BudapestZIN

The Advent season in Budapest is the best time of year to visit the famous Gerbeaud Confectionary. This legendary café, established in 1858, was once visited by the Hapsburg royal family and for generations has been a Budapest favorite for its delightful desserts. But during the Advent season, another Gerbeaud tradition draws the crowds in- Gerbeaud's Advent calendar. Each day at 5 p.m. from December 1 to December 24, to the chimes of Szilvia Kárászy, a window in the Advent calendar opens to display a new piece of contemporary artwork. The fanfare includes a light show and musical accompaniment.

The beginning of the month of December always prompts me to start thinking about the Christmas presents for my special loved one. The difficulty about getting the right present for HIM (be it when he was my boyfriend or when he is now my husband) has always been a very challenging task.

Not because he is fussy, but finding the ideal gift that is practical, trusty and original is not the easiest somehow. It could be the reason that he is a man. Forget about those ideas like keychains, mugs, tie pins, neckties....as they are so boring and lame ideas. How about something different this year?

Idea #1: The ANDINO's Xpressio series iPad Leather Carrying Case and it doubles with the book-stand style. I like that it has this Mystic Black colour that is very practical and professional looking. At a glance, you can see that there are many different ways to adjust it to fit a bookstand function. For low angle on the table use, to a lifted A-frame stand.

The second idea that I can go for this year can be the iPhone PowerPlus extra battery pack that doubles his talk time. This is an elegant looking Li-ion polymer battery that has up to 380 hours of Standby Time. If he needs to travel for conferences and seminars overseas, this would be a great companion. For road trips to neighboring European cities like Zagreb or Vienna, the car ride allows him Wi-Fi Internet access of up to 7 hours! Wow!

With more and more gadgets for a man like him, the third choice for the Christmas gift idea will be the PowerPlus Xtreme. This is only 140 grams in weight and it can be just as good because of its ability to double as an External Battery Pack and a retractable USB to multi lead! The six adapters included one mini USB, one micro USB, one Apple iPhone 3G or 3GS or 4. This device is great with compatibility for Mobile Phone, Digital Camera, Digital Audio Player, USB Device Portable Gaming Device, Ebook Reader and Mobile Internet Device.