Robyn Gamble Travel

08/30/2026

Well, that's a wrap. Our trip was cut short, but we enjoyed the time we had even if it didn't turn out the way we hoped.

There were so many blessings along the way. The shop owners in Romania who gave me water and offered to drive Rob to the hospital. The fact that the travel insurance rep just so happened to speak Romanian and could talk to hospital staff. The fact that our tour director was Serbian and helped set up a doctor's appointment in Serbia for me. The fact that our hotel just so happened to have a wheelchair we could use.

So many people along the way were kind and helpful. Strangers with nothing to gain. This is the best part of travel. Realizing that people are different but they are also the same.

I look forward to redoing this trip in the future without the sprained ankle!

08/27/2026

08/27/2026

We couldn't get the elevator to come to the ground floor. There was an error message on the screen in Hungarian. Rob tried to type it into Google Translate. Ummm....that can't be right. LOL!

Once he corrected the message, we realized it said "close the door on level 3".

08/27/2026

This popped up on my phone from the Meta AI app. Thanks?!?

08/26/2026

We were supposed to go to Italy this week, but had to cancel as there was no way I would be able to get around. We rented an apartment in Budapest until Sunday, when we will fly home. I was also able to rent a wheelchair so we can get out and enjoy the city a little bit. Thankfully we just fit into the elevator in the apartment building (see photo).
I always tell people that Budapest is my favorite European city. So if I need to take a few days to rest and heal, I'm happy to do it here.
The weather has been absolutely gorgeous. 75 degrees with a nice breeze. My husband pushed me around the city for several hours today. I am so thankful for his kind heart.

08/24/2026

I got to eat at one of my favorite restaurants in Budapest yesterday and it did not disappoint! The chicken paprikash is amazing here.

08/23/2026

We transferred to the Kimpton BEM yesterday. It's a beautiful hotel located on the Buda (hilly side) of Budapest. Just steps away from the Danube. This means you can walk outside and see a spectacular view of the Hungarian Parliament building.

The staff at the Kimpton BEM have been outstanding. As soon as they saw that I was in an ankle brace and could barely walk, they offered us use of their wheelchair for the duration of our stay. This has been a game changer as now i can get outside and I don't have to stay cooped up in our room.

08/23/2026

We disembarked our Avalon lower Danube river cruise two days ago. Unfortunately, the water levels didn't improve enough for us to sail into Croatia. That meant we had to take the long bus ride from Belgrade to Budapest. It wouldn't have been that bad, except for the fact that we had to wait 3 hours to cross the border. First you had to clear passport control on the Serbian side and then, separately, pass through passport control the Hungarian side. Because of the new EES system, we each had to get a photo and fingerprints taken. This caused a serious slowdown.

It was a really long day. I was glad I had an empty seat next to me on the bus so I could elevate my ankle. I was also thankful that Avalon put us up in the beautiful W Hotel Budapest upon arrival. It has a really fun vibe to it and is located directly across the street from the Opera House. The hotel opened in 2023 and the building used to be the Hungarian State Ballet Institute. This hotel has a lot of character.