Lazy afternoon in Brighton

We recently took a day trip out to Brighton, and had an absolutely lovely afternoon exploring this charming little beach town.  We even got to enjoy some sunshine on the shore, lucky us!  The center of town is so much fun, as it's mostly made up of winding pedestrian-only lanes, lined with shops, restaurants, etc.  So glad we finally made it out here!

Budapest

If I HAD to choose a favorite city from our Easter trip, I think Budapest would be the one.  Nothing beats the breathtaking views of the city at night while cruising up and down the Danube.  As Rick puts it, it's "a grand city that's bathed in floodlights."

Castle Hill - Royal Palace & Matthias Church:

Royal Palace:

We happened to arrive just in time to see the President of Bulgaria arrive at the Royal Palace.  It was quite the ordeal...the red carpet was rolled out and everything!

Dad walking alongside a soldier after the ceremony to welcome the President

Turul Bird - this mythical bird of Magyar folktales supposedly led the Hungarian migrations from the steppes of Central Asia in the ninth Century; a symbol of Magyar pride

Matthias Church - Matthias was the last Hungarian King:

Fishermen's Bastion surrounding Matthias Church - in the Middle Ages, the fish market was just below here, so it was guarded by fishermen

Gellert Hill

Chain Bridge - main bridge connecting Buda & Pest over the Danube:

Hungarian Parliament (inspired by London's!):

St. Istvan's Basilica - the actual "holy right hand" of St. Istvan remains in the church on display - no joke:

Ronald Reagan statue!

Hungarian Gypsy music night!

After our cruise down the Danube, we enjoyed a traditional Hungarian meal right on the river - with these guys entertaining us throughout the entire evening.  They were so good, that we left there with not one, but TWO of their CDs...suckers?  

Szechenyi Baths:

Grant and I are such pasty Londoners now!  I think a beach trip is in order ASAP...

The last supper...enjoying some of Budapest's finest seafood, which included carp (aka bottom feeders)!  Carp is surprisingly very popular in Budapest, and in Europe in general...I don't think we're convinced after this meal, but hey, at least we tried it!  

Grant and I (tearfully) said goodbye to my parents, then we were off to enjoy one last day in Budapest:

Wine and pizza for lunch - our favorite!

Heroes' Square - built in 1896 to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of the Magyars' arrival in Hungary

1956 Monument - celebrates the historic uprising against the communists (a giant statue of Stalin used to stand on this site)

New York Cafe - originally built in 1894 as part of the "New York Palace" - the fanciest "cafe" I have ever seen!

Our 9 days in Eastern Europe were truly amazing, but definitely eye-opening as well.  There is just SO much to do and SO much history to soak in - it's absolutely fascinating.  Until we meet again! 

Vienna & Bratislava

Vienna is like the Paris of "Eastern Europe" - an absolutely beautiful city, with lovely architecture.

Enjoying our first Vienna sausage!

St. Stephen's Cathedral:

View from St. Stephen's Cathedral Tower:

Dinner at Griechenbeisl - the oldest restaurant in Austria...an amazing, traditional, Austrian feast!

Hofburg - complex of palaces where the Hapsburg emperors lived:

Mozart Statue

Spanish Riding School...home of the Lipizzaner stallions (we accidentally snuck into the riding school...oops!):

Schonbrunn Palace (Hapsburg summer residence):

A night at the Opera:

Champagne before the Opera!

Sacher-Torte after the Opera - the world's classiest chocolate cake (two layers of cake separated by apricot jam and covered in dark-chocolate icing) - delicious!

Bieber happened to be in Vienna as well...this was the scene outside of his hotel (the Sacher Hotel) throughout our entire stay...craaaazy, annoying fans!  Don't they realize he's going to sneak out the back?!

Vienna Easter Market:

Mulled wine...a staple during our trip!

Easter service with the Boys' Choir at the Imperial Music Chapel in Hofburg:

On our way from Vienna to Budapest, we stopped in Bratislava for the day.  With the combination of it being Easter and the fact that we were in the middle of a blizzard, it felt like we had the city to ourselves!  We all hope to return someday, preferably in the summertime, when Rick describes it as having a Mediterranean ambience.  

This is seriously how I looked throughout the majority of our trip...lookin' gooooooood, Kris.

Communist style "UFO" bridge

Bratislava Castle...in the distant background

Grassalkovich Palace, Slovakia's "White House"

Hviezdoslav Square:

Slovak National Theater

Fam in the Main Square

Whimsical statues dotting Bratislava's Old Town (they were apparently erected in order to entice locals back into the newly prettied-up Old Town):

Statue of a Napoleonic officer - with bare feet and a hat pulled over his eyes, it represents the Slovaks' revenge for the difficulties they faced at Napoleon's hands

Statue of Schoner Naci, who lived in Bratislava until the 1960s.  A poor carpet cleaner, he would dress up in his one black suit and top hat, and go strolling through the city, offering gifts to the women he fancied - cheering up the gloomy streets of communist Bratislava

This is Cumil ("the Peeper") - definitely my favorite of the statues - there's no story behind this one...the artist simply wanted to create a fun icon and let the townspeople make up their own tales.  The poor guy is constantly being run over though!

St. Michael's Gate - the last surviving tower of the city wall - zbohom Bratislava...onto our last stop, Budapest!