Cruising to: Ephesus

The second stop on our cruise was Ephesus, Turkey.  We docked in Kusadasi, hopped off the ship, and found an ATM to get Turkish Lira.  Our friend wasn't feeling so great, so we stopped for some tea a little cafe and decided to work on a game plan.  While we were game planning, we met the most amazing couple from California.  We really hit it off with them and found we had quite a bit in common.  Since our friend needed to rest, they headed back to ship for a while, and we tagged along with our new found friends!

We decided the cheapest method was to hire a Taxi.  The cafe owner called a Taxi for us and we all piled in.  We negotiated the rate upfront to go to House of the Virgin Mary, Ephesus, and John's Basilica and lunch.  

Our first stop was house of the Virgin Mary.  We had to pay to get through the gate and our driver waited while we explored the site.  It wasn't something that you MUST see, and its not clear whether it truly was Mary's home, but there are some historical points that lead us to believe she settled here in this area and John looked after Mary after Jesus' death on the cross.  If you have time, its worth a 20-30 minute stop.

From here we hit up the major site of Ephesus.  Thankfully we had downloaded the audio guide by Rick Steve's, or you can just follow his walking tour in the book.  I would allow yourself 2-3 hours to really explore and see all of the important aspects of Ephesus.  It was seriously amazing to walk the same streets that so many people have walked thousands of years ago.  If this is all you were to do in Kusadasi, than your trip would be complete.

From here we hit up the major site of Ephesus.  Thankfully we had downloaded the audio guide by Rick Steve's, or you can just follow his walking tour in the book.  I would allow yourself 2-3 hours to really explore and see all of the important aspects of Ephesus.  It was seriously amazing to walk the same streets that so many people have walked thousands of years ago.  If this is all you were to do in Kusadasi, than your trip would be complete.

Our last stop was John's Basilica and said to be where he is buried.  Once we arrived it started to rain, so we decided we wouldn't pay to enter the site.  Instead, we found a cute local restaurant and ate some amazing kebab and turkish pizza with of course, tea.

Our driver insisted we stop at a local carpet shop.  They said it would be no pressure and we would see the people making the famous carpets, so we decided to give it a go.   It was truly fascinating watching them take silk worms and spin the silk.  They gave us tea and showed us many different types of rugs.  Of course I wanted one, but that was not in our budget on this trip! One day I will buy a Turkish rug!!!

We arrived finally back to the port and walked around to see the sunset.  We found a local Turkish Delight stand and purchased some to try on the ship.

Kusadasi and Turkey were a delightful stop on this cruise and we were so glad we got to see so much history!

Lodging: Cruise Ship

Transportation: Hired Taxi

Guidebook: Rick Steve’s Mediterranean Cruise Ports, and Audio Guide Downloaded to IPhone

Budapest A Hidden Treasure Chest

Since Ryan had already been to Hungary, he said he didn't need to go back.  My friend Courtney's husband felt the same way, so we decided to take a little girls trip over to Buda to see what all the fuss was about! Courtney is much like me and a good travel planner.  I think we thrive on being travel agents while we live here.

Our flight to Budapest was easy and quick.  We used the WizzAir shuttle to drop us off in the city centre and just a 5 minute walk from our Airbnb.  We found our Airbnb easily, but our host was not waiting for us.  We were 15 minutes late due to our WizzAir shuttle and she had just left! We finally called and she rushed over to let us into the apartment.  After that, it was smooth sailing!

We ventured out toward the water and found a little festival along the way.  We indulged in some local treats and continued walking toward the Danube.  We passed beautiful bridges, the shoe memorial on the Danube, and saw the lovely Parliament building.  We moved more toward the city center and found a lovely place to eat dinner.  We were even serenaded by a small quartet orchestra! The owner was knowledgable in Hungarian wine and kept it flowing for us throughout the entire dinner!  We arranged for a 9 pm drink cruise on the Danube river.  It was only 14 Euro per person and we each got 2 drinks.  It was beautiful to see the city and river lit up at night! I really recommend doing that one evening in Budapest!

The next day, we started out by crossing the bridge toward the castle on the other side of the river.  We explored that area, St. Stephens Church, and had some amazing views of Parliament and the Pest side.  From there we, attempted to tour Parliament, however the next English tour was later in the day and we felt that it was better to move along and continue seeing more of the city.  From what we have heard, the outside is grander than the inside.  We enjoyed some Costa coffee and snacks, toured a church, and walked by the Opera House.

Fisherman's Bastion 

View from the Castle 

St, Matthias Church- look at that ROOF!

View of Parliament 

It was Cocktail time, so we found our first Ruin Pub - Ankert.  Ruin Pubs are all over Budapest an random places where bars have been created with crazy decor, themes, and fun atmospheres. Here we enjoyed amazing Burgers and mango cocktails! From there we explored more of the Jewish Quarter and found the next Ruin Pub: Szimpla.  This is probably the most exotic and interesting of them all.

We passed the Synagogue and went home to freshen up for Aida at the Opera. This was our big fail of the trip.  The website made it seem like Aida was playing in the main Opera House.  We were pumped because then we were going to get to see the inside of the Opera House! As we went to be seated the Usher told us we were at the wrong Theater.  Talk about freaking out!!!! We tried to get tickets for the current Opera, but they were sold out, so we rushed outside and found a cab.  It was a short 5 minute ride, but we were able to make it to Aida after all.  FYI Opera is cheap in Budapest and quite good! We enjoyed the show and set out for some cocktails at a few more ruin pubs including: Fogashaz, Szimpla, Grandido, Ellato Kert, and more.

Opera Time!

Margaritas and Tacos!

The last day of our trip we wanted to do a Food Tour.  When it's a girls trip, we get to fun things that boys aren't always up for! But I have a feeling Ryan would totally be down to eat all day.  We went through the company called Taste Hungary.  We met at the Central Market and LOVED our guide.  She was super fun and knowledgable about Hungarian wine and cuisine.   We walked all over the city, popping into chocolate shops, cafe's, restaurants, and tasted such a variety of meats, cheeses, cakes, coffee, and other traditional dishes.  The end of the tour was a small wine tasting that was very nice and relaxing after a long day.  It was a great way to end our trip and I would highly recommend spending the 80 Euro to taste all the local cuisine!

To top off the afternoon we hit up the Famous Szechenyi Baths! I think it is must.  It was really relaxing and fun.  But I recommend you take a towel and flip flops to avoid renting them while you are there.  

Lodging: Airbnb Apartment
Transportation: WizzAir flight from Hahn to Budapest
Guidebooks: Rick Steves' Top things to see in Budapest
Food Tour: Taste Hungary