Budapest, Hungary -- 2013-09-11

We spend our first day wandering Buda, never made it to the Pest side today. Buda Castle district and the Labrinth are well worth a visit!

The "Spy Museum" is not worth the price for a guided tour through waxworks (stories of spies over the years), though the last couple rooms with actual radios and encryption and decryption machines could have been fun to spend more time with, if we could have taken pictures. A real Enigma machine!

We also visited the Museum of Military History, wow it's huge and VERY well done, with many of its exhibits translated into english. Great history of Hungary. Labrinth is also a great place to visit, there's not a whole lot of things to see but it's amazing to see 1km of interconnected underground tunnels and cellars.

 
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  Morning started out foggy and chilly. Yet, more gorgeous views. Stone lions at the "Chain Bridge". The bridges connecting Buda and Pest are beautiful in their own right. Cool statue up there above the Funicular (steep cable railway). We're heading up there first... Looking back at the Chain Bridge.

 
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  Funicular. It's pretty short so we're just going to climb the stairs. Buda Castle is up here. Partway up looking down the funicular. Interesting translation "Video Controlled Area"...

 
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  Changing of the guard.

 
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  Heaven for Bob... WC isn't free but the WiFi is!

 
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  Mid-morning hang at this Panorama Cafe near Buda Castle overlooking the river. Chill wind blowing tho, the cafe has blankets over the chairs. Sue wraps up. Keith "never say brrrr" Bob wraps up tight too from the wind.

 
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  Mmmm hot tea. Colds are still raging so hot and lemon and honey are welcome! Sue in her happy place. Music being played in the cafe. Great place to hang out! Keith sitting on the edge.

 
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  Bob and Sue at Buda Castle. Gorgeous area. Buda Castle

 
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  Interesting old wall juxtaposed with a brand new steel/glass building. Yet another gorgeous church, tho this one is just a bell tower. Keith

 
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  Hang out at lunch Gorgeous view at this lunch cafe. Worth a visit to the Labrinth! Amazing how far down it is below ground, and how large it is. Wax figures in the labrinth. Awesome music is playing to fit the period and ambiance.

 
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  Low ceilings... dark... creepy :-) Then fascinating info about the building materials used back then. Tons of info about Dracula Cool info about architecture!

 
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  Hidden in dark corners, electrical boxes for the area. Labrinth was originally a mix of natural caves and man-made wine cellars, joined together and enlarged over the centuries. Mix of natural and man-made walls here. Maze on the floor, just for fun.

 
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  Large theatre History of the area.

 
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  Coming up out of the Labrinth. Labrinth entrance is a couple stories down. Ticket to the Labirintus. 2000 HUF (Hungarian Florins) is about $9 US. Back outside. Nearly sunset now!

 
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  Dinner at an awesome restaurant (Vigado) just north of our hotel Art Hotel, (Buda side just north of the funicular). Broccoli stuffed chicken. Chicken and veggies. Veggie crepe with amazing smoked cheese sauce. Great saying Vigado Restaurant - huge portions, not too expensive. Great food!

 
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  Etteren means restaurant

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