Nutcracker and Christmas Tram

I took the kids to see the Nutcracker the day after Christmas. This was Ronin and Willow’s first ballet, and they were super excited. It took a little bit to explain to them it was like going to the movie theatre, but the people are actually doing the acting right now. But they are dancing, so there are no words.

I told them the story before we went, but still had Ronin and Willow asking what was happening. Willow sat on my lap the entire time because the auditorium was completely full and we were way in the back of the balcony, so it was a little difficult to see. But we were able to make it work.

All three kids said they liked the ballet. Ronin’s favorite part was the rat king, Zoey’s was the snowflakes, and Willow’s was all the pretty dresses. They thought it was totally awesome that mommy had danced many of the roles in the nutcracker. It really makes me miss ballet.

That night we went out to dinner at the Iguana Bar and Grill, which we were told was the best Mexican food in Budapest. Well, it was fine, but definitely nothing special. Afterward we walked to the 2 Tram line so we could ride the Christmas Tram. Just like with the Santa bus we had to wait for the tram to get to the specific stop. We originally weren’t going to wait, but the kids were having fun playing tag and Sharks and Minnows by the parliament building so we stayed and waited.

The Christmas Tram was magical but completely packed! The pictures of the empty train are from the end of the line when everyone got off. The outside was covered with lights, and as soon as people got off we jumped in so we could get a seat. It is an older tram than the typical ones which made it louder and more rickety as it bounced along the tracks.

There were so many people on the tram! I am glad we got seats, but Ronin ended up sitting on my lap. Man, is he heavy! The view out of the 2 tram is beautiful because it goes all the way down the Danube on the Pest side, so you get to see the Parliament, Castle Hill, Gellert Hill, and all the buildings lit up for the holidays. JonPaul and Willow were on the other side of the tram so they didn’t have the great view. As we passed people on the street, and especially at the stops, everyone was taking pictures of the tram. Ronin and Zoey were seeing how many people they could get to wave at them! We took the tram all the way from the start to the end, and then had to make our way back to our house on another tram. The other trams were much less busy than the Christmas Tram, and Willow got some good snuggles in.