Back from Buda!

We're back from Budapest and what a wonderful time it was! Budapest is a fantastic city that is clean, has great shopping, and is full of history. It was so good to get out of Sofia for a few days and just have a little travel time. We missed our families very much on Thanksgiving day, but it was great to hear their voices. It felt like Thanksgiving with the snow falling and the Christmas season already apparent in the stores around us. Here are the highlights:
Day One: We arrived early and luckily they had one hotel room open, so all of us (Derek, Jen, Pete and I) piled on to one bed and took a little siesta. After that we walked around Castle Hill. There were very cute little shops and a beautiful church right across the street. We picked up a few souvenirs and then headed into to the Pest side for dinner.
Day Two: We went to the synagogue on the Pest side. It's the second largest synagogue in Europe and it is gorgeous. In the back there is a tree that looks like a willow tree. On each leaf there is a name of a Hungarian who was killed in the Holocaust. What a moving experience. Once again you are reminded of how cruel the world can be, but also, the resilience of the human spirit. After we left the synagogue we planned to go to the Terror Museum (another Holocaust memorial), but along the way we ran into some shops so we decided to shop for a while. Down one of the streets we ran into a Christmas bizarre. There were arts and crafts, mulled wine, and a huge Christmas tree. We had so much fun walking around and ended up staying for a really long time.
Day Three: We went to the Grand Market Hall where they sell fruits, vegetables, meat, and spices. It's a gigantic place. Upstairs there are little shops that sell arts, crafts, and souvenirs. After we left, Pete and Derek went to a hot springs bath in a hotel across the street. This was the one thing Pete really wanted to do and I think the boys had a really good time. Jen and I opted out of this event and decided to go to a cafe and drink coffee. After the bath we had a good dinner at a Chinese restaurant. (There was a lot of eating good food this weekend - You would think we are starving in Sofia!)
Day Four: Our plane didn't leave until 2:30 in the morning so we had a day to walk around the city. We finally made it to the Museum of Terror, which is quite an experience. The museum is located in the former head quarters of the Nazi party in Hungary, which became the headquarters of the Hungarian secret police after WWII was over. Lots of truly horrible things happened there. The exhibit is very moving and very well done. After it was over, we walked around the city and decided to have one last meal before we headed to the land of "not-so-good" food and restaurants. In true American style, we went to TGIFridays for a burger. What a treat!
We arrive home at 5:00am yesterday and needless to say, it was a tough day. Luckily I got a good night's sleep last night and I am ready to get to work today. I have around 15 more letters to write in the next two weeks, but hopefully we can take some solace in the fact that there are only three more weeks until another vacation.
Happy Holiday season everyone! We love and miss you!!!