In Budapest, we are staying with friends who live here. This week we have been taking trips with several of the family members that we have known for years and have often been our travel companions. Here are a few things we’ve done:
Budapest (pronounced Budapesht)
Matthias Church. This is a gothic cathedral unlike any we’ve seen. The interior architecture is relatively simple, but nearly every interior surface has stenciling and other decorative painting.
One morning, Susie and I joined a walking tour of Budapest. The city is actually two different cities. The older city of Buda, and just across the river is Pest. Hungarians built Pest in the late 1800’s as a celebration of 1000 years of the Hungarian people living in this region. It has been a difficult 1000 years with many lost battles and occupying forces (Mongolians, Ottoman empire, Hapsburg rule, Austro-Hungarian Empire, Nazi Germany, Soviet Union). Hungarians achieved an independent democratic country with the fall of the Soviet Union 30 years ago. Still, large amounts of traditionally Hungarian land (and Hungarian people) were split off and given to neighboring countries after WW I and WW II.
After gaining freedom from the Soviet Union, the Hungarians gathered up all the Soviet-era statues and put them in a statue park outside of town. The Russians insisted on one Soviet monument to remain standing in a downtown square. In response the Hungarians invited the Americans to place their embassy in a commanding building overlooking the monument, with statues of Ronald Reagan and George Bush looking on.
Statue of Atilla Jozsef, Hungarian poet 
US Embassy 
Statue to Ronald Reagan 
Pest main market 
Horse show 
“Shoes on the Banks of the Danube”
Szentendre is a town about 40 minutes north of Budapest lying on a bend in the Danube river. Restaurants and artisan shops line the cobblestone streets. Once again, due to Covid there were not many tourists so the streets seemed relatively empty.
Hand embroidery work
Slovenia
Three days in Slovenia was not enough. Ljubljana castle overlooks the city. We had lunch at a nearby Slovenian restaurant that serves traditional Slovakian cuisine: Dumplings (savory and sweet), stews and soups. Some of the savory dumplings were quite good and all the sweet dumplings were all good.
We spent a morning at a the Ljubljana farmer’s market (oddly quiet, with few tourists), hiked through the Vintgar Gorge, and enjoyed the views and lunch at Bled Castle. Lake Bled is just below the castle. The lake is beautiful with an island in the middle of the lake and a church on the island. This is probably the most photographed landscape in Slovenia.
Outside of Ljubljana is the Postojna Cave and the Predjama Castle. The cave is huge and beautiful and a constant 50 F and 98% humidity. The visit begins and ends with a 15 minute ride in a miniature train. The castle is unique as it is built into mountain.
Slovenia is a beautiful country with forested mountains and charming towns. Susie and I plan to go back in a few days (just the two of us) to do some day hikes in the Lake Bled region.
Next up: A bit more Hungary then back to Slovenia!
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