My younger sister DeNae served her mission in Hungary back in 1997 and for a few years we have been throwing around the idea of going to visit that country. But then she had 2 more kids and we had to wait until they got old enough to leave, then my sister Paige had some kids so we had to wait some more! Finally it worked out (people stopped having babies!) and we booked our trip to visit Hungary and added on the country of Croatia just for fun. What a trip! I ended up going with my 2 sisters (DeNae and Paige) as well as 2 friends of DeNae's (Andrea and Chisa). We drove all over Hungary and most of Croatia and saw many amazing and wonderful things. 10 days in Europe with 5 girls, squished into a small car. It made for some adventures and we (mostly) got along great:)
Paige and Chisa flew from Las Vegas to Philadelphia and then we all hopped on a plane together to Budapest, Hungary. DeNae and Andrea had flown in the day before and picked us up at the airport. Our first stop was to get something to eat and we all had fun picking out some traditional Hungarian food. Very similar to German food but more paprika:)
We're in Hungary! This is us on the Buda side near St. Matthias Cathedral.
Paige, me and DeNae in front of St. Matthias Cathedral. I loved the beautiful ceramic tile roof.
Looking across the Danube River to the Pest side
King St. Stephen statue
Creepy guy outside souvenir shop...Paige is not impressed:)
Inside St. Matthias church, it was so pretty...I couldn't stop taking photos:)
Going up, up, up the 200 stairs to the top of the bell tower in the Cathedral. Gotta love those windy stair cases!
The amazing view from the top!
After a yummy dinner we went back to the Cathedral to listen to Mozart's Requiem performed by choir and organ. It was just lucky that we found out about this concert and I'm so glad we did. What a beautiful setting to listen to that amazing music.
The beautiful Parliament building all lit up at night
I don't remember why we were rubbing this police mans belly...must have been for good luck:)
We took a food tour through Budapest. Our group only had about 10 people so it was very intimate and fun. Our first stop was at this yummy strudel place. It was amazing how they roll and stretch the dough to get it so very thin.
cherry, apple, cheese, and poppy strudel
I thought this memorial was really great until I learned of it's significance. It was to commemorate the Nazi occupation of Hungary but I guess our guide told us it was very controversial because members of the Jewish community say that it doesn't go far enough in acknowledging Hungary's role in rounding up and deporting Jews for the Nazi government.
After the Nazi's left then Russia took control of Hungary. I believe this is a monument to the Russians that fell during WWII.
Our Food Tour group. This was a lot of fun! Not only did we eat some yummy, traditional food but we learned about the history of the city from a local as we walked from place to place.
The beautiful St. Stephen Cathedral.
This is the reliquary that supposedly houses St. Stephen's right hand. Kind of creepy but kind of cool?
I don't think I would ever get tired of exploring old churches. There is so much to see! The artwork, the stone work, the wood work, the symbolism...Just amazing!
Just some crazy Americans walking around Budapest:)
We got to this great indoor market only about 30 minutes before it closed so we all did a whirlwind look around and I actually found a nativity. That was my one goal, to find a nativity in Hungary and this market was my best chance. I zoomed through this place. It's amazing how quick you can move when you have something very specific in mind that you are looking for:)
The Parliament building in Budapest has to be at the top of most beautiful buildings ever built. This place is so grand and gorgeous! We only toured around the outside because we missed the final English tour but it was a great site to see.
Walking around the building gives you different views and perspectives, all of them beautiful.
Look at how pretty it is with the sun shining on it!
This was a beautiful but tragic memorial to the Jews that were taken down to the Danube river and told to remove their shoes before being shot and killed and their bodies falling into the river to be washed away.
One morning DeNae went to the airport to switch our vehicle. She had rented a giant van that was great for all our stuff and 5 people but was not working to drive around European sized city roads or park in any spot at all in the city! I was really wanted to tour the inside of the Parliament building and since no one else wanted to join me I just went on my own. This is the grand staircase inside the building. It's just as beautiful inside as outside!
I got to witness a small changing of the guard ceremony. The actual crown and royal scepter are housed in the Parliament building and we got to see them but we were not allowed to take photos.
I stole this photo from Google images...shhhh...don't tell!
One of the Parliament chambers where the politicians meet to debate and discuss Hungarian policy. Such a beautiful room. I love all the fancy wood work!
Looking out across the Danube from inside Parliament
This red star was put on top of the Parliament building while the Russian's were in control of Hungary. It would glow red at night. I can't imagine this ugly electric red star on top of such a beautiful building but the Russians wanted to remind everyone in Budapest who was in control!
It was DeNae's birthday and she requested we go to this cute little lake town called Lillafured. She never visited while on her mission but had heard it was a great little destination. I made Paige take this picture of me hiking through the forest to show Hyrum...to prove I was hiking;)
Chisa, Andrea and DeNae walking through the forests of Lillafured.
Such a beautiful setting, right on the lake
DeNae's birthday lunch in a beautiful old hotel
After lunch we headed to Castle Diosgyor to look around. This place was super cool and I would definitely bring my boys here. It was a castle ruin but over the last 50 years or so they have restored the rooms and you can see what life was like in a medieval castle!
Beautiful tiled stove to keep the castle rooms warm
In the great dining hall
From the front...
...and the back:)
Climbing up the many stairs to the top of the castle
Great view from the top of the castle
Right down the hill from the castle was the best gelato shop...DeNae totally remembered this from her mission:)
We went to these super cool cave pools for a quick swim.
Swimming in the "caves"
We took a "haunted" tour of Budapest. It was cool to walk around the city at night and hear stories from the history of the city but they weren't exactly scary...at all. Still, it was a fun time:)
A fountain at Buda Castle
Crazy photo with our "haunted tour" guide. I kind of like all those crazy lights, it looks like the spirits of Budapest were surrounding us:)
We spent a day in the Puszta area of Hungary where the traditional cowboys still put on a show for visitors:)
We took a wagon ride around the countryside...
...saw some very muddy water buffalo...
...traditional farm buildings...
...Hungarian cowboys cracking their whips...
...the horses showing off some tricks...
...and lots of wooly goats!
We spent a fun evening in the home of this Hungarian couple. DeNae found this online site where you could sign up for a traditional meal in someones home. It was really fun to chat with our hosts and hear a bit about their lives here in Hungary. The food was really yummy too!
We left Budapest and headed into Croatia. We made a quick stop in Zagreb, Croatia for a short walking tour that ended up in the the beautiful St. Mark square.
Zagreb also had the BEST gelato at a shop called "Chocolat 041"
Exploring Zagreb
We spent most of the day driving but stopped, just around sunset at the quaint little town of Gospic, Croatia. DeNae had a friend that was looking for relatives from Gospic and so we dropped by the cemetery here and took photos of a bunch of headstones. I love walking around old cemeteries and it was kind of fun to search the rows for certain names. I'm not sure if any of those names helped DeNae's friend find a long lost ancestor but it was a fun little excursion.
It was a cute old cemetery
Lots and lots of driving! 8 hours from Budapest, Hungary to Split, Croatia!
We went to Klis Fortress just outside Split, Croatia. This was a great old ruin but we mostly wanted to drop by because some scenes from the show "Game of Thrones" were filmed here:) You can see the town of Split far below as well as out to the Adriatic Sea. It was a great view from up there!
Klis Fortress
Paige sitting among the rubble and flowers of the fortress
The amazing view from Klis Fortress.
We followed Rick Steve's Diocletian's Palace Walk in Split, Croatia. You begin in the cellars of the palace which are kind of spooky but also really cool to walk around.
In the cellars
The main square of the palace
The Cathedral of St. Domnius. This was originally built as Diocletian's elaborate mausoleum but after the fall of the Roman Empire it was converted into a Cathedral. This is ironic because Diocletian was one of many Roman emperors that persecuted Christians!
Diocletian originally had 13 of these black sphinx in his palace, this is the only one that remains (mostly) intact.
A carving in the baptismal font from St. John's baptistry
The baptismal font
Beautiful Split, Croatia
One of the entrances into Diocletian's palace compound
From Split we took a day trip ferry to the island of Hvar.
Chisa taking a moment to contemplate the meaning of life with her new friend
Walking along the narrow streets of Hvar
On the main town square of Hvar
I liked this sign on the one of the doors we passed...how can I get one that says "The Queen Sleeps Here"?
Really the main attraction on Hvar is the fortress at the top of the island. None of the other girls wanted to hike up the steep trail to visit the fortress so I went on my own. I was rewarded with amazing views from the top!
The view was spectacular!
Hvar had a LOT of steps!
Back in the town square looking up at the Fortress I visited...it was a pretty steep climb to get up there but I'm glad I did it:)
A yummy lunch in Hvar, Croatia
Gelato...yes please!
After our ferry brought us back to Split we hopped in our car to drive down to Dubrovnik, Croatia. To get to Dubrovnik, Croatia you have to drive through a small 5 mile stretch of Bosnia. And because non of us had ever been to Bosnia we decided we would stop for dinner:) This is DeNae and I waiting for our pizzas and being very silly:)
The amazing view of Dubrovnik from our balcony...simply gorgeous!
From Dubrovnik we caught a quick ferry over to Lokrum island. This island had some fun wild life, like these very tame bunnies that hopped right up to me looking for a treat.
Everyone took a quick dip in the Adriatic Sea. It was cold at first but you warmed up quickly as you swam around. We didn't stay in for long but long enough to say I swam in the Adriatic!
After a quick dip in the water we walked around these cool rocks...
...this doesn't look that high but I was freaked out!
The ruins of the old monastery on Lokrum island
This old monastery was just beautiful
This small island was so fun to explore!
DeNae as the "Big Boss" on the Iron Throne:) Some scenes from the Game of Thrones show were filmed here so everyone that visits has to sit on the throne:)
Enjoying a beautiful evening in Dubrovnic
The one thing a wanted to do was "walk the wall" in Dubrovnik. It did not disappoint. You can walk around the entire city on the old rock wall and you get different views of the city and sea as you walk around. I loved it!
On the wall
Beautiful Dubrovnic in the background
We made a quick stop at Krka National Park in Croatia. The path through the forest was lovely and ended right near a great waterfall. We contemplated getting in for a swim but it was too cold for us.
I loved this forest we walked through in Krka...the purple flowers were like a carpet through the trees
Beautiful waterfalls everywhere you looked!
One last photo in Krka National Park
Paige being silly in Zadar, Croatia. We had to drive from Dubrovnik all the way back to Budapest for our flights home and we made some fun stops along the way.
Some amazing Roman statues in Zadar, Croatia!
Chisa holding the sun in Zadar
Enjoying the sounds of the "Sea Organ" as the sun goes down in Zadar
A must see sight in Croatia is Plitvice National Park. The walking trails are beautiful and there are waterfalls at every turn. Such a beautiful place to visit and a great way to end our trip!
On a boardwalk in Plitvice
Fun times exploring Plitvice
Not the best photo but the boat ride on the lake in Plitvice is so peaceful and the trees were beginning to change colors for the fall. It was beautiful.
Waterfalls everywhere!
We drove into Budapest pretty late at night but we got some delicious food at the great outdoor food truck market.
What an adventure! I loved exploring these two beautiful countries. I loved hanging out with my sisters and some friends! I loved all the yummy new food I tried! I loved the gorgeous natural beauty I explored and would love to come back some day and share these experiences with my own little family.
