Budapest

Parliament

The bonus of traveling to watch Rachel play in a soccer tournament was we got to visit the city of Budapest. It is amazing and so beautiful. If you ever go, my number one recommendation is to take an evening river cruise. You will not regret it.  We had three half days, to maximize what we saw we spent two with a lovely tour guide and one on our own.

The first day we were on foot traveling throughout the Pest side of the city and then eventually over to the Buda side. We explored the beautiful Matthias church that has been recently renovated and the pristine Fisherman's Bastion. 

Inside Matthias Church

Fisherman's Bastion

View from Fisherman's Bastion

Parliament

View over Buda and the Basilica

Besides seeing more than you could on your own, the second benefit of a guide is photos!

As we walked through the palace area, the cavalry was on parade.

Afterwards we walked over to the Pest side to see the Basilica. We were also going to see the preserved hand of St Istavan but since Mass was in progress. No luck. The Basilica is beautiful both inside and out.

 Our second day after Rachel's games were finished we were on our own. We were on the Buda side and first headed to the large indoor market, but it was chaos as they were near closing for the day. We walked through the center of town and then took the metro to the Szechenyi Baths. The metro was so charming. Apparently Walt Disney based some of his train stations on the train stations of Budapest, the tile work and design were so intricate and made you feel like you had gone back in time.

Once we got to our stop we luckily found a langos stand. This is a traditional Budapest snack - a large deep fried dough, shaped a little like a pizza. We had a traditional one with garlic sauce and cheese, it was delicious!  Then we went to the Baths. These are thermal baths fed by natural springs that hover around 75F. We relaxed in the one you see below, it's supposed to make you feel more relaxed. Not sure it did or not, but it was fun to try.  There are several baths all over the complex but we chose not to try them all.

After dinner we took an evening cruise on the Danube. The castle, churches and parliament that line the river are spectacular lit up at night.  Definitely worth braving the cooler weather!

Our last day in Budapest we had half a day before our flight. Before we left for the day I took a run to Margaret Island in the middle of the Danube and made good use of the track they have around the island. How great that there is a 5K path right in the middle of the city.

Our guide utilized a driver to help us see more.   We began our tour by going up Gellert Hill and looking out over the city.

As we came down we took a peek at the Gellert Baths, the oldest in Budapest and then visited the Cave Church. It was so cool inside and I really liked the Polish Eagle on the wall.  This church was closed during most of the communist era. A wall was built in front of the entrance to make sure no one used it.

 I also loved this ancient statue of St Stephen outside.

We moved on to explore the area around Parliament and visit the "Shoes on the Danube". This memorial was created to honor the Jewish people who were killed during WWII.  They would line them up along the river and have them take off their shoes because they were valuable and then they shot them. It's nearly impossible to even imagine.

To lighten the mood our guide took us to the "ruined" bars. These are bars and small food places that have taken over dilapidated buildings and made them into these cool, urban, commune like places. They are very popular and I wish we had more time to just sit and have a drink and people watch. Next time!

As we were ending our tour, we saw this kind of tour group.  Looks like a lot of fun! It was a great three days and we're so glad we made the trip!