Christmas in Budapest

After our really nice day of sightseeing Brian, Anne, Dayne and I were excited for our Christmas Eve dinner. We had booked at the 1 star Michelin Onyx Restaurant as they were putting on a special multi-coursed meal complete with wine pairings, many of them Hungarian.

The restaurant was absolutely beautiful. I wish I could adequately describe the richness of the wallpaper, decor, table settings, purse stools and chairs. Especially the chairs! Anne and I were seated in these massive black thrones, we felt like queens. It was a fantastic evening, starting off with glasses of Billecart Salmon Champagne, then being catered to by men in white linen gloves through seven courses of gorgeous dishes.  Some, like the goose liver torte with coffee gelee paired with a demi sec Tokaj, really were amazing.

Another stand out was the venison filet with truffle jus (even though it also had beets!)

We all rolled out full, happy and feeling festive! I'd absolutely recommend the restaurant to anyone looking for a Michelin experience in Budapest.

Dayne and I slept in on Christmas day and had a long lunch at the delicious and historical Central Cafe. The huge coffee shop attracts tourists and locals alike. They have delicious goulash and a drool worthy pastry case. We experienced it all.

 

After a relaxing walk around town to burn off some of that torte we headed back to our hotel to get ready for our Christmas night out. We were attending a chamber concert and then having dinner on a river cruise. 

The concert took place in the Danube Palace which was very old, small and a bit tatty (not the palace you see above, it was in one of the buildings to the side). But the music was great, the musicians were really having a good time and we loved putting titles to the music we'd heard for so long. Vivladi, Brahms, Strauss and Erkel were just some of the composers represented. 

After the concert we headed to the river and boarded one of the cruise boats. This is much more of a typical tourist thing than we normally do, but being Christmas and not having many choices we were looking forward to seeing all the magnificent buildings along the waterfront lit up. They were serving dinner also, which we weren't expecting much from, but it ended up being better than average. The views from the outside deck of the boat were just as incredible as we had hoped. It was a very twinkly, tasty and musical Christmas!

To wrap up our Christmas, the next day we had another wonderful lunch, this time at the Gerloczy Cafe. The cafe sits in a charming little square and is known for their delicious fresh baked bread, all warm right from the oven. Paired with the wild boar soup and a cucumber, sour cream salad, it was just enough to tie us over so we could spend the day soaking at the famed Szechenyi Bath House.

We arrived by metro, the tiny subway cars and stations seem hardly big enough for the population of the city. It was mid day and still light out as we entered the main door. We had read all the ins and outs about bath culture in Hungry and rented a shared changing room/locker in the coed area. It was almost impossible for us both to change out of our bulky jeans and sweaters and into swimsuits in the tiny compartment. Giggling we quickly went out and stepped into the first warm pool we saw. It was probably 34F outside! This pool was warm, not hot, and in the very center of it the water was an "adventure pool" moving in a fast circle, taking shrieking bathers with it as it flowed round and round. It was so fun! It's hard to describe but we took a "ride" in this over and over again.

Szechenyl has a total of 15 pools, some small, super hot baths, others large lap pools. Only 3 are outside and that is where we chose to stay. As the day turned to dusk and a slight drizzle fell, the glow from the pool lights and the steam rising all around seemed magical. We moved to a much hotter pool and just bobbed around soaking for hours.

Do not miss a trip to the baths while in Budapest! Take your own towel from your hotel, some flip flops and your suit. It's a relaxing and super enjoyable way to see how the locals live :)

We wrapped up our day with really amazing drinks at the Boutiq Bar, chatting with the bartender Akos who just happened to have spent some time living in north Seattle. Fantastic cocktails and a really interesting space (Anne & Brian have you finally gone?). And then dinner at the Callas Cafe which was good if you are in the area, but maybe a tad expensive.

We turned in a bit early as we had a full day coming up exploring the wine countryWe turned in a bit early as we had a full day coming up exploring the wine country!

All photos here!

Essential Iceland Tour Part 1

On our second day in Reykjavik we were picked up in the lobby of our hotel by Iceland Rovers for a full day excursion which was included in our package. As we climbed into the Land Rover, outfitted with oversized tires, we met the other 2 couples who would be riding with us for the day, one from our own backyard of Woodinville and the other from DC. The Washington Six I'll call us. Our driver Steinar was really excited about the weather conditions and told us more than once that it was going to be a great day and we were going to see some amazing things. None of us seemed to really know what all was included in this day trip but everyone was excited (and really nice thankfully!)

This was everyone's first glimpse of Iceland outside of the city and we were all impressed with the strange landscape. We had lots of questions for Steinar, who seemed happy to share his incredible knowledge of his country (Steinar can trace his roots back to the first Vikings who settled there). After driving under the fjord Hvalfjörður, one of the longest underwater road tunnels in the world, at a depth of over 500 feet, we came to Deildartunguhver which is the highest flow hot spring in the world at a rate of 180 liters per second. This water is sent through pipes to neighboring towns and was quite a first wonder for us all.

From here we drove further out to the middle of no-where until we came to the waterfalls of Hraunfossar and Barnafoss. At these falls, in the middle of a huge lava flow, you can really see how the water is forced to exit under the lava as it can't travel on top of it.

We were able to hike around the two sets of falls, with rope warning us only not to step on the moss growing on the lava. Unsuspecting tourists could easily fall in just like the children that the falls are named after. The water here was so blue it was almost surreal, it was a gorgeous area to explore.

A short drive from the falls, we turned onto a dirt unmarked road and parked in the middle of the Hallmundarhraun lava flow. Here we donned helmets and headlamps and made our way to one of the largest lava caves in the country. Steinar explained to us that to find these caves they fly over the lava fields in the winter looking for holes in the snow where parts of the roof of the caves have collapsed. Then in the spring they go to check and see if it's an actual lava tube/cave.

 We first climbed down a ladder into the opening of the cave. Then we carefully descended the snow, ice and rock into the cave itself. Once inside it wasn't all that deep, well it is but they have it blocked off for only official spelunkers which we are not. We clambered around the rocks and frozen ice while Steinar gave us more geology lessons.

Back to the Rover we headed farther into the interior of the country and towards our lunch stop. There were four other trucks doing the same excursion but up until now we had only seen them arriving as we were departing the various sites. The drivers had been speaking to each other via CB radio with us being able to hear their conversations but not understanding Icelandic it didn't affect us much. As we traveled along a river toward a bridge their conversation turned to English with comments about the bridge not being safe, not worth much, etc etc.  All of a sudden Steingar turns off the road and into the river! Everyone was laughing and whooping it up as we crossed the (not very shallow) river with the other trucks in tow.

It was quite exciting really, and the guides were just having a blast! After a stop for some traditional lamb soup with fresh baked bread and Viking beers we would continued on our exploration.

Iceland photos

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Hot Pot, Icelandic Style

For my foodie friends, this post is not about eating delicious Chinese hot pot, apologies if you are now hungry. This post is about Iceland's famed hot springs commonly referred to as hot pots. In Iceland, swimming and bathing are very much a socializing activity. Think of it as us meeting for coffee or the Irish meeting for a beer. There are 3 styles of hot pots around the country.

The first are the naturally occurring springs, pools and streams which dot the landscape. These don't have fancy hotels built around them like the ones we visited in Costa Rica. Generally spotted by steam randomly emitting from the earth, some are literally ponds of boiling water while others are gently heated and perfect for a dip. You can enjoy streams and larger pools with a group of friends while others are tiny, with just enough room for your feet to soak in. We didn't get a chance to experience this "in the wilderness" style, maybe next time!

The second are the man made pools. These are similar to the public pools in your town only the pool itself is heated year around using geothermal power. The largest facility in Reyjkavik is the Laugardalslaug complex. It boasts an Olympic size outdoor swimming pool with 10 lanes heated to 82F, another warm outdoor pool with a waterslide for the kiddies, an indoor 8 lane pool heated to about 90F and hot pots of varying temperatures around the outdoor pools.

At Laugardalslaug pool, which was just a 10 minute walk from our hotel, we paid about $5 entrance fee. We spent about the same to rent a towel (next time I'd just take one from the hotel!). You can also rent a bathing suit, restaurant sports coat loans have nothing on this! From here you make your way to the locker rooms. Before entering everyone removes their shoes and leaves them on shelves. Once inside you pick a locker, undress and shower without your suit on.

The gentleman who we purchased entrance from made sure we understood this- damn dirty tourists! Luckily we have a bit of hot spring etiquette under our belts. So you wash up thoroughly in the communal showers, (I heard that some places even have a shower attendant to make sure everyone soaps up!) and then put your suit on and head outside. The shower and locker room facilities here were incredibly clean. Someone was working non stop mopping and hosing down the floors so that I didn't feel so freaked out by not wearing flip flops. 

Photo courtesy of http://villareykjavik.com

Dayne did a few laps in the 50 meter pool and then joined me in one of the hot pots. The locals were chilling out after their day at work (we went at about 8pm) catching up with their friends while kids zoomed down the slide into the other pool. Sun wasn't setting until about 10pm and with the clear blue sky you forgot how chilly the air was until you got out of the hot water. Brrr!

The third is the luxury or spa style of hot pot, as in The Blue Lagoon.  The lagoon was accidentally created in 1973 after water from the nearby power station had no place to go and formed a lake on top of the area lava flows.  Back then Icelanders came and soaked for free, noticing the healing properties of the water. In 1999 a proper lagoon was built complete with facilities including a restaurant, clinic, lounge area, etc.

We added our Blue Lagoon trip as a stop on the way to the airport on our day of departure. We boarded the bus at our hotel in the morning, were driven to the lagoon (which is seriously in the middle of no where), had our luggage stored and spent about 3 hours soaking in the famed warm spring waters.

On top of our bus/entrance fee we rented towels and robes. They outfit you with a bracelet which they scan whenever you make a purchase and you just pay at the end. The locker rooms here were similar to the public pool but it looked more like a spa with dark wood and frosted glass. There are both common showers and some private, both outfitted with Blue Lagoon products and even dressing tables complete with hairdryers.

It's a lovely way to spend the morning before a long flight home. We explored the lagoon, with its range of depths and water temperatures. Used the complimentary silica mud on our faces. Drank chilled white wine from the floating bar and chatted with new friends. And even had a little sushi lunch. The time went by very quickly and we didn't get to many of the things that are offered.

We boarded the bus 2 1/2 hours before our flight and were dropped off at the front door to the airport. Best airport shuttle ever :)

I highly recommend experiencing the hot pot culture while in Iceland!

Iceland photos

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It's A Jungle Out There

We left the cloud forest mid afternoon and headed to the jungles surrounding the Arenal Volcano. Even though Costa Rica is tiny it is a mess of mountains, volcanoes and in this case a big ole man made lake turning the relatively short 85 mile distance into a  4+ hour drive. Instead of one long car trip we chose a multi- transportation excursion that I so mysteriously love.

First we were picked up in a 4 wheel drive vehicle and for 1 1/2 hours drove past coffee plantations, up and over crazy steep mud roads, made a quick stop at the drivers' house (so he could grab a snack), and finally were deposited lakeside, the only thing we could see in either direction was a small coffee shack.


We watched the hummingbirds dart around while we waited and once a few more vans arrived with more passengers we boarded a boat and took off across the lake. It was cloudy and a tad stormy so we were not rewarded with views of the volcano as we had hoped, but it was still a pretty 40 minute ride.

Once we landed on the opposite shore we were picked up in a van and taken to the Arenal Observation Lodge. It was about a 20 minute ride on a very bumpy dirt road and we ended up arriving after dark, always a surprise for the next morning! The other surprise, as we checked in, was that we were told that our rooms in the Casona was 500 meters downhill from the main lodge. Did I mention that it was dark? And that we were in a jungle? Luckily one of their crew members had just dropped some guests off from a day trip and offered us and our luggage a ride down. He even waited for Dayne to grab a bucket of ice, it was past happy hour after all!

The Casona was a large building with 5 rooms and 2 shared bathrooms. It also had a great big outdoor porch which was perfect for relaxing. We did have quite a hike up to the restaurant for dinner that night (and each morning for breakfast) but the views of the volcano and the grounds were lovely.

The next morning after breakfast we were picked up for a full day of excursions. We scored by having just one other couple with us and also with our super knowledgeable and passionate guide Marcos! For our first adventure of the day we headed to Arenal Hanging Bridges. But before we even got into the reserve Marcos spotted Howler Monkeys so we stopped on the road and watched this momma and her baby hang around!

Shortly after that we were queuing up to pass over the first bridge that led into the park. There were huge parrots right by the parking lot!

This was the beginning of 3 hours of Marcos spotting an incredible amount of wildlife, birds and flowers. The jungle was amazing, it was hot and steamy just like you think of. The bridges were all lengths and heights and even though there was quite a line up when we first entered we soon were on our own for much of the morning.

Eyelash Viper, only about 3" long

We spotted Helmet Iguanas, an Eyelash Viper, a Tarantula, lots of birds like Macaws, Parrots, Hummingbirds, Motmots, Vultures, Woodcreepers, Warblers, other various snakes and lizards. And these crazy Leafcutter Ants which are quite amazing to watch!

The variety of plants, trees and flowers was stunning! The hike covered paths and 16 hanging bridges including this one that was over 70 feet up!

We finished our hike and piled into the van to head to our next destination- La Fortuna Waterfall. Again, beautiful lush surroundings and as we started down the 500 steps to the bottom we immediately spotted a tree with about 5 Toucans in it!

We hiked down to the gorgeous falls and relaxed by the banks, being misted with water for a while before heading back up... 500 steps!

After a wonderful lunch at Don Rufino in La Fortuna we set out again, this time with an additional 4 adults and 2 kids (groan). We headed to the slopes of Arenal Volcano to walk along the lava flows. Marcos is studying to be a vulcanologist so along the way we learned about the eruption of Arenal and witnessed the regrowth of sugar cane and other plants. We spotted a very rare orchid that only blooms once a year for 24 hours and another huge crazy spider!

Our final treat of the day (now evening) was a trip to The Springs (fans of the show The Bachelor might recognize this as the hotel/hot springs featured on the show). With all that volcanic activity hot springs are a big thing and it was just the thing we needed after a day trekking through jungles and volcanoes.

With over 35 various sized hot pools we had no problem finding one all to ourselves. We relaxed in the hot water, full of healing minerals, with guara sours! We only saw The Springs at night but it looked really nice and was on a huge estate. After an hour or so of soaking we had dinner at their buffet (this was all included in our full day booking) outside on a pretty terrace. When Marcos came to pick us up we invited him to share a bottle of wine with us and got a chance to hear more of his amazing knowledge of wildlife and the area. He knows 150 bird calls and can spot over 500 birds. Throughout the day he recorded everything we saw in his guides, next to their photo with notes about the area we were in. There is no way we would have seen everything that we did without him and I can't emphasize enough the need to hire a guide while hiking in Costa Rica. People would come up on us and see us looking at something but without a trained eye telling you exactly where to look and what to look for everything is camouflaged!

Our long day was finished up with nightcaps on our porch (after we finagled a ride to get ice at the bar and then a drop off back at the Casona from Marcos)!

All photos of the Monteverde and the Arenal areas can be seen here

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Merii Kurisumasu!!!

Merry Christmas Japanese style! We woke up snug in our pods in Tokyo and set about catching our first bullet train out to the country. The train was very fast and very clean. An attendant came through each car selling snacks and drinks off a cart and before leaving each car she would turn and face us all while giving a little bow. This happened on every train we would take in the country and without fail- charming!

We were headed to Hakone, a mountainous area southwest of Tokyo famous for onsen (hotsprings), views of Mt. Fuji, Lake Ashinoko and ryokans (traditional Japanese inns). We had reservations at Senkyoro, a ryokan over 100 years old.

Upon arriving I was excited to do the Hakone Round Trip tour where you travel on 5 different forms of transportation around the area. We boarded the bus and headed up and around the mountain getting off at Moto- Hakone. From here we walked thru the Ancient Cedar Avenue and also the Checkpoint Museum.

We finally got to Lake Ashi and were excited to board the pirate ships which would take us to the other side but the weather had turned from gorgeous, bright and sunny to windy, dark and stormy looking so the ships were cancelled for the afternoon. grrrrrr! We grabbed a bus and headed back to the train station to collect our bags we had stored in lockers. We then took a cab to the ryokan (ok so only 3 forms of transportation this day!)

As noted previously we had sent our luggage ahead of us via a courier found at 7-11. I can't recommend this more highly! Our luggage was waiting for us in our room while we were able to travel for a day with just a little carry on bag each. This was so nice since we were figuring out the trains and multiple stations for the first time.

A woman dressed in traditional clothing showed us to our room and then proceeded to make tea for us while we sat on the floor around our table on tatami mats. This was our first experience with the low traditional table and zabuton cushion. Once we had tea she gave us each a yukata (robe), obi (tie) and tabi socks. Can you imagine the giggles? Yes, we are very mature and had to do many many poses in our robes while having martini's made by Dayne-san.


Our room was great! A large living room with tatami mat floors where our table was and where we would sleep later. A small sitting room with a balcony. A nice bathroom seperated by toilet, shower/bath and sink areas. And a mini bar filled with One Cup sake!

We had our own little Christmas present party complete with Forest in her Santa hat. It was fun thinking of the past Christmas' we've spent together- on safari last year with about 105F tempatures, in Paris a few years back and handling an unfortunate incident with some power failures...

We booked a private onsen before dinner and enjoyed a VERY hot soak in the mineral springs. Our bath was in a room that had an open wall to the forests. it was very pretty and HOT! The water is so thick with minerals that you can't see into it. And it's HOT!! Forest and Dayne were super troopers since the baths are taken nude and we had only had one martini each at this point!


We made our way back to our room just in time for our room host to arrive and let us know that she was going to start serving us dinner. The 12 course meal was beautiful and artistic, we had brought our own champagne to go along with everything and had a really good time!



After dinner they set up our futons and gave us different yakatas to sleep in. More giggling and posing and picture taking. We had quite a little party that night with champagne, japanese whiskey and sake while doing our own style of karaoke and dancing! Merii Kurisumasu!!!

The next morning Forest and I headed to the women's bath to soak a bit, it was a large beautiful bath with a wall of windows looking out to the mountains. We were the only one's using it so we didn't have to worry about committing some major onsen faux pas!

We met Dayne for breakfast in the large cafateria like room, lit with my favorite flourescent lights. ugh. They served us so many dishes for breakfast that even after we asked multiple times what went with what we had no clue! I mean look at all this, it is for ONE person!!

We did get to pick back up out tour around Hakone that day. It was sunny and clear as we boarded the cable car and got amazing views of Mt. Fuji while heading up to see the volcanic activity in the crater of Mt. Hakone.

And we finally got to ride on the pirate ship too!
Official mode of transportation count while in Hakone...6! train, bus, foot, taxi, cable car and pirate ship! Hakone photo set is here.