November 17, 2010: Joe & Sonia arrive; Winter Festival preparations underway

November 17, 2010: Today I went to the airport to meet Joe and Sonia who arrived from Munich this afternoon. Their plane arrived at 4:20 and I noticed that I arrived at the gate to greet them at 4:19 -- one minute to spare! I escorted them to their hotel which is located right in the heart of Pest close to all the great attractions. Their hotel has an atrium in the middle of it which adds to the charm of the hotel.

Budapest Central Museum hotel atrium

We then took a walk to Vaci utca where I could see all the stalls being assembled for the Winter Festival which opens this Friday and continues through Christmas. Only one stall seemed to be in business at the time, and if that's any indication of what's in store with the remaining stalls, we'll be in for a real treat. Imagine looking at the cakes that were for sale in this stall and having to choose which one to eat!

Winter Festival Stall

We walked through to the Danube and Joe and Sonia witnessed for the first time what I've come to love about living in Budapest, the magnificent view of the Buda Castle and St. Matthias church before us. We ate at the restaurant just next to the Danube and were entertained by gypsy music. We ate a great meal accompanied by a bottle of Tokaj wine. After that we walked along the Danube and I decided it was still early enough for a visit to the New York Coffee House for dessert. Joe and Sonia both seemed to enjoy the ambiance there. After dessert, we walked back to Muzeum korut where their hotel is located. Then it was time for Joe to make last minute alterations to his speech for tomorrow at my school and for me to get back home.