Buda...Pest

Budapest was lovely, although freezing cold on Saturday, around -5 or -6 that night. We had an amazing hot and cold breakfast buffet at our hotel every morning, and certainly were not lacking for food at other times. We ate in several old cafes, one being the famous Gerbeaud Confectionary (coffee and cakehouse) that has been around for more than 100 years. It was beautiful with chandeliers and all. We went on a tour of the state opera house, where they were busily finishing the set for Carmen, which was to open that night. It was stunningly gorgeous! The Royal Opera House in London has nothing on Budapest! But then again, it is known as one of the most, if not The most, beautiful opera house in Europe. We explored a labyrinth underneath the castle complex by wandering around in the dark with an oil lamp...it was quite spooky in places, and lots of fun. We had an unbelievably delicious dinner Saturday night, where we also tasted the Takaji wines that are made in Hungary, and were serenaded with traditional music by a violinist and pianist. And finally, we spent a lot of time in the thermal baths attached to our hotel. Mmmm, talk about your relaxation therapy. Well, except for the plunge pool. There was a 36 and a 38 degree pool, a plunge pool, and a steam room, and then a big indoor heated swimming pool in another room. We also opted for a "medical massage" one of the days...a lot of people come to Budapest for the healing powers of the thermal baths, and therefore other services have grown around it, like doctors and rehab and dentistry and cosmetic surgery, etc.

So this is my last week on the acute stroke unit :-( And unfortunately, I have caught another bad head cold, so I am really struggling to get through it, rather than enjoying it. I don't understand, this is the second winter in a row where I get sick and then better only in time to get sick again. Or sometimes even catch one cold right after another. I guess I'm not used to the strains of germs they have over here, or something!, and am looking forward to the health benefits of moving back to the States end of October/November.

Happy Valentines!

Catching up

I've had some nice catch-up chats with people lately...Viv and Jo in particular. I was meant to see Kristy in person, as she came over to England for four days, and I was perfectly happy to go out to Oxford to see her. However, her sister (who lives in Oxford) surprised her with a trip to a cottage on the Scottish border, so I didn't get to see her at all, and she flew back home today.

I've also been busily working away, trying to tie up my caseload for the end of my rotation in a week and a half now, and finish off projects that my supervisor will need to see at my review on Monday. Put that together with a student who is finishing her placement at the same time as I finish my rotation, and a caseload with patients who need tons of social input, and you have a fairly stressed out bunny, as they would say here.

But tomorrow I'll take a break...W is taking me to the opera, so we are having our Valentine's night tomorrow. We are going to see Mozart's Magic Flute at the Royal Opera House. Hope I like opera, as it's 3.5 hours long!

And on Friday we take off for Budapest. Now that's some serious relaxation, as they are well known for their thermal baths ;-) We'll be staying at the Danubius Hotel Gellert, which includes free entrance to their thermal baths (among the most famous in the city). A little bit of trivia which I didn't know but some of you might-- the city is divided by the Danube river, so there are actually two parts, Buda and Pest.

Varekai

We went to see Cirque du Soleil at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday. A friend of Wickus' had booked a box, we had to have someone let us in with a key and everything. Very posh. Although perhaps not so much as what I now know is coming up next week...for a special Valentines night, although it will be on Wednesday instead of Thursday, W has booked tickets for the Magic Flute at the Royal Opera House. Now, what does one wear to the opera??

View of St Vitus Cathedral, towering over Prague Castle Complex

Another castle entrance

Similar to Buckingham Palace guards, they aren't supposed to move or make sounds, but we heard coughing and laughing!

One of the entrances to Prague Castle

Franz Kafka museum

He was born into a Jewish family in Prague, and spoke and wrote in German. The story of his life is absolutely fascinating, and gives a fair amount of insight as to why he wrote the things he wrote.

The Astronomical Clock

Virtually impossible to read, it tells so many different kinds of time. Most of the guided walks of the town start here, so that you can have an explanation of what exactly the clock is telling you. Every hour on the hour, three small windows open up, and you see the 12 Apostles rotating through the windows, plus a golden cock that crows at the end. Not as exciting as it sounds actually.

St Nicholas Church, Old Town Square

The Men's Toilet...

In a small cafe on Old Town Square. Well, Prague does seem to have become a hot spot for stag do's. And no, I'm not the one who took this photo ;-)