For our last full day with the whole family before my Aunt Donna and Ron left for Paris, we headed up to the castle district for a lovely, sunny afternoon. The weather finally broke into some sunshine and we were able to explore Fisherman’s Bastion, Mátyás Templom and the National Gallery. We saw the wooden fixtures that will become the International Wine Festival this week, in addition to sitting at a little cafe for a cappuccino and water.
After the castle, we drove to Szentendre, which is an artsy town about 20 km north of the city. We explored a bit, did some shopping and had a gyro and strudel before returning to Budapest. At about 5 p.m we met at the Marriott where we enjoyed appetizers and drinks in the Executive Lounge, which has a gasp-inducing view of both sides of the river. As the sun set, the National Gallery and Citadel glowed amber and pink and it was the perfect last cocktail hour together in Budapest. That evening, a tour bus picked us up for our Budapest by Night tour, which highlights the best of the city’s nightscape, in addition to a great dinner accompanied by gypsy music and folk dancing. As you will see from the pictures, my Mom was pulled on stage by one of the dancers, with whom she gladly did the csarda dance to end the lovely night.
b u d a j e s t 