Budapest control!

Andi was visiting Budapest in Hungary for a work conference and the rest of the crew had no plans for the preceding weekend so Andi booked some.

No-one had visited Hungary before now so it was an even playing field with language, culture and indeed a challenging currency exchange rate between the Forint (or HUF for short) and anything else.

On our way, here on the tram

Now at the airport

For the Goddard's it was such a late flight we caught most interesting sunset from the plane.

On arrival it was late in the day so we checked in to our Sofitel hotel suite and visited the concierge for some late dinner recommendations. We decided on a restaurant on one of the moored boats along the Danube and was not too far from the hotel.

The Spoon as a restaurant boat is located in the central spot of Budapest and you realize as soon as you enter and are reminded on exit.

The following day we hit the cathedral and toured the city in an open top bus to help decide which places were next on our to do list.

First the cathedral St. Stephen's Basilica.

Stunning views from above of the city and the square below.

Bus tour with headphones and commentary in various languages, one of which was English. Although one little person was having trouble with her speaker system. As you can see from the relevant shots on the bus. Did I give too much away here?

Heroes square was cool and so was the fountains with some memorial to people lost in the second world war. There was even a fence of baggage they had left behind. A truly eye watering moment when you think about the horrors those people had to endure.

One interesting place we found snacks food and some interesting art work dedicated to the world war I was just across the river Danube at Várkert Bazár and Bistro.

Indoor market was packed full of interesting foods and memorabilia for Budapest. Paul Bocuse meets flea market

When the kids played in one of the local parks we found refuge in the local hotel bar, the Ritz Carlton no less, where we could savor a fruity beverage while watching stinky kids get their wiggles out. Although eventually they discovered our secret hideout!

We also at Hayley's insistence visit the Budapest Eye.

On Margaret island we rented scooter-bikes and whizzed around the 5km of island trails like you wouldn't believe. Ryan and Hayley loved every second of it. You can tell by the amount of selfies Ryan was taking while he was the passenger.

The gardens were very pretty on Margaret island too.

We trolled past both sides of the Hungarian houses of parliament. The buildings were immaculate.