Last week, my husband and I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Budapest and Vienna with 29 Belmont MBA students. It was a fun—and mostly enjoyable (more on that below)—week.
Here are some glimpses…
The first evening upon our arrival, we enjoyed a delicious dinner cruise on the Danube River. Isn’t the Hungarian Parliament Building (circa 1904) stunning at night?
The next day, we explored the breathtaking city of Budapest. See the same building behind us (from the night before)?
I love doors! I snapped this pic (and the next ones) while strolling through Budapest.
I always wonder about all the people who’ve walked through these doors. Their lives, their pursuits…
My main “souvenir” when traveling these days is taking pictures of doors and then framing them in those multiple picture frames. It’s a great way to remember a trip. Are you a door lover, too?
Next, some of the food…
What trip to Hungary would be complete without traditional Hungarian goulash? Don’t you love the little “bread hats” the goulash is served with?
Talk about comfort food. So delicious!
But wait! The best is yet to come…
We didn’t happen upon this little treasure of a restaurant by chance. I follow Kevin and Amanda’s blog (do you?), and when Amanda recently visited Budapest, she blogged about this little gem—Gelarto Rosa. So…
We scouted it out and oh, was it ever worth it!
The gelato is shaped beautifully, don’t you think? Almost too pretty to eat. Somehow, though, we managed. Gelarto Rosa is located at the corner of St. Stephen’s Basilica. So if ever you’re in Budapest . . .
A traveling buddy, Francis Daniel, stuck with good ol’ plain chocolate and said it was good ol’ plain delicious.
After Budapest, we visited Vienna, Austria for four days. This city is nothing short of spectacular!
Our first evening, we did a walking tour of the city, and I think the buildings were even more beautiful all lit up!
Here we are (Joe, Francis Daniel and me) at Hotel Sacher in Vienna enjoying their famous Sacher Torte. It’s very good but you must eat it with cream (as we were told). Because if you don’t, it can be a tad dry. Still, none of us look like we’re complaining, do we? ; }
It was a great trip all in all, as I said above, but…
One “less than enjoyable” incident was when Joe woke up early one morning in Vienna with excruciating pain. When the pain wouldn’t subside, I called an ambulance. Long story short, he has kidney stones and was admitted to the hospital for two days. Not exactly part of our plan, but we’re so grateful for the medical attention he received. (He already visited our doctor here in Nashville yesterday and will be undergoing further treatment soon. But he sure feels a lot better than he did last week.)
I enjoy traveling but it was especially nice to get back home late Sunday evening. To paraphrase Dorothy from Kansas, there’s no place like it.
What’s a place you’ve always dreamed of visiting? Or perhaps a place you’ve already visited that holds special memories? Did your trip have any “unexpected” incidents?
Happy St. Patrick’s Day, btw. Hope you’re wearing green!
Tammy
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We so wanted to see the Lipizzaner Stallions at the Spanish Riding School of Vienna while there, but they weren’t out. You can catch a glimpse of them here. Spectacular! Don’t you love how they jump and kick!
Tamera blogs every first and third Tuesday at Inspired by Life . . . and Fiction, a group blog she shares with a wonderful community of authors. If you'd like to join the conversation on this post, Tamera would love to see you there!