Going Hungary

Apologies for the bad pun - but surely you've come to expect them by now?!

Another weekend, another European city - Budapest. Or rather, two cities straddling the Danube: Buda and Pest, each with their own distinct personalities. Speaking of distinct personalities, we were lucky enough to coincide our visit with our friends Beth and Dan, who had already been in town for a day. We met up with them at a restaurant recommended for its authentic Hungarian cuisine - here's Dan sizing up his pan of unidentifiable Central European foodstuffs:

The following day we made our way around town, enjoying the grand architecture and numerous interesting statues:

Here are some of the famous baths of Budapest - the indoor one is in Buda, the outdoor one (which we much preferred, despite the occasional budgie-smuggling octogenarian) in Pest:


After a hard day of bathing, we felt like we deserved another nice meal - and we sure found one! For about a quarter of what we'd paid at Aubergine, we had an absolutely amazing seven-course degustation menu, with some of the most delicious and exquisitely-prepared food we've ever had. The service was outstanding too, so we're giving two-thumbs-up to Babel - look them up next time you're in Budapest!

Despite parts of the city feeling reminiscent of Paris or Rome, Budapest definitely has its own unique flavour. Perhaps best enjoyed with a glass of wine at the peak of the citadel, overlooking the lovely Danube at sunset.

A Look At London: Park Life

For all of its constructed landmarks, London has an incredible collection of parks - 5500 acres in all - and when the sun shines (it does, honest!) thousands of people pour into them, including the two of us!

The closest park to us is Hyde Park, a monstrous green space, great for jogging around and reading papers in. We've discovered the squirrels there are very partial to Belgian chocolate!

If you walk south and east for about 45 minutes, you can continue through Green Park (which is as generic as its name suggests) to one of our favourites, the intimate St. James's Park. With a lovely lake and the tamest squirrels and waterfowl in London, it's a great contrast to the breakneck pace of Central London.


Not too far away is Regent's Park, which is, well, quite regal. It also boasts a beautiful lake and bird collection, along with a stunning array of English roses.


Walk north past London Zoo and you're climbing up Primrose Hill for a fantastic view of London from one of its highest points.


Most recently we visited Kew Gardens, a beautiful garden which, despite costing money to get in (and it's not cheap!) and being directly under the Heathrow landing path, is a lovely day out. We went there last weekend with Hammer and Anna and it looked gorgeous with all the trees changing through their autumn colours.