Day 2 in Hong Kong

We were wide awake at 3:30am and could not get back to sleep so it was an early start today. We went down for breakfast at 6:30am and were out the door by 8am (it felt like lunch time to us at this point!).  We walked up to Kowloon Park and strolled around - it was a calming contrast to the busy streets and there was lots of people doing Tai Chi in the park - it was very relaxing to watch!  The park is huge and has a sculpture park, an aviary, a maze and even flamingos!

We then walked up Nathan Road, which is one of the main streets in Kowloon and is a mecca for shopping - we thought London was busy until we walked up Nathan Road - I have never seen so many people!  We ventured in to some of the side streets, which gives you an idea of how people in Hong Kong live, including a visit to a day market selling all sorts of fruit and vegetables.



Street market down Reclamation Street

 In the afternoon we visited the Hong Kong History Museum which told you about the history and culture of Hong Kong which we both found interesting.  By this time we were flagging so back to the hotel for a rest before we went to the Temple Street night market.  The atmosphere at the market was really buzzy but we weren't tempted to buy anything!  In the evening we went to Knutsford Terrace which is a little street full of all different restaurants with tables outside and a really nice vibe - we had the well known chinese dish called pizza!



Cheers - hic...



We've arrived in Hong Kong!

We are in Hong Kong! We had a good flight with Cathay Pacific although I didn't get much sleep on the flight, probably 2 hours on and off (Peter thinks he got about 4 hours) so the jet lag is a bit of a killer! It took about an hour to get through customs and pick up our luggage and then we jumped on the train to Kowloon, arriving at our hotel around 5pm local time.  As much as I wanted to just lie on the bed and zonk out we got unpacked and then went to explore!

In a slightly zombied state we walked down to Victoria Harbour and walked along the promenade - what an amazing view.  It was a little bit hazy but the view was stunning with all the sky scrapers and the mountains behind.

Daylight view of Hong Kong Island from Victoria Harbour

We had an early dinner at a restaurant overlooking the harbour - unfortunately one look at us and they weren't going to put us near the window but in a glorified corridor however we still had a good time without the view and the food was absolutely delicious - we weren't very adventurous and had sweet and sour pork, lemon chicken and prawns in sweet chilli sauce but we both agreed it was the best Chinese meal we had ever had - a good start for our first night in Hong Kong.

We walked back along and the promenade and waited for the laser show to start at 8pm - I never thought it was possible to fall asleep standing up but I was so tired I think I did for about 5 mins!  The laser show was nothing special but the views at night were with all the buildings lit up.

Night time views of Hong Kong Island from Kowloon

We got back to the hotel around 8:30pm and Peter decided we were going to stay up as long as possible (It's alright for him - he has had twice as much sleep as me!!) so we watched a bit of telly but were both falling asleep so ended up in bed by 9pm.




Street that our hotel is on



Day 4 in Budapest

Our final full day in Budapest.  After breakfast we went inside St Stephen's Basilica, the main cathedral in Budapest.

Inside the Basilica

Dome in the Basilica

Outside the Budapest Parliament

We had booked a tour around the Parliament building and I am glad we had booked beforehand as there was a huge queue for tickets.  We were let through the security barrier and I started to walk to what I thought was the right place but a gruff security guard shouted 'Hey lady' and then pointed to where I should be going.

Parliamentary Chamber

In the afternoon we went to the Central Market which is the main produce market in Budapest.

Whilst walking round we found that there are a number of strange statues around ! We have been lucky with the weather and, although it wasn't as hot, it has still been around 24c.

Jeannine and Peter's new friends!

Day 3 in Budapest

Today didn't start off to well.  As we were up late we decided to have breakfast at our hotel. It was a buffet and they had a fancy coffee machine to get your coffee.  We couldn't get it to work at first and had to get someone to show us how to use - she pointed out which buttons where for the different types of coffee and which were for the milk.  We were fine with the coffee button but something went badly wrong when we went for the milk - it just kept coming!!  When it filled up the first cup and didn't stop we knew we were in trouble, and ended up filling up 4 cups before we managed to stop it! Unfortunately we were the only people in the breakfast room so we couldn't blame it on anyone else and we had to 'fess up when the waitress came in to the room and gave us a 'what the hell' look when she saw rows of cups of milk!

Heroes Square

After the milk fiasco we walked along Andrassy Avenue to Hero's Square.  It is a massive Square with a monument in the middle, and two museums on either side.

We then had a walk around Varosliget Park which was a nice quiet contrast to the hustle and bustle of Budapest.  We sat on a bench close to the lake which was nice and peaceful until the people on the next bench started throwing bread to the ducks and we then had every duck and pigeon in Budapest pecking and sqawking around us trying to get to the bread!  Time to move on.......

Jak Church in Varosliget Park

We visited the House of Terror Museum which was very interesting in a sad/scary kind of way!  The Museum is located in the former headquarters of the secret police of both the Nazi and communist governments and it records the grim events and practices of the 'double occupation' of Hungary at the end of World War 2.  The scariest part was going down to the basement and looking at the cells - in each cell it would tell you about the people who had be imprisoned there and they also showed short films of people telling their stories of what happened to them.

Holocaust Memorial

After lunch we did a self guided walk around the Jewish Quarter.  It was very interesting as we saw a part of Budapest that is not on the tourist trail. Outside one of the main Synagogue's is a Holocaust Memorial - it is a sculpture of a weeping willow in memory of the 600,000 Hungarian Jews killed by the Nazis in World War 2.

The weather was so hot today, with temperatures reaching 90 degrees, that we actually wore our shorts - it has been the first time this summer that we have been able to do that!

Day 2 in Budapest

Breakfast!

We started off the day having breakfast at Cafe Gerbeaud which is a famous cafe in Budapest that he been around for 150 years.

We then went on a walking tour around Budapest.  We started off walking around Pest and saw a number of sites including St Stephen's Basilica. We then walked over the chain bridge and up a number of steps to get to the Royal Palace.

St Stephen's Basilica
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The old town of Pest is very pictueresque - we also had a look round the Matthias Church and Fisherman's Bastion.

St Matthias Church

Fisherman's Bastion

Chain Bridge from Old Town, Pest

The weather today has been lovely although a little hot for sightseeing! It has been a cloudless day with blue skies with temperatures of about 85 degrees!

Day 1 in Budapest

Living room in our apartment

Our journey from Gatwick to Budapest was uneventful, we even managed to get through check-in and security in 15 mins at Gatwick! Our hotel, Mamaison Residence Izabella, is very nice - we have a one bedroom apartment in what once was an old house and the rooms have very high ceilings and large windows.

Sunset over St Mathias Church

Once we had got settled in our room we went out to explore!  We walked down Andrassy Avenue to the River Danube and then walked along the bank looking at the view.  We stopped at a pub that is on a boat on the Danube and admired the view over a few drinks, watching the sunset.

We then went on a sightseeing cruise along the river Danube to see Budapest at night and the views were stunning.

Royal Palace on Castle Hill

The theme for today was definitely boats as we then went and had dinner on a floating restaurant and had a lovely meal. Our first day in Budapest has been a good one!

Liberation Statue on Gellert Hill (behind bridge)

Parliament building at night