Welcome

Dear Paula and Sten,

It was really really good to meet you and get to know your cheerful way of experiencing Budapest. Please have a look at posts by previous guests, you can also join them by writing to this blog anything that you found interesting, worth seeing, or simply remarkable here at Budapest. :)

Enjoy,
Andras & Malna

Saturday

Alas, my last day in Budapest. I'd managed to see a lot in a few days but knew that there was so much more. I took a number 16 bus from Deak Ferenc ter to the top of Castle Hill and spent a couple of hours enjoying the Old Town again. If you can get up to the hill before the rest of the tourists arrive then you'll enjoy peaceful walks along the column-lined walkways at Fishermen's Bastion and quiet, uninterrupted views of the city. It's almost mesmerising watching the wide Danube flowing silently through the heart of the city from up on the hill.

I took the return bus to Roosevelt ter and took a last look at the Chain Bridge before walking south along the river bank to the statue of the Little Princess. After the obligatory photograph, I wandered lazily back to the apartment past St. Stephen's Basilica, watching the shops and stalls open up and enjoying the sight of commuters on their way to work. Budapest, even at rush hour, seems to enjoy a considered calm, it doesn't have the same self-important feel that you get in London or Paris and you feel less anonymous here than you might in other big cities.

I was reluctant to leave. Even more so after spending an all-too-few minutes chatting with Andras and Malna, who really are the most lovely people you could ever wish to have as hosts. With Malna calling and waving from the apartment window, I climbed reluctantly into the taxi and headed back towards the reality of check-in desks, Departure Lounges, cramped planes, delayed trains and slow buses. Back to rainy old England.

Budapest, you knocked me out. I can't wait to come back.

Gavin

Friday

I think if you were to try and organise the perfect day in Budapest it would have to start with seeing the sunrise from the Citadella. The elevated view over the city is unbeatable and Andras tells me that there's a spot from where it's possible to see all of Budapest's seven bridges at the same time.

The imposing statues of the Independence Monument add a certain gravitas to the location and it's impossible not to be impressed by their scale and powerful forms.

I don't know if there's an easier way to get to the Citadell but I caught a metro train from Oktogon to Vorosmarty Ter, walked to the river bank and got a tram (2 or 2A I think) one stop to the Chain Bridge. I walked over the bridge and caught another tram (19 or 41) south to Independence Bridge and then hopped in a taxi outside the nearby Gellert Hotel. It all sounds very lengthy but didn't take long. I'm sure that Andras and Malna know a simpler way.

Anyway, sunrise from the Citadella was wonderful and a great way to start the day. From the top of the hill, I walked down to the Gellert Thermal Baths, which are currently being renovated although it's possible to peer through the bars from the pavement and see the impressive architecture.

I hopped back across the river and headed towards the Museum of Applied Art. Although the exhibits are very interesting, it's really the magnificent Art Nouveau architecture that attracts attention. Modelled on the Alhambra in Spain, it's a glorious building of graceful arches and flowing curves. The white marble adds to the impression of clean lines and elegance. And if you're at all interested in the way art enters our everyday lives then the exhibits of ceramics, furniture, rugs and soft furnishings will intrigue and entertain you.

Returning to the Lonely Planet guidebook for a lunch recommendation, I found the Lukacs Cafe on Andrassy ut. I wanted to see the inside of one of Budapest's famous thermal baths and the Lukacs was on the way to the Szechenyi baths in the City Park. If you like your coffee in opulent surroundings then Lukacs is the place for you. With grand chandeliers above your head you won't fail to be impressed. You might be less enthusiastic when the bill arrives but hey, we only come this way once, right?

The Szechenyi Thermal baths look more like the inside of a church than a swimming pool. There are various health treatments available and you can get everything from a relaxing massage to a stimulating plunge in the pools. Unfortunately, without my trunks I was relegated to just enjoying the architecture and to watching other people make the chilly walk from the changing rooms to the heated baths.

At the end of my day I took the Metro back to Vorosmarty Ter and wandered around the Christmas Market that had been set up in the square outside Gerbeaud. The Hot Wine seemed to be very popular with the Christmas revellers although, as an Englishman, I was delighted to find one stall selling mugs filled from a steaming cauldron of hot tea!

Gavin

Thursday

Today was a fascinating day. I went to the great Synagogue this morning and enjoyed a really interesting guided tour. The guide is the daughter of a man who successfully hid dozens and dozens of Jews during the Nazi occupation and she showed, with great pride, her father's name inscribed on a memorial in the garden.

The garden contains a beautiful memorial, a metal weeping willow with hundreds of metal leaves. Upon each leaf a name has been inscribed. It's a touching memorial and, I felt, a very eloquent way of remembering those that lost their lives.

Continuing the theme, after lunch I travelled back to the river and to a memorial beside the Danube. Near the Parliament Building is perhaps the most moving and yet simple memorial I have ever seen. Sculptor Gyula Pauer has cast 60 pairs of empty shoes that lie, randomly, beside the river bank. These shoes remember the Hungarian Jews who were shot and thrown into the river by the fascist Arrow Cross Party. It's a jarring reminder that this beautiful city has
seen far more than its fair share of sadness - much of it in recent history. The sight of those empty shoes beside the river is deeply touching and the fact that the memorial is out of sight of many of the tourists who come to Budapest perhaps makes it all the more poignant.

It seems like I might have had quite a sad day, looking at memorials and hearing about great human suffering, but the reverse is true. I think that seeing these things and appreciating just how recently they took place can be almost impossible to comprehend but it really makes you thankful when you look around and see people going about their lives unhindered and unrepressed. It's great to know that you can walk the street without fear and if you're coming to Budapest then I really recommend that you make time in your schedule to visit some of the memorials. Consider it a ying and yang thing if you like, see the beautiful buildings, eat the wonderful confectionary and enjoy the friendly greetings of the local people but understand too
where it's all come from.

Gavin

Wednesday

Inspired by the previous day's rewarding wanderings I was up before sunrise and down on the banks of the Danube by the time the sun glimpsed over the horizon. I don't like getting up early but I urge you to try and see the Danube at sunrise at least once. The first building that the sun's rays hit is the Parliament building and, on a clear day, the globe shimmers with a golden light that's just good enough to eat.

After a well-earned breakfast, I went into St. Stephen's Basilica and admired the frescoes and the wonderful interior. I wasn't too sure about the mummified hand on display but I guess it's of great religious importance. Seemed a bit spooky to me.

It took a while to appreciate all that was on offer in the Basilica and I sat for a while on the steps outside, watching people coming and going.

I turned to the Lonely Planet guidebook for a recommendation for lunch and, consequently, took the metro a couple of stops to Deak Ferenc Ter and across one stop to Vorosmarty Ter where I found the Gerbeaud Cafe. After yesterday's high calorie intake I promised myself that today's would be a more sober and restrained lunch but the range of cakes on display in Gerbeaud defeated my resolve within seconds. One Marzipan Pastry later and I decided that I should walk off my extra (very, very tasty) calories so walked back to the Opera House.

Here's a top tip: every day at 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. there are guided tours of the Opera House. Go!

The tours, in various languages, are excellent. Informative and entertaining, they also give an opportunity to photograph the wonderful interior. And, if you're lucky enough to get the same English language tour guide as I did, you'll be shown around by possibly the most sparkling, most beautiful, smilingest, most charming lady in the whole of Budapest (beside Malna of course). I very nearly went straight back for the four o'clock tour!

Instead, knowing that the sun would soon be setting, I took a metro across the river and walked up to Margaret Bridge, which offers great views of the Parliament Building and Royal Palace, into the setting sun.

Then, back on foot to the apartment, where I collapsed into the sofa and fell asleep almost immediately.

Gavin

Tuesday

I like to get my bearings in an unfamiliar city with a walk around the central and most popular places first and in Budapest that's easy. The majority of the main sights are within walking distance of the Chain Bridge that crosses the Danube so I made that my first port of call on my first morning. Luckily, the apartment is within fifteen minutes walk of the Chain Bridge, or there are trams and buses that run from Oktogon, just two minutes' walk from the front door.

From the Chain Bridge, it's really easy to get your bearings. The Parliament Building on the eastern, Pest side of the river serves as a good landmark but better still are the Royal palace and Citadella up on the western, Buda side of the river.

The Chain Bridge is a good place to take photos from and the lion statues at each end of the bridge are very photogenic. Before crossing the bridge I admired the wonderful architecture of the Four Seasons Hotel in Roosevelt Ter. If you're feeling like a little pampering then I expect they'd let you in for breakfast!

The Siklo funicular that rises from the western end of the bridge, up the hill to the Royal Palace is a great way to travel. I'm always intrigued by the engineering that makes these things work. It also saves having to traipse all the way up the hill!

The views of Budapest from the Royal Palace are fabulous and there can be no better way to get a view of the city. Walking through the Old City to Fishermen's Bastion gives more great views and an opportunity to get a photo of the Parliament Building across the river. if you're feeling very creative you could try to frame the Parliament's Great Dome in one of the arches at Fishermen's Bastion.

After a walk around the Old Town I popped into a couple of cafes. Cafe Miro has some very tasty goulash and, for dessert, the nearby Ruszwarm Cafe has a delectable selection of cakes and confectionary. I recommend the Vanilla Tea and Chocolate Cake combination. I didn't
ask how many calories it contained, I just assumed it was a low-fat, low-cal variety. Right?

By the time I'd waddled out of the cosy and friendly Ruszward (tip: go in the winter when it's not packed solid) the sun was getting lower in the sky. I spent much of my first day up on castle Hill, enjoying the architecture, wandering through the cobbled alleyways and admiring the view west towards the Buda Hills. I ended the day by taking some photos of the river at sunset. I found that if you walk to the most southerly point in the palace grounds you reach a stone walkway that juts out above the hill enough to give a really good angle to view the river.

After a ride back down the hill in the funicular, I took a leisurely walk back to the apartment, pausing by St. Stephen's Basilica, which looked stupendous in the evening illuminations.

Gavin

"There's beer in the fridge"

A Budapest blog! What an excellent idea.

Well, I haven't had time to see any of Budapest's more well known tourist attractions yet but I have found one real gem already!

You know how tiring it can be to travel all day? You start early in the morning and you travel on trains, on planes and in automobiles. You spend hours waiting in anonymous airport departure lounges, you queue for check-in, you queue for the security check, you queue for the plane, you fight for a seat, you queue for passport control. Then, eventually, you arrive in an unfamiliar country, you're not sure of the language, the currency is a mystery and you don't have the faintest clue which direction you should head.

You know what we all really want at this point in our day's journey?

We want to be met at the airport by a friendly taxi driver who drives us to our destination. We want to be greeted by smiling, friendly faces and we dream of being invited into a warm, homely, cosy apartment. Imagine the relief at discovering that we've found somewhere really relaxing to stay. How reassuring to be shown maps and guidebooks, to have the best local cafes and restaurants pointed out to us and to find that we have a clean and spacious place to call
home for the next few days. And imagine the delight at hearing these magic words at the end of our tiring day:

"There's beer in the fridge, call us if you need anything".

I give you... Andras and Malna.

Cheers!

Gavin