En-route to Budapest, Hungary from Prague, Czech Republic, we stopped in Bratislava, Slovakia for a quick lunch stop.  We had a fun waiter who really welcomed us to his country.  While we were eating, there was a small and loud procession of young kids walking down the market street. After we finished the lunch, it was back on the road to complete the journey to Budapest, Hungary.  

Shortly after arriving in Budapest and checking in at our hotel Maria, we toured Budapest with our guide Péter Forgács. He showed us the Parliament, Buda Castle, Castle Hill, Matthias Church, and the Chain Bridge over the Danube River.

Also included in the slides was a day trip to Szentendre and an overlook of the Bend of the Danube. Szentendre was a short 60-90 minutes drive from our hotel. It was a short day trip primarily focused on shopping and enjoying the country side.

At the end of this slide-show, you’ll see a series of panoramas at night. They were photographed from Gellért Hill, showing from left to right the Matthias Church, Buda Castle, Széchenyi Chain Bridge, Danube Promenade and the Parliament.  It was quite a hike up Gellért Hill, and coming down was also an adventure as the walkway was completely dark and unlit.  I was just waiting for a band of thieves to jump out at me!