ships on the Danube going under the Chain Bridge and woke up to bright morning sunshine reflecting off the Danube. It doesn't get better than that.

I went to an RS recommended restaurant for dinner and had a hot date with a great book. Goulash was the recommendation from just about everything I read, so I gave it a shot. It was incredible - thinner than I expected, but it tasted like Mom's Chuckwagon soup at home. No idea why she calls it that, but it's great - the Goulash was almost exactly like that.