Dinner on the Danube

After a few hours of snapping photos this afternoon (I’ll put some of those up in the morning), I was delighted to run into blogger Mary Reid (less well known as the mayor of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames) and her husband and fellow Councillor Ian Reid. They were about to have dinner at our hotel’s Corso Restaurant which has an open-air terrace on the Danube, and they graciously invited me to join them.

Tonight was one of those spectacular summer nights to dine outdoors: warm, no bugs, no wind. And the scenery, including a stunning sunset, was quite memorable with the Buda Castle Royal Palace and the Chain Bridge (connecting Buda and Pest) lit up in the background. Plus, we met some familiar people, too: Fraser Henderson, Julia Glidden, Susie Ruston, Leslie Reynolds, Alan Winchcombe, and others. Click photos to enlarge.

Budapest after the rain

This is my first visit to Budapest so we spent today doing all the touristy things. We took a guided bus tour of the city to get our bearings and stopped off for several hours in the Castle area. The hotel is superbly located across the river with stunning views from the rooms.

In spite of the torrential rain yesterday it is still hot and humid, so we did everything s-l-o-w-l-y.

People are beginning to gather for the Symposium which kicks off tomorrow. I think Griff is around somewhere but I haven’t bumped into him yet.

Arrival in Budapest

It’s 3 pm Tuesday in Budapest and I’m now online with a high-speed internet connection from my hotel room here at the Intercontinental Hotel in City Center.

I was a bit delayed in getting here from the Ferihegy airport — the mini-bus had a flat tire right as we were leaving. But I was with two delightful women from the UK who helped pass the time with their interesting travel stories.

I took the photo on the right from my room. That’s the Buda Castle Royal Palace on the other side of the Danube River. It’s hot and humid here, much like the weather I just left in Minnesota. Time for a nap, then a little sightseeing, some exercise, some food, and some work on my presentation.