Christmas X2

So, there were a few problems with the mail this year and we didn't get all our Christmas present by Christmas, but the boys were very excited to have two instead of just one.

The boys starting to rip into their presents!!!

AJ has gotten into socks like his father, and he was sooooooooooooo excited to get some Seahawk socks!!!

Look at that smile on his face!!!

 David was very excited about his new hat!!!

Look at that smile!!  Do you think that we are a Seahawk family?!?

Michael getting his new Seahawk shirt!!!!

David just saw that he received new Marshawn Lynch socks!!!

I think AJ was trying to use the force or something to figure out what was in this gift.

I was SUPER excited as well to get some Seahawk socks!!!!

I also was very excited, I saw that I received a new Seahawk blanket!!!  To say the least it was a wonderful 2nd Christmas!!!!  We were all extremely spoiled!!!!

Budapest - day 3

After staying up way too late and having a great time, we slept in a little.  It was nice to be able to relax.  We decided to try and hit up the baths and see what those are all about.

The boys are one of the oldest underground in Europe.

Budapest was the 2nd city in Europe with an underground.  The first was London.  Interesting fact, it was designed by Gastav Eiffel, which is the same guy who designed the Eiffel tower.

David and I on the underground!

Here is a view of the Szechenyi baths.  It is the one that more locals go to.  It is the largest medicinal bath in Europe.  It is supplied by two thermal springs, their temperatures are 165 degrees F and 171 degrees F.  The unfortunate thing is that everybody decided it would be a good idea to go there today on the 1st.  So I didn't even get out the tickets we needed before they said we were full.  The kids were all pretty disappointed, so was I.

You can see that these are still run by people and not computers.

The boys decided to have a little bit of fun on the underground!

AJ and Michael being silly!!!  I love my boys!!!

Michael heading out of the underground.  You can see how nice it looks in there.

Having a late lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe.  Unfortunately it took FOREVER!!!   It took so long that we didn't have to pay for anything.

By the time we finally got out of the Hard Rock Cafe, it was dark outside.  The one good thing about that is that the lights were very pretty.  

We decided to do some last minute souvenir shopping downtown.  We found some great last minute items that we just had to have!!!

This was a little strange.  I don't think there is a person in there, not sure where they went or when they were going to come back to collect their money.

It was a beautiful town and such a wonderful time!!!  We enjoyed our time immensely in Budapest and would love to go back if we had more time in Europe!!!  The next day we started our 10 hour drive home.  It took us over 14 hours to get home.  I guess everybody else thought that the 2nd was a great day to drive home.  It was well worth it though!!  I am so glad that the boys are such good travelers and didn't complain on the way home.

Budapest - day 2

On New Year's Eve we slept in a little and decided to check out the town a little more.  We all wanted to go back to the market area and pick up a few more things.  It was so huge and we didn't have enough time yesterday to see it all.

This is Attila Jozsef a famous Hungarian poet who killed himself by jumping in front of a train at age 32.  Jozsef's poems of life, love, and death are considered a high point of Hungarian literature.  His birthday is celebrated as National Hungarian Poetry Day.

But before we could do some shopping we had to fuel everybody.  So we stopped and had some food at Hooters.

Michael chillin' with Daddy!!!!

Looks like Michael found somebody else to chill with.  :-)

AJ is looking might cozy as well!

AJ and his super hero pose!!!

Michael decided he wanted to do one as well.

Michael was checking out this mannequin.  He wasn't quite sure about it.  It was a little strange.

The main pedestrian walk through Budapest.  It was pretty crowded in the streets.

This McDonald's was a landmark in Eastern Europe - the first McDonald's behind the Iron Curtain.  When it opened people were lined up around the block - to get a burger.  They called Budapest the rebel city during the communist era.

The big Ferris wheel in center of Pest.  You can see this from almost any vantage point.

We were walking and saw this, I wasn't sure what this was to begin with.  As we got closer it was a memorial to Michael Jackson.  There were letters, pictures, etc. all over it.

Here is the Danube fountain, a beautiful fountain built and designed by the Hungarian architect Miklós Ybl in 1880-1883. The fountain shows a statue of Danubius, who personifies the river Danube, standing on a dolphin. Below him are three female figures, allegorical representations of tributaries of the Danube: Tisza, Dráva and Sava. The statues were created by the sculptors Béla Brestyánszky and Leó Feszler.



Next we headed back to St Stevens Basilica.  Like most landmarks in Budapest it is only about 100 years old.  It was built in 1896.  Designed by three architects over more than 50 years, St Stephen's is particularly eclectic.  Each architect had a favorite style: Neoclassical, Neo-Renaissance, and Neo-Baroque.  Construction was delayed for a while when the giant dome collapsed midway through.

The ceiling of the church - they didn't spare any expense.

Here St. Stephen's is kneeling down in front of the Virgin Mary.  He is giving the crown to her for protection of his people.

One thing that the architectures in Budapest did was try and make their buildings look older than they were. This is still a beautiful church!!

This is the inside of the church.

One HUGE difference in this church compared to any other Catholic church, is that it is St Stephens, Hungary's first Christian king, in the high altar.  All other Catholic churches has Jesus in the high altar.  They had to get special permission from the Pope to be able to do this.

Here is a view that is a little farther back, I love the Christmas season as well with the trees up front all lit up!  So beautiful!!!!

You know how much I love my organs!!!  Isn't this one pretty?!?  I would have loved to hear it!

Andrea told us about some of the best hot chocolate in this Christmas market, so we decided to try some.  The boys waiting for their hot chocolate.

 A  look back at the church.  It looks so beautiful a lit up!

David found this yummy food at the market.  It is full of meat and yummy stuff!

They did a show on the church to music.  It was really cool looking!!!

Michael and I enjoying the evening!!!

My three boys - they are all soooo handsome!!!

Joey and Michael enjoying their hot chocolate.  It was extremely thick.

Heading back for the apartment, we looked back and saw this beautiful sight!!!  Amazing!

This is a familiar sight, but the boys were very glad to be off their feet, in a warm house and relaxing for a bit.  Isn't that what vacation is all about.  We decided we didn't want to go back out and were going to enjoy the new year in with all our friends.

The new year is here!!!  What better way then spending it with wonderful friends!!!  Cheers to another great year among friends and family!