Hungarian Ballet from a Box Seat!

Probably the best highlight of our time in Budapest was our night at the ballet. When we realized the Opera House was:

A) Performing "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" while we were there (Connor's favorite!)

B) Sold Box Seats for ~$10 per ticket (the arts are partially funded by the government)

C) Had a box available same day - and our's was a private box! (Score, for the wiggly three year old)

SIGN US UP!

We talked it up big time with Connor. It was the bribe for at least 24 hours...and it worked. I don't think Connor had any idea what a ballet was or what to expect, but she definitely sensed from us how special the night would be. We took the tram to the National Hungarian Opera House and my oh my, it was beautiful.

It felt a little more "normal" and less "European Traveler" to get dressed up for a night out with our daughter. Great to focus on her experience and enjoyment, rather than the sites.

The opera house was stunning on the interior too. I loved the black, white and gold foyer.

And the grand staircase! How could you not feel like a Princess on these steps?

Our box rocked. It was perfectly private. We bought a fancy-dancy program (in Hungarian!) and settled in.

We practiced our "Mirror, Mirror on the Wall - Who is the Fairest One of All?" in the mirrored program. I couldn't get over how perfect this was that ballet is an art form that crosses not only age lines but language barriers too.

The big, grand curtain rose.

We held our breath and promised we would leave as soon as our wiggle monster made a peep.

Determined not to be "those parents" - even in Hungary.

But do you know Connor sat still with eyes glued for the entire 2+ hours!?!

Dopey was by far her favorite dwarf of all.

What a rewarding night. We heard all about this new version and interpretation of Snow White for weeks and weeks after the performance. The only mishap we had was that Connor "accidentally" dropped her small stuffed Tigger down out of the box at intermission. Mercifully everyone below was out so it didn't bonk anyone's head.