Summer Travels: Budapest

Back in late winter we had planned a trip to Prague and Budapest for mid-June.  We found really cheap airfare and nice places to stay.  Unfortunately, our trip was scheduled about the same time as the flooding in that region of Europe and we had to reschedule the trip.  Lesson #1: Travel Insurance.  We will now purchase travel insurance for most of upcoming plans.  It cost a lot of money to rearrange flights and re-book apartments.  In the end, we decided to split the trip in 2 and add an additional city (country). We recently spent time in Budapest and Vienna and will visit Prague later this fall.

Budapest:
At the end of July we left Liverpool, England and headed for Bratislava, Slovakia.  We then hopped a train for Budapest, Hungary.  Our time in Budapest was a mixed bag.  It was hotter than we are used to now and walking around a city in 90+ heat was a bit uncomfortable.  We lost an entire day to complaining, whining and down right refusal to get shoes on and leave the apartment. The boys were running ahead and I think Brady nearly got hit by a car twice.  It was very stressful.  Sigh.  It's a real shame.  What I saw of Buda and Pest was beautiful.  It was unique compared to other places we have been.  There were brass statues all over the city.  It became a game in my head to spot them.  Had I not been on the verge of melting down myself, I may have shared the game with the kids. :) My favourite was Ronald Reagan.  Visit a former communist country and see a statue of a former American president in a park. Very cool.   Budapest also has a ton of water features throughout the city. Some for drinking, some for watching, some for washing, all a pleasant surprise. Liberty Square had an interactive water feature. As you walked closer the spouts dropped down.  In theory, you could enter the centre of the fountain without getting wet.  Of course, in the heat there were several children, running around having a blast with it.

Hello, Mr. President

Water show

We spent a day walking around the Castle District and Buda.  We walked across the Chain Bridge and rode the funicular to the top.  Another first for us.   The Gallery, Fisherman's Bastion and St. Matthias Church were all amazing.  Unfortunately, it was another scorching day and the kids weren't really having it. We did an underground labyrinth that started off as fun and ended up freaking Collin out. We had planned to spend our final day in Budapest on Margaret Island and it was the best decision we made all week. The island itself is just beautiful.  I mean, seriously, an island in the middle of the Danube that serves as a park.  Very little traffic, since there is limited access for vehicles.  I think, but am not certain, that only public transport is allowed on the island.  Personally, I was disappointed that it was so hot and I chose not to run.  There is track that runs the entire perimeter of the island.  A runner's dream.  I teared up a little when I saw it.  We did however, make it to the baths on the island.  The kids loved it.  Pools of all shapes, sizes and temperatures.  It was the best part of the trip.  I sat in a thermal bath in the 90 degree heat and soaked it all in.  As a bonus, we caught the musical fountain on our way off the island and the kids thought it was the best thing ever. I admit, it was Awesome.

In the castle District.  That pink speck is me.

View of Pest from the funicular.

The food in Hungary is delicious, but heavy.  Not exactly the kind of food you want to be eating in the heat, but yummy, none the less.  Of course, the chicken paprikas and langos are to die for.  We also had a lot of really fantastic gelato.  ;-)

 I think I'll save Vienna for another day.

Travel with My Kids: What I've learned

I need to write a post about our actual time in Budapest and Vienna, but today I just wanted to share a list of things that seem to be inevitable when I travel with my kids.

Ugh.

1. Very few things are fun in 95 degree heat.
2. There will be complaining.  A LOT of complaining.  "It's too hot."  "Are we there?."  "How far, long, hot is    it?"
3.  There will be more sibling fighting than at home.
4.  No one eats or sleeps enough.
5.  We may not see a vegetable for days.
6.  I will, at some point, become a very unsuccessful dictator.
7.  Complaints will arise about the food, lack of English speaking TV and missing video games.
8.  Someone will have or nearly have a toilet accident.  It is most likely NOT the 3 year old.
9.  One or more child will decide he/she doesn't want to do something, drag their feet and cause us to miss our scheduled activity.
10. It is very likely someone will fall asleep at an inconvenient time and melt down later.

 Yay.

1. Coloring books, activity books and crayons are great for planes and trains.
2.  Mad Libs work. (Waiting at restaurants, airports, for a movie)
3.  Bribing with gelato also works.
4.  Handing out lollipops during descent and landing is genius.
5.  When flying a budget airline with a family, Priority boarding is worth the extra expense.
6.  Someone will surprise you with good behaviour and/or appreciation of something historical or cultural.
7.  A horse and carriage tour will generally make my kids smile.
8.  Water parks and public baths ARE fun in 95 degree heat.
9.  We will take longer to get around, but might see things we would have missed otherwise.
10. Even if they complain the whole trip, when we get home they will continually discuss the cool things they did and share this information with strangers they meet.

I guess they are getting something out of it.  However, I'm looking forward to some kid free trips.  :)  Dublin or Bust!