I am wildly behind on updating here. My last post was somehow last July and before that February. It’s safe to say the second half of 2021 flew by. April through November brought low Covid numbers to most of Europe and we capitalized on it by traveling whenever we could and I also enjoyed some solo trips. May and October brought trips back the the States for family time and various events. Instead of trying to catalog every single trip, I thought I’d focus on two cities we returned to for second or in some cases, third time.
In September and October, we returned to Budapest and Venice. It’s interesting how returning to a city after a number of years can be a completely different experience. There are so many variables – the city itself could have changed, a different season, wildly different weather, or maybe you’ve changed in some way? Regardless, it was fun to reflect on and compare our experiences.
Venice
I first experienced Venice in 2013 while on a trip to Vienna visiting my friend Sarah. We had a whirlwind road trip to Italy over a long weekend and the better part of one day to explore Venice. I remember thinking Venice was beautiful and obviously quite iconic but also smelly, crowded, and overly touristic. This year we returned to celebrate our sixth anniversary and chose a luxurious Airbnb, scheduled a few nicer dinners, and enjoyed a slower pace of travel that we’ve come to enjoy more of late.
The normal hoards of tourists were significantly smaller, the streets quieter, and I much preferred this visit. We strolled the endless narrow Venetian alleys and picturesque bridges, lingered for a coffee or afternoon spritz by the water. The slower pace brought great conversations as we reflected on the last six years of marriage and how our lives has brought us both more adventure and more ups and downs than we really could have dreamed of.
Budapest
We visited Venice in 2017 on our Vienna – Prague – Budapest trip. Knowing we had only a few days to explore, we packed the days with the city’s highlights and fell into bed exhausted at the end of each day, climbing a steep hill to get to our Airbnb on the Buda side of the river.
This time, we expended most of our Marriott points staying at the Matild Palace on the Pest side – truly the most beautiful hotel I’ve ever stayed it. Everything about it was impeccable from the kind staff to complimentary welcome drinks to the sumptuous linens to the beautiful tile in the bathroom to the stunning and glamorous rooftop bar (The Duchess, a must go).
On this visit, we filled our days with gentle long strolls, enjoy the music show at the famous magical fountains on Margaret Island and eating a lot of delicious food. Our slower place took us past Szimpla Kert, an iconic nightclub and music venue we visited in 2017 – this time it was the middle of the afternoon and had been transformed into a lively and colorful craft bazaar. The bar was serving up cold drinks and a cover musician entertained people while they shopped. Another highlight was touring Dohány Street Synagogue, the largest synagogue in Europe with a moving history.
Berlin in Frankfurt 