Budapest,Hungary –
I arrived in Budapest to find that the staff at my hostel were perhaps the most lovely and genuine of any of the hostels I had stayed at in the last 3 weeks (thanks hostel one Budapest!) so this initial experience set the tone.
On the first day I went exploring to the buda castle. For those that don’t know Budapest used to be two cities, buda and pest, separated by the Danube river. The pest side is mostly flat while the buda side has many hills. It is on one of these hills that the buda castle perches and it is incredible. More of a compound than a castle the white stone architecture, statues and gardens I could imagine being in full bloom in summer were on par with the incredible panoramic views of the city below. From the castle I went to st Michaels church which is a church with towering spires and a mosaic roof. On the way back to the pest side I was walking over the bridge and was struck by how he buildings on both sides reflected the pink sunset among themselves – looking more ethereal than present.
From there I met up with friends from Australia who I had not seen in two years and we perused Christmas markets enjoying cheap mulled wine and the Christmas set atmosphere. There was one market with a live band and the street down had incredible laser presentation on the basilica – it was very cool.
The next day started out by going to the Széchenyi Medicinal Baths with the lovely Cheralyn (Ubc friend, also in exchange in Bordeaux.) My oh my, were the baths ever relaxing. From the coloured walls surrounding the baths to the marble looking statues I felt I was enjoying a life of luxury. This combines with the proper brunch (super cheap) we had in the morning had led us to believe we were women of leisure. After the baths we explored a castle in the park which with its most, ivy clinging to the walls and very Cinderella esque design.
From the castle we ventured to parliament. On the way to parliament we stopped at the shoe installation on the side of the river. The shoes are made of metal and realistically filled with wear and creases. They are to pay homage to the Jewish Hungarians who in 1944-45 were taken from their home, made to take their shoes off before being shot into the river. The shoes reflect the people who were shot so are men’s, women and children’s shoes. Yes even children were not spared this horrid fate. I know I have already put out a call once in this blog for compassion over hate but let this serve as another and I urge you to research this yourself.
Afterwards we went to parliament which is an impressive gothic inspired structure that puts many North American parliaments to shame. The towering building looks out onto the river and the spires reach and curve all around the building. The courtyard is full of soldiers and police who are dwarfed by the statue of a man on a horse and the giant Christmas tree. After parliament we were a tad chilly so went for tea and cake before heading black to the hostel.
Two days in Budapest was not enough. There is so much more to explore, more to eat and more to learn. I am not sure when I will be back but I am certain that I will be back.
Tips
– Buy a 24/48/72 hour travel card. Budapest is a great walking city but in winter it gets chilly so good to have option to jump on a tram if you get cold!
– Stay at hostel one – you won’t regret it!
– Eat and eat and eat some more
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