Left Zagreb yesterday to head up to Budapest. About a 4 hour drive. Not a very good day for driving, a real pea soup fog has settled in, with temp down to -1C. Couldn't see very much in the way of scenery, too foggy. But by the look of the immediate surrounds of the freeway, appears to be flat valleys, with the occasional set of low hills, so, not too much to be said.

Finally reached the border crossing. The Croatian guards looked at our passports and waved us through (no stamp this time), then about 10m further on, the Hungarian guards waved us to a stop. Looked through out passport, then waved us through (a new stamp in the passport this time). Very little fuss. One thing we did make sure of this time was to check on the requirements of driving in Hungary: didn't want the same trouble we encountered in Slovenia (refer to entry #8). Before we entered Hungary we purchased the appropriate driving sticker to allow us to drive on the freeways without incurring the wrath of the Hungarian police.

It was late afternoon by the time we arrived in Budapest, negotiated the usual mayhem that is European traffic, and checked into our hotel. We got a great deal with the Hotel Continental Zara, right in the middle of the city - and a parking spot opposite the hotel. The travel gods were smiling on us. The hotel is everything we hoped for. We even got a room upgrade for free.

Wasn't quite dark outside yet so we decided to go for a bit of a walk and get our bearings, and find somewhere for dinner. Remember the comment about the travel gods? Well we checked on the car as we were going out, and guess what - yep, a parking ticket. We had only been parked there for an hour. Must remember to pay for these tickets before we leave (wink wink).

Much colder here than Croatia. Feels like it's below freezing. Budapest is gearing up for the festive season. The streets are aglow with Christmas lights. Markets are in full swing offering everything from arts and crafts, to smallgoods like cheeses and meats, to cups of mulled wine, to 1001 different varieties of hot sausage, potatoes, cabbage, stews, pork, and pastries. Foodies delight!!

Budapest is quite easy to find your way around. The streets are wide and straight. There is a semblance of logic to their layout. Plus you have the Danube River with its many bridges as a reference point. So even for newbies like us, it's not hard to just wander around aimlessly and then find your way back again.

Today we did the tourist thing and opted for one of the many guided river cruises on offer. It may be SO cliche, but it does give you another perspective of the city, as well as an insight into its historical development. As with all European cities, the history of Budapest is complicated. It has been under Goth rule, Turkish rule, Hapsburg rule, interspersed with world wars, and various kings and queens. With each period new aspects of the city were added - bridges, islands, palaces and houses of parliament. All in all, a very informative (and warm) cruise.

Got off the river boat, and we were immediately hit by the freezing temperature - must have been below freezing. It also seems like the whole population of Budapest is out on the streets. Took us ages to fight our way through the crowds back to our hotel. We were almost there when Julie spotted a hairdresser and decided she wanted a haircut. At least it was warm inside. So, after explaining how she wanted her hair cut (always fraught with danger in a foreign country), she settled down for a shampoo, cut, and blow dry. And it turned out really well. The young lass who cut it did a great job. Looked really nice.

Finally made it back to the hotel and we were done for the day. Too cold to go out again so we opted to dine in the hotel restaurant. Really great meal, washed down with a couple of glasses of good Hungarian red wine (and I do mean good). A perfect way to end the day.

Budapest is a great city. Highly recommend you try and get here.