Budapest - Day 2

Day 15 - Budapest Day 2 (September 13)

Everybody was up by 7:00 AM to finish packing and settle our bill. We had ordered a cab for 9:00 AM, so we went in to the dining room and had breakfast, said our good byes and left the ship for the drive to the Mercure City Center Hotel located on the famous Vaci Utka, shopping street in the heart of Budapest on the Pest side of the river. The street known as Vaci was formed in the 18th century, though most of the lovely architecture is from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The avenue has long been a place where the rich and famous of Budapest enjoyed spending their money though, at first, it was a shopping area accessible to most. However, as it became fashionable in the early decades of the 20th century for the well-to-do to enjoy an early evening stroll down Vaci Street, the stores here became more and more exclusive. While many of the shops are Euro-fashion boutiques, lately, as Budapest’s tourism industry has grown, vacationers will find a fair number of souvenir shops located on Vaci Street and the small streets that cross it. Many bars and cafes also line the street, offering a place to grab a bite to eat or an alcoholic beverage, including some excellent local fare. Check out the courtyards not facing the main street. There you’ll find small “Mom and Pop-type” eateries that offer some of the best cuisine in the city.

We got to the hotel around 10:00 AM, unloaded our bags into storage and wandered around for several hours before having lunch in a small street-side café. After lunch we walked back to the hotel, got our rooms and spent the afternoon relaxing and planning our next few days adventure. For dinner we went downstairs to an Italian restaurant for pizza. After dinner, we continued our exploration of the area around our hotel finding several interesting shops we’ll revisit.

Eventually we got back to the hotel and played a couple of games of “Hand and Foot” before bidding each other good night and see you in the morning.