This is the "loop" to which this blog refers. We are traveling around the core of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. OK - it's not a perfect configuration & this really wasn't the impetus for the trip. But - it should be interesting to examine the vestiges of empire that remain in the areas where we are visiting.
The trip starts & ends in Budapest, capital of Hungary & former seat of the power for the "Hungarian" part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. It's a grand city, known for the broad bridges crossing the Danube & its busy thoroughfares. Originally, the metropolitan area was three separate cities - Pest, Buda, and Obuda. Obuda is the oldest part of the city. ("Ó" means ancient in Hungarian).
The three parts of the city have distinctly different characters. Buda is more residential, more sedate, home to notable monuments and parks such as Gellert Hill.
We fly in and out of Budapest, and for both our stays in the city we'll be on the Pest side of the Danube. The hotel rates are a little cheaper there - and there is just more going on there. The Aventura Boutique Hostel, where we stay upon our arrival, is about six blocks from Margaret Island, the home of a medieval convent and now a very pleasant and quiet large park.
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