Budapest

We met up with our Dallas Parisians in Budapest over the Queens Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend.  Always good to see a familiar faces and travel with friends! We hit the ground running as soon as we got there and didn't stop for 3 days.  Luckily, we timed it perfectly...the weekend was full of wine, beer and music festivals scattered all over the city.

We started by touring Pest

 St Stephen's Basilica

 Parliament

A quick stop at the beer/music festival at Erzsebet ter Park.  We enjoyed the local beer, just couldn't pronounce it.

 And another stop at the wine festival- each little hut was a different vendor.  There were 23 in total, all from little Hungarian wine makers and growers.

 Dinner at the Wine Kitchen, which led to the below...

 ...not how we planned our 1st night in Budapest to end. The walnut bread gave Josh a run for the money.  Although it is safe to say, it definitely contributed to our LACK of hangover the next morning.

 

The next day we walked the high fashion streets of Pest...

 along the Danube...

 over the famous Szechenyi Chain/Lanchid Bridge (windy day)...

 and into the hilly Buda side of the city. 

 Buda Castle

 Exploring Castle Hill

 Matthias Church

Buda Castle

View of St Stephens Basilica and Parliament from the castle

We made a quick stop at the Hilton Hotel, tried to deflect the boys from any sports watching opportunities, and made our way into the castle walls where they have a wine cellar.

There were no openings at the Hilton, so we walked across the street to the 6th largest cellar in Europe, Hungarian World of Wines, and enjoyed a tour and 3 glasses for about $1.50.  Gotta love the prices!

 Back at the apartment, the boys found a way to sneak in an NBA game

 and then we were off to the Opera House to see Beauty & the Beast, in Hungarian

The next day we checked out Szechenyi baths- the first spa of Pest.  Made up of 15 thermal pools, dipping pools, heat chambers and saunas.  The building was built around the baths in 1913.

After another great meal at Fausto's, we met up with Chad's friend Zsuzsi and she took us on a never ending bar crawl that consisted of far to many palinkas (the flavored Hungarian shot).

Cheers to an amazing city with incredible history.

Stogners- another great trip for the books.  What's next?

Oxford, England

My Valentine's Day present from Josh was a trip back to my old stomping grounds of Oxford.  Nine years later, I still love everything about the lively college town!  We did a bit of sightseeing, visited some of my favorite old pubs and found some new favorites.  The best part is that the sun was shining all weekend, a huge difference from the months of September through December when I was there studying previously.

Before heading to Oxford on Saturday morning, we spent Friday night in London with Chad, who was over for work.

 A quick walk through Covent Gardens which was clearly prepared for the upcoming Bank Holiday of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee (feel free to insert a comment about Chad's awesome denim on denim look).

 Dinner at Sophie's

Saturday morning in Oxford

 Oxford Library

 Town Hall

 Lunch and a pint at the Turf Tavern- frequented often back in 2003

 The Bridge of Sighs

 Christ Church and the gardens surrounding it

During our walk to find a nice place to set up camp and read books in the gardens, we saw what appeared to be a massive tailgate along the river.  We followed the crowds, the loud music and cheering to discover the Oxford University boat races.

 It was like Fraternity/Sorority Row, made up of different rowing teams.

 And of course, we had to get a pitcher of Pimm's

 Dinner at Quod

 Pints at the oldest pub in Oxford- The Bear Inn. 

 Sunday morning lunch at The Head of the River.

Another successful weekend!