East we are

The bus ride from Prague to Budapest was a little longer than expected as Rens couldn't drive through Slovakia without stopping and having a transponder put on in a certified garage at the border which would have cost a lot of money and been a bigger waste of time. So we took a detour through Austria. On the way, we stopped in a little Czech border town and bought supplies for lunch (not finding a suitable cafeteria or restaurant to eat lunch in). The parents did a great job shopping and slapping together tasty sandwiches for everyone. And we got to spent the rest of our Korunas.
The kids have been awesome. We had a really long bus ride today, not arriving in Budapest until almost 5:00 PM, but I never heard "Are we there yet?". Some of the moms led them in some group games, and the kids spent their time talking, playing cards or other games, and sleeping (after our long day of walking all over Prague yesterday).
As soon as we arrived, Rens drove us up to the Citadel (built by the Austrians in the wake of a Hungarian uprising in 1848 to keep watch over the rebelious citizens of Buda and Pest). We were too late for Memento Park, but we can easily fit that into tomorrow's schedule.
When we got off the bus, the kids went crazy with the snow, like they were from Mexico or something. Just letting off pent up energy from the bus ride I guess.
Our hostel is very nice and very centrally located, though that won't matter so much as Rens is driving us everywhere tomorrow. It is warmer here than it was in Prague, but as you can see from the pictures, it is snowing lightly, on and off. Looking forward to exploring this beautiful city tomorrow!

Craig




All the children on the Gellert Hill in Budapest:
Mom chaperones and their kids:
Dad chaperones and their kids:
Beautiful Budapest just after dusk:
On the Citadel over Budapest:
Lovely group of non-Magyars with Budapest's own statue of liberty behind them:
After the long bus ride, Canadian kids do what they do best. Throw snow at their teachers.
Run, Eunice, Run!
Amy and Angela prepare for battle:
Moms and Dads make Czech sandwiches on the bus: