Budapest had a noticably different flavor from Vienna – uniquely beautiful and full of character. Despite forgetting our change at a train ticket booth and getting lost on our way to the hotel, we quickly adapted to the new environment. Lunch was at nearby Horgasztanya, where the hot, flavorful catfish soup put smiles on our faces. Refueled, we strolled along the Danube to the Chain Bridge, then took a funicular up the hill to the top of the castle district of Buda. Our walking tour took us past the Hungarian National Gallery and Budapest History Museum to Matthias Church. Here, massive scaffolds concealed some of the roof tile mosaics, but the intricate interior decor was breathtaking. We then experienced the fine art of bathing at Szechenyi Baths, where we soaked away our stress and fatigue in a variety of whirlpools, Roman baths, and saunas. Our post-bathing hunger was satiated with an all-you-can-eat Hungarian buffet, which allowed us to sample many different but indifferently-prepared classic Hungarian dishes. Day two began in bustling Central Pest, where we were bedazzled by the Art Nouveau architecture of the Posta Takarekpenztar, the former post office savings bank, and Gresham Palace, now a Four Seasons Hotel. At St. Stephen’s Basilica, we gawked with the crowds at the mummified hand of the first king of Hungary, for which the cathedral was named. Even more impressive was the Parliament building, where a guided tour allowed us to explore its elegantly gilded interior. After some fozelek and palacsinta for lunch, we tiptoed through the House of Terror, which despite sounding like a carnival freak show was actually a depressing exhibit about the Hungarian victims of the Fascist and Communist dictatorial regimes. But Melody brightened up with a trip to the Zoo Budapest, where we petted noisy goats, fed hungry hippos, and frightened a lethargic lion. For dinner, we shared a platter of venison, wild boar, and pheasant that neither of us could finish. We spent our last full day shopping along Vaci utca, using up our remaining fiorints on a scarf, a vase, and some paprika and saffron. A brief detour to the Museum of Applied Arts provided us another chance to admire Budapest’s architecture. We wrapped up the evening with some night photos and yummy crepe-like palacsintas at Nagyi Palacsinta (“Granny’s Pancakes”). On our final morning, we squeezed in the last tastes of Budapest before our flight home – freshly baked retes and a big bar of marzipan.

We began our fall vacation in the land of classical music and schnitzel, where the word wiener meant more than a hot dog, but a city’s identity. After checking in to our hotel, we set out for our first taste of wiener schnitzel. The thin crispy veal accompanied by apple sauce and sour cream was delicious and surprisingly filling. We walked it off with a brisk runthrough of Stephansdom and a survey of Vienna’s ancient armor, musical instruments, and imperial jewels at the Neue Burg Museums and Schatzkammer. Exhausted, we turned in early, but awoke early the next day for breakfast at Café Sperl. Our first taste of the famous sachertorte was not what we expected – apricot jam in a chocolate cake? Seriously? We spent the rest of the morning seeing the Naschmarkt come to life and admiring the intricate façade of Majolikahaus. We also joined the crowds for the morning exercises at the Spanish Riding School. After having our fill of equine ballet, we hopped across to the Hofburg, which recounted the lives of the Hapsburg monarchy, particularly that of Princess Sisi. The long morning made us very hungry when we arrived at the Gulasch Museum for lunch – so hungry, in fact, that we ate a horse … goulash. In the afternoon we immersed ourselves in music – first at Mozarthaus, where the composer spent three years of his life, and then at a funky interactive museum called the Haus Der Musik, where we learned about the mechanics of sound and conducted a digital orchestra. After such a productive day, we treated ourselves to tea and cake at Café Diglas and pricey seafood at Lobsterdock. The next morning, we went to Schonbrunn Palace before opening hours to explore its neatly-groomed gardens, reminiscent of our chilly visit to Versailles. Leaving just when the tourists were arriving, we returned to the city for a tram around the Ringstrasse. On the way to lunch at a local biesl, we stopped for a lesson in psychoanalysis at the Freud Museum and anatomy at the Josephinum. The afternoon was spent playing with the free interactive exhibit inside the Parliament and hanging out at the Rathaus. Although the building was devoid of rodents, it gave us a backstage peek of a visiting circus. A well-deserved nap prepared us for an evening at the Konzerthaus, right across the street from our hotel. After enjoying some Hayden, Bach, and of course, Mozart, we snacked on toasty bratwurst from a street stand and apfelstrudel from a cafe. An early train took us out of Vienna the next morning, bound for our next destination.