Travel tips and inspiration for traveling in 2020
Travel Planning: Seeing 2020 by Looking Back

If Only in My Dreams Update November 30, 2020: Mr. TWS and I have been fortunate to visit many European cities and Christmas markets during the holiday season over the years. Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed much about our lives and plans, but we are optimistic that we…
Nicknamed “City of Spas” because of its abundance of natural thermal springs, Budapest has had public baths since the Romans first built them there. Almost any list of top things to do in the city has a visit to a Budapest spa in the top five.
Just nine months after our first visit to Budapest, I was compelled to go back, longing to revisit Budapest highlights we experienced before and to check out others that we had missed.
Until recently, Budapest District 8 was off the radar for visitors, considered a high crime area with buildings in various stages of disrepair from neglect. It’s still not a place that tourists will easily find.
We’ve always looked at “getting there” as part of the fun while traveling, even within a city. On our recent trip, we found Budapest to be one of the easiest cities to get around quickly.
Visiting tourist attractions on the Buda (western) side of the Danube, such as Fisherman’s Bastion and Matthias Church, you may not be aware that there is more to explore beneath Budapest.
At Ferenc Liszt International Airport, I handed our destination address to the taxi driver, excited to be in Budapest and heading to a luxury hotel in a city I’d long wanted to visit.