Underrated Budapest - by Me!

When I planned this trip, I knew I wanted to visit Budapest but, having been there once before, I allowed us one full day staying outside of it for two nights in the small town of Szentendre on the Danube.  I honestly thought one day there would be enough but, man, was I wrong!  We caught the train just before 9 am arriving in Budapest about 40 minutes later. Our plan was to take the Big Bus hop on - hop off tour for a couple of hours, wander the streets for a bit, enjoy a late afternoon river cruise and have happy hour on the terrace up at the castle.  As they say, the best laid plans of mice and men . . . . . !  First, the bus was an hour late, then because of the traffic congestion the tour took much longer than planned, the late afternoon river cruises were cancelled leaving us only the 2 pm option and the last bus was leaving the castle area at 5:30. Hmmm!  None of this was in our plan but, as I've learned so well from my friend Sue, you have to "reframe" things!  So, we saw lots of the major sights on the first 1 1/2 hours of the tour, had a lovely lunch on a boat where the river cruise boat moors enjoying the view of the Chain Bridge and castle on the hill, took the 2 pm river cruise which lasted another 1 1/2 hours and gave us a different perspective on the city, then we caught the last part of the Big Bus tour up the hill on the Buda side of Budapest and saw the Gellert Hotel, the Citadel and Castle Hill including the Fisherman Bastion. Then well, it was after 5 and time for "happy hour", of course.  There is a fabulous terrace along the top of the castle with the most amazing views of the Pest side including the Parliament and the Basicilia of St. Stephen. We expected to pay a lot for drinks here but our two "fizzantes" (each) and Trevor's two beers cost only €42. However, even better was the gypsy violinist and viola player who serenaded us - a hauntingly beautiful romantic piece celebrating Mena and Trevor's 37+ years of marriage and, for me, an upbeat gypsy number acknowledging my free, independent spirit. We gave them Canada pins when they were finished and they immediately put them on. If you look closely at the photo of them below, the little dots on their lapels are the pins.  Of course, I was sucked into buying a CD but it will forever be a good memory of the afternoon. However, I'm not finished with this city. We missed so much - Andrassy street with its lovely buildings and shops, the basilica, the House of Terror (too soon for us after Auschwitz), Heros Square, and the Ethnography Museum to mention a few. So, don't make my mistake. It will mean, like me, you will have to return to this fabulous city.