Budapest Trip Report

Hi everyone. Just got back from Budapest last night. It was such an amazing trip. I have pictures posted here. We left out of Norfolk on Thursday. Our flight was delayed into JFK and we missed our connection. There were no more direct flights to Budapest, so we were routed through Paris. I was a tiny bit excited because I haven't been there since I spent my Junior year of college there, but sadly it would only be a four hour layover. We got to Budapest on Friday and explored the Castle District, which is where our hotel was. We had dinner the first night at a place called Cafe Pierrot which (I kid you not) is a clown themed piano bar. We had a magnificent meal (I actually had goulash, which would be a theme through most meals...) We went out and spent part of the night in a bar inside of a pirate ship and ended up at a high end place called Oscar which was crawling with beautiful people. For the first time in a while I felt like I belonged there. Our hotel was in the castle district on the Buda side and was one of the most fantastic places I have been in my life. We were upgraded to a suite that overlooked the Danube. The second day we had a long tour of the city and saw the baths, the old city, and all of Buda and Pest. We must have walked 3 to four miles. We strolled and did some shopping at the Grand Market Hall, where we got souvenirs for us and the kids and I had....goulash. I still managed to come back on do 30 minutes on the treadmill that evening though. For dinner we went to an amazing jazz club called Columbus, which is a permanently moored ship on the Danube. We had a great dinner (meaning I had goulash) and listened to an amazing jazz ensemble then walked the Danube before calling it a night. Sunday was power shopping, Mrs. Maury style. Among the many places we covered was the Vaci Utca, which is one of the main shopping drags on the Pest  side of the Danube. We are a special family because my wife is a vegetarian, so we tend to eat at rather earthy places. We had lunch at a place called Vegetarium, which was one of the best Vegetarian places I have ever been. I had a Hungarian Bean soup that was so tasty it just melted in my mouth. It felt so decadent but couldn't have been more healthy if it made me run laps. We splurged the last night and went to an amazing Indian restaurant called Indigo. I had a Kashmiri Kofta that was just amazing (about 1/4 of it actually) and my wife had a tandori paneer that she said was the best Indian food she'd ever had. Yesterday was a travel day...which just stunk.... Now for the good part...I weighed in this morning at 298...which is the first time I have been under 300 in about 15 years. I am now 10 weeks post-op and am down 91 lbs.!

Great pictures...looks and sounds like you two had a wonderful time!  Europe is so great! Congrats on hitting the new milestone...how terrific is it to go on a vacation and come back lighter than when you left???  Take care, Cindy

Sounds like a dream vacation to me. I had the chance to go to Budapest once when I lived in Vienna Austria, but I did not go and to this day wish that I had gone. I will probably never get another chance like that one.  Do you have any photos you could share with us? I know that I speak for most and  would love to see them. You are the increadable shrinking man!!! Keep up the awesome work! Cathy

There is a link to pics at the top of the trip report.

Awesome trip!  I don't know who looks happier - you or your beautiful wife!

It sounds like you all had a wonderful trip!  I am sooooooo envious!  My daughter is also a vegeterian, and I'm sure she would have loved that restaurant!

Great pictures! Glad ya'll had a safe & wonderful trip. CONGRATS on the weight loss! I'm sure you are really very happy as you should be. Keep up the good work! All best.....

Wow!!!  Great pictures, so much beauty.  Sounds like you had a marvelous time.  I am impressed that you even took the time to do structured cardio on the treadmill after all that walking.  Dedication like that will take you far on your journey.  And now under 300, congrats!!!  Keep up the great work.

Great pics. Looks like you and your lovely wife had a great time.  to your weight loss!