The Budapest we now know. Very well

Originally we booked 3 nights in the city. Recommended by our son Adam and his wife Eva. We arrived early afternoon dropped our backpacks and went down to the Danube. This is the first sight we saw. The first of many magnificent buildings. The architecture was incredible. How on earth did they manage to build such large structures all those years ago...no unemployment for them or the stone masons? I think I will write a separate blog for statues. We still have had very sunny days every day. We opted for the 2 day hop on hop off bus ticket as it gave us a lot of options like a free river cruise and a night bus ride as well. We stayed about 15 mins away from the main sights so it was a quiet area. Lucky we liked walking interspersed with sitting in cafes drinking coffee watching the world drift by around us. We weren't sure what to expect from Budapest . No expectations then you are not disappointed. We couldn't have been more surprised.

Thee attractions and museums are spread around the city so the tourists are spread out as well. There are two sides Buda and on the other side of the River Danube is Pest.

Of course all the major things you want to see are always up a high mountain..the best vantage point for the castles and citadels in this case. The best place to contemplate as well. The walk down was really nice through a forest of low trees so nice and shady. At the bottom of the descent there was a fantastic children's park.

The parliament house is the second or third largest in the world. Very impressive sight to see by bus, river and on the other side of the river. We actually didn't go inside a lot of the major buildings as it was very hot and outside was much nicer.

We found the Hungarians really love their local food and every park or square seemed to have little huts where you could purchase locally produced or grown food. The first night we came across a live rock band who sung Hungarian and English rock and roll. We didn't move for a couple of hours except to buy more food and beer. The beer in Europe has less alcohol content so you can drink an extra stein or two. It was a warm welcome for us to Budapest.

Look at these scenes taken at night from the bus!!! If you can imagine both sides of the river, they look like they are alight. We could not capture it all on the camera, but it will be etched in our memory forever. So happy to be making these memories together xx

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Budapest at night...stunning. We enjoyed the night bus ride immensely. The weather was great to us. As we neared the top of the Citadel a fireworks display started. The bus driver stopped the bus so we could watch it. Nick turns to me and says he organised it for my birthday. Hehe every time we go out for dinner ...he says it's for my birthday. I wonder what will happen after the 7th September, when it is really my birthday.

The House of Horror Museum was at the end of our street. We have a rule of thumb between us that we only visit museums etc if the weather is inclement but this was so near we decided to visit. It was confronting to say the least. The persecution of the Jews was portrayed vividly as was the Occupation of Hungary by the Nazis then of course communism with Russia. The sad stories that were told. There was loads of video footage from people who had escaped and those who were left behind with children to support never to see husbands and fathers again. Those of you who know me well, know my dad is German and was conscripted by Hitler Youth when he was very young, along with his brother. They were taken prisoner of war by the Russians and taken to a prisoner of war camp in Poland. What was depicted in there including the original cells that they were kept in upset me deeply. What they went through was appalling. No wonder dad suffered all his life and wouldn't talk about it. I ran out of there crying and I am crying writing this now. Horror it was :(

On a brighter note .. we wandered out to the other end of the city to see their zoo after that, but became waylaid when we came across a local food fair. It was situated in the grounds of the Agricultural Museum. Lots of tastings...honey ,cheese, wine, Palinka (local fruit brandy) that one cleans out the system I tell you. Breads,cakes,strudels all made with fresh fruit. Tastings of everything so we didn't need lunch that day. It was $2.50 to get in ..everything is inexpensive here for us as their wages are so low. Some of the people earn in a day what we earn in an hour.

These bears were very sweet ..made from straw.

Cheese glorious cheese. This stall was very interesting. The owner was only too happy with his little bit of English to explain their method of cheese making. They make this cheese a little like the texture of provolone then roll it adding garlic or whatever they fancy. So nice and very different. They place red onion in some, basil pesto, capsicum in others. Our favourite stall.

The little wooden huts are used everywhere ..they look nicer than the canvas we use and are uniform. They break down and stack.

Part of the museum..all the posts were carved each one in different patterns made a beautiful sight in the atrium in the middle of the museum where various handmade artifacts were sold. Nothing made in China here.

Have I mentioned about statues. The stonemason's workmanship is incredible. The city must have been very wealthy to be able to commission these works of art.

These two pictures were taken at a children's playground in amongst apartment blocks. The playground was separated by low hedges so children weren't hit by swings there were private areas in the shade for feeding mums. Garden beds of flowers like this one. What an oasis. Just outside the playground was this little coffee shop. Very popular. Good coffee as well.

The Budapest markets were fantastic ..they have been renovated and are very old but looking at old photos it looks still the same but cleaner. There are two levels, on the lower level is the fruit and veg, cheeses, bread, cakes, more plum and apple strudel all sorts of things. Up stairs all the barricades over the walkways are wrought iron and original. Pretty amazing. Also upstairs is an extensive array of souvenirs. We have never seen so many souvenirs in one place. The most exciting stalls up there were little stalls with all their local food to eat then and there. Standing at high tables amongst the locals and tourists. The food is very cheap and good wholesome food like cabbage rolls, their amazing Hungarian sausages and sauerkraut with mustard and bread. We ventured there a couple of times needless to say.

After our 3 night stint we decided to move on to Bratislava in Slovakia. I booked what I thought was 2 nights there in a hostel but instead was in Budapest. It cost too much to cancel so we decided to stay there. So with our turtle backpack homes we set off across the city. The hostel was fantastic and we got to see the city from a totally different angle. The picture above is of the ceiling in the foyer and below of the building we stayed in. The ceilings are so high and the walls are very thick so it is very quiet. This place was very homely with the manager on site always. We had quite a few chats with him. He was from Romania trying to make a life for himself so he could travel. He was one of those who earned in a day what we earn in an hour.

 

This note was on the fridge there. The manager was able to supplement his wages by using the leftover food the travelers left behind. We made sure we left plenty for him . Such a nice guy.

We took the opportunity to travel for a day out to Eger ..a wine region. Nick will blog about that later.

 

The escalators in the metro were so steep and so long it freaked me out.. We tried to get a photo to show the angle people were on even though they were standing up straight.

 

The view from our hostel at night..thank goodness they have double glazing on the windows. It was so noisy outside. We are so glad we stayed the extra nights now and are sad, very sad to leave this city. It is peaceful, beautiful and elegant. We would return again if we have the chance.

 

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