Day 1 - Sunday, April 30, 2017 - Amsterdam and Budapest

We arrived in Amsterdam right on time at 7:30 and got through immigration fairly quickly. Ginny had arranged for us to use the airport lounge as our connecting flight wasn't until 11:30. This was a more comfortable place to spend the time, with comfortable seats and complimentary food and drinks. I had another chance to use the shiatsu massage chair which is quite intense, giving a vigorous massage while showing soothing videos and playing relaxing music. Amy and I really enjoyed using it when we traveled through Amsterdam last year.

The flight to Budapest was fairly short and smooth. We were met at the airport by Szofia who was our tour guide for the next three days. We are staying at the Budapest Hilton which is on the top of the Buda hill overlooking the Danube. Interestingly, when the ground was being excavated for the Hilton in 1976, they found the ruins of a 13th century cloister that had been covered for centuries. The lower level of the Hilton has a reproduction of the original cloister and some of the stonework that was uncovered - very interesting.

Originally, Buda and Pest were cities on opposite sides of the Danube. Buda was established as the capitol when Hungary was formed by 7 tribes in the year 896. Buda is on the top of a very steep hill overlooking the Danube while Pest is on a very flat plain formed by the movement of the Danube over time.

Our location couldn't be more convenient, with the Hilton adjacent to St. Mattias Church and the Fisherman's Bastion and only a few minutes walk from the old palace and castle. After unpacking, Carmen and I went across the street to a small cafe and had a beer on the plaza overlooking St. Mattias. We were fortunate to have a beautiful sunny afternoon although a bit chilly at around 60 degrees. The Fisherman's Bastion is a fascinating stone structure overlooking the Danube that has 7 low towers in the shapes of yurts, symbolizing the 7 nomadic tribes that came together in 896. It is called the Fisherman's Bastion because the guild of fishermen was responsible for defending this side of the city.
Having a Hungarian pretzel on the Fisherman's Bastion

Fisherman's Bastion with Hilton and St. Mattias in the background

I took the historic "funicula" (cable car) down to the bottom of the hill and an energetic walk back up to the top to get 10,000 steps in on my Fitbit.

For dinner, we all met at a nearby restaurant for a delicious dinner of traditional Hungarian food and wine. It was almost 10pm by the time we got back to the hotel and we were ready to collapse into bed after a long day - 30 hours since we left Woodstock.

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