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Notes and Observations from Budapest - Part 1

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We've been here about 10 days. Here are a few observations.  Public Transportation  We have been getting around exclusively on public transportation, no taxis or Ubers. This consists of trams that run on tracks around the city and in a couple of cases, point-to-point. Subways - there is an extensive subway system that serves both the inner city and radiates out to the suburbs. For everything else, there are buses, buses and buses.  One of the older trams that runs along the Danube And one of the newer trams. Have you ever had that fleeting wish to just jump on a subway and ride? Something a kid would do or a couple of septuagenarians.  One beautiful thing for us is that all of these are free for seniors over 65. Both residents and non-residents (including foreigners,) ride for free. Thank goodness they don’t call us seniors. They call us pensioners here which is just as bad! But the benefits... and planning your trip is easy with either Google Maps or the BudapestGo ...
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An Introduction to Budapest - Zsuzsa and Malcolm Style

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  Tony Bennett may have left his heart in San Francisco, but our hearts belong to Budapest!  Our first trip to Budapest was in the spring of 2001, exactly 25 years and 1 month ago. Hungary had come out from under communist control only 10 years earlier and was a fledgling country trying to find its way. Our train rolled in from Salzburg and stopped at the border-checkpoint to pick up some armed border patrol officers. They walked through the train checking passports and not showing any smiles. The train was an older multi-cabin car that had seen its better days. We arrived in Budapest knowing that the place was different than anywhere we had ever been. Susanne’s unique history with Hungary made it so. This was also our first trip outside to an emerging country. Traveling with our then 18-year-old son, our minds were open. In the intervening years, a lot has happened. We've gotten 25 years older. Hungary had drifted into an autocratic society and now Orban has just been voted o...
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Zagreb - Time to Chill

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The word of the day is organizing. We’ve been moving fast and just needed a day to slow down. Our original plans did not include Zagreb but as things changed along the way, we discovered that the best way to get to Budapest from Slovenia, was via Zagreb. So we added a full day in Zagreb. But these changes came on the road where we have been busy enjoying life and we didn't take our time to plan our stop. We just didn’t give Zagreb all the time she deserved. Some of the things we know we missed were: The Museum of Broken Relationships - doesn't that sound interesting - 50 ways to leave your lover Visit Mirogoj cemetery - I know it sounds morbid but it is one of the most beautiful in Europe Track down the Zagreb solar system - a replica of our solar system, with appropriately-sized planets across the the town. It would have been fun to chase them down. Watch the cannon fire at Lotrscak Tower We were never really able to get a good sense of direction about Zagreb. Our trip from th...
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