Carolyn joined me at the end of the Cold War trip, and we did our own visits. 
We visited sights in Budapest, then left for Prague and Krakow. Prague was interesting as a city left alone by the Nazis, who gathered artefacts from Jewish communities (as they were being destroyed) to create “museum.” Krakow, capital of Poland in the 16th century, also had much of its historical buildings intact. Especially impressive was Wawel Castle, home and burial
place of kings and famous Poles. Kosciusko who fought alongside colonials in the American Revolution (and in insurrections to free Poland) is buried there, too. The Jewish sites were pretty depressing because in Krakow for example, there were only about 150 left. Only 10% survived the 
holocaust. The cemetery in Prague had many headstones, but the list of the murdered in World War II in one synagogue was a memorial to the dead.
In Budapest, we might have stayed at the Gellert, an art deco hotel from 1918 that incorporated Turkish era baths, which were a feature of the Turkish culture, aided by hot springs in the area.