Dates: December 23 - January 1, 2020
Airports: ORD, LIS, BUD
Airlines: TAP ⭐⭐️ 1/2
Hotels:
Budapest - City Centre Apartments ⭐⭐️⭐
Vienna - Pension Vera ⭐⭐️⭐
Lisbon - TRYP Hotel ⭐⭐️⭐ 1/2
Just got back from Budapest and wanted to share pictures I took, which weren't many this time. I got to walk around and see the largest Synagogue in Europe. Learned a lot this trip:
1. I tried taking Amtrak to Chicago so I didn't have to drive. The ride out there (train 49) was 2 hours late and it was a little cramped. The ride back (train 448) was much better and we arrived 35 minutes early. The cafe car was manned by the grumpiest guy I think I have seen in sometime. The microwaved fair was meh. I'm glad I went to the Aldi in Chicago before I came back and had some food to eat outside what was for sale on the train. Stayed at the Royal Sonesta Riverfront in Chicago which was quite nice. I got a great night sleep there.
3. Shops close in Budapest earlier on December 24th then I anticipated.
4. Shops are closed on December 25th AND 26th (it's called the 2nd Day of Christmas there). Thank goodness for RONI Non-Stops :) I ate a lot of Kolbasz and prepared sandwiches for too many days lol.
5. Got to visit Vienna for a day and see the gravesites of the composers which was AMAZING. I took the OBB Railjet service from Budapest-Keleti rail station to Vienna (Wien). The OBB app can be a bit confusing. Buy a ticket not a reservation. The reservation is really useless unless you want to go Business Class and you can be fined if you only have a reservation and not a ticket. You can also buy a Vienna Day Pass on the app which I used to tram around the city.
5. I trammed to the stop for St. Marx cemetery and walked about .7 miles to the cemetery and it is all up hill. Was worth it once I got to the site of Mozart's burial. I then walked another .5 miles to the other tram that took me to the Central Vienna Cemetery. If you go into the gate #2 (where the tram stops) and walk past the brick mausoleums, the composer section will be on your left. I then used Bolt to get to my hotel Pension Vera which was across town (seriously, the bathroom was the smallest I have ever seen. Bed was great. People were nice as well). I got there too early and wanted lunch, but most of the places were closed until January 7th for some reason, so not much choice. I walked up and down the street for about a half hour and then chose an open-faced sandwich shop close by called Duran. I had no idea what was in the sandwiches and I don't speak German so I said "vier" (4) and got 4 sandwiches and a Coke Zero Vanilla for around 12 euro. I then checked into the hotel, knocked out and woke up for dinner. I walked to a place that Google said was opened and wasn't! I was lucky a cafe next door was open (Café Florianihof) and walked in. Great people and wonderful food. Was my favorite meal of the trip.
6. Once I got back to Budapest, I wanted to tour the Dohány Synagogue which is the 2nd largest in the world and largest in Europe. It was beautiful and pictures are below. I then went to eat at a local pub, the Kupak Bar & Bistro. I wanted to go to the Drum Cafe which was next door, but I kept getting skipped over for tables and I got tired of waiting. I had a Palinka to warm up and then a burger (which I had not had in Budapest where they are a dish of pride I have been told). Was good.
7. TAP Portugal Airlines was underwhelming though I wish I had seen more of Lisbon. I stayed overnight at the local TRYP Hotel right off the Airport. The room was very nice but the food was really disappointing. Ever eat a hamburger off a whole wheat English muffin? I had a nice glass of port, some beer, and the best fries I had in awhile though!
8. I returned to Chicago and stayed at a Comfort Suites in Schiller Park which was super close to the airport. I had food there at the hotel's restaurant and it was wonderful. I knocked out early and headed to Union Station in Chicago to return to Cleveland the next day. Of course, when in Chicago you gotta have a Chicago Dog (one of my guilty pleasures in life).
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