The group arrived safe & sound this morning - despite a late departure from Washington D.C & thus a very tight window of time in Paris. They were met off their flight from the USA & guided/raced to their connecting plane!
Upon arrival into Budapest a short breakfast break was taken at the airport, then it was straight into our sightseeing...
First stop was a visit to Memento Park, where communist era statues & memorials have been collected to remember this dark era of Hungarian (& indeed Eastern European history).
From Memento Park we headed to our hotel, crossing the Danube & enjoying great views over the twins cities on either side, hilly Buda & flat Pest.
Despite our early arrival we were able to check-in quickly to our excellent hotel, the Nemzeti, before having a couple of hours to relax, freshen-up, grab a bite to eat or even sample the local beer!
Meeting-up again late afternoon, most of the group headed out to begin exploring the city.
We began by learning how to use the efficient & safe metro system, riding the rails two stops to Deak Ferenc Ter station.
From Deak Ferenc Ter we strolled through Ezseber Ter, enjoying the almost festive atmosphere on this Sunday afternoon, with people eating & drinking with friends, sitting on the grass, shopping a craft market, dangling their feet in the pond, etc.
We made our way past St Stephen's Basilica & on towards the Danube Embankment.
The views along the Danube are expansive & impressive. On the Buda side the view stretches from the Hotel Gellert, past the hilltop Liberation Monument & Citadella, on past the enormous Royal Palace, & finally to the Matthias Church & Fishermen's Bastion - all with the Chain Bridge in the foreground.
On the Buda side the views include grandiose buildings such as the massive Parliament building & poignant memorials such as the Holocaust Memorial, 50 empty pais of shoes symbolizing the countless Hungarian Jews murdered during the Second World War by both the Nazis & the Hungarian Arrow Cross regime.
Dinner this evening was in the small Rose Restaurant. The food was wonderful, the music delightful, the atmosphere convivial, & the singing... awful!!! But memorable!
A great first evening & we all headed to bed very late but hopefully to sleep well.
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