funniest memory from our trip & some of our stops in Budapest

Coach and I saw so much in our 8 days abroad. Ed was an excellent tour guide. 

Awesome tour guide along with a
family in the background
 that was on our tour. 

* After our tour of the parliament building (without Ed, who was in class. He's done the tour more than once with visitors), we met Ed and did a free walking tour of the castle district. Beautiful.

* We had dinner that night with two of Ed's new friends. One is from Sweden and one is from Norway. They were very nice young men. Both a few years older than Ed, graduate studies. We so enjoyed talking to them about where they've been, how many languages they speak, their cultural differences from where they were from, and their different overall experiences. 

One of bazillion beautiful
churches that we saw.
I believe this is one
in the castle district.

* They were very taken aback when we paid for the meal, but we insisted. Later they texted Ed to say that was not how it would've been done in their home countries, but after thinking about it they felt it was very kind. 

* I was trying hard to engage in the dinner conversation and I didn't want to be a fussy dinner companion, so I asked few questions before I ordered my meal. Well. Everyone enjoyed their food so  much and my duck was awful. So awful. One of the worst meals ever. I was dying for a floss stick, and a plate of food. I was so hungry after eating. 

Not my meal.

* In order to get to the dinner that night, we had to take a bus without Ed. We were meeting him. Let's just say, I lost Coach in the shuffle of trying to look for a bus and I had no phone. He had the one functioning phone that we were using. It was frightening. This is the beginning of my EXTREME frustration with Google maps, and Coach's obsession with it. I could SEE that buses with the number 33 were stopping just up the street, but Coach was in full-on hero-worship of Google maps. He insisted that Google was sending him in another direction. Anyway, we were only separated from one another for a few minutes. I feared that he'd hopped on the bus thinking I was right behind him and I had no way of contacting him. 

Shoes next to the Danube River to
remember the Jews who
were shot there during World War II. 

* After dinner, Ed took us to the ruin bars. Very interesting, unique bars made from the ruins of buildings that were about to be demolished. The bar owners add quirky furniture or odd pieces like a bike or a car or a large owl and the space takes on a unique aesthetic. My companions enjoyed trying various beers. Celiac disease means I can't drink beer, not sure if you knew that. No worries, I miss sheet cake and my favorite cereal more than beer. I sometimes had a glass of wine, but jetlag was still making me sleepy so I often just listened to them critique their choices. 

This is the wrong side. Unimpressed, note
the gates around the top
because of construction.

* On the 3rd day in Budapest, 

(tempting to sing  . . .  MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO ME) we went to Gellert Hill to hike. It was supposed to have great views. Ed told us to get off the bus or taxi and walk up the hill. Well, we were dropped off around the corner and couldn't quite see where to go. Don't get me started on the failings of Google maps/ a certain someone's reliance on Google maps. We ended up walking around the back side of the hill. The very top was under construction and we were like HUH. THAT WAS IT? And started to walk down, but then I spotted people taking a different path. Thank goodness because we almost missed the whole thing. No views to speak of from the backside. The front of the hill had gorgeous views. 

* This marks one of our favorite laughs on the trip. A couple asked us to take their photo with their phone. SURE, NO PROBLEM. I'm not sure what country they were from - Italy? Spain? they had dark complexions, but let's just say they do things different in their home country. The woman handed me her phone, sat down next to her beau on the little brick ledge, looked at me for a nanosecond and then faced her beau and proceeded to suck his face off. 

My computer has decided to be opposed
to cropping so you are left with this
creepy image. You can wonder if we
 are actually making out like
crazy. I'm not one to kiss and tell.
This is the view we almost missed.

Me (completely caught off guard, and sort of mumbling the following-  quietly):  OH, UM. OK THEN. SURE. OH, MORE. YOU . . . UM . . . OK, A FEW MORE PHOTOS WHILE FACING THAT WAY TOO THEN. WELL, I THINK WE'VE GOT IT. VERY GOOD. YOU'RE GONNA LOVE THESE. REAL KEEPERS. 

* They offered to take our photo next, and I'm sure they were confused by our lack of public display of affection. We were giggling so much, and oddly enough chose to look at the camera rather than into one another's eyes. Our tongues remained in our mouths while we posed. Personal preference, I guess.

* Ed showed us around the market which is right next to his college buildings. THIS IS WHERE I BUY AN APPLE EVERY DAY. THIS BOOTH HAS THE BEST . . . etc. I was missing my morning protein shake, so we ordered a fruit smoothie from a little stall. Um. Room temperature, no yogurt or anything, just fruit. Still drank it, but coulda used a little chill, if you ask me. 

The market.

* When we crossed the street to the market, Ed took my hand. He held my hand as he showed us around. It was very sweet.

Later that afternoon, we met Ed and the 3 of us hopped on a train to Vienna. The Vienna airbnb was also nice and also in a prime location, well done me. There was something that interfered with my sleep, in Vienna. Feel free to take a guess. I was kept awake by this thing, and I was not even sure what it was. Initially I thought it was a washing machine in the above apartment. Now I've completely thrown you off track.