Budapest Day Two

Saturday 10.05

We did not book the hotel with breakfast since I love to explore other countries culture in food. So we walked out the hotel and started looking. Without knowing where we were headed, we stumbled across this cute little breakfast café called Geròczy. I ordered a hungarian omelette with coffee and of course mimosa (I’m on vacation!). It was really nice and again, not very expensive for a brunch (maybe 8000HUF (22€) in total).

After the breakfast we walked down the shopping street Váci Utka. I didn’t think it was much to see to be honest. It’s a shopping street like any other. Reminded a little bit about Ströget in Copenhagen but less exiting. The positive thing about it was that it lead down to the Market Hall Nagycsarnok. This was interesting and different. We didn’t spend a lot of time in there though, just walked around for a bit.

There was a lot of tuorism people outside selling tickets for busses and boat rides. We talked to a couple and decided to buy tickets to the 19 o’clock boat tour on the river. It’s already dark by then so it felt better than taking the 22 o’clock one, since it lasts for two hours (1.5h at 22). Two drinks, one glass of sparkling wine and a glass of wine or beer, was included in the price 5000HUF (17€).

When we were done being typical tourists we headed down to take the tram number 2 which is know as one of the most beautiful tram rides in the world. We bought 2 tickets for 1000HUF (3€) (it was cheaper but if you don’t pay exact, the machine keeps the change). The tram ride was very popular, we had to stand and it was full of people. Sure, the view was nice, but it wasn’t a view that had to be seen from the tram. Walking would have been just as fine. The boat ride would pass there as well.

We got off the tram one station before the parliament to be able to walk by the monument “The Shoes”. It was very moving to stand in the exact spot where jews during the second world war had been lined up for execution, where they had been told to take their shoes off just before they got shot and fell into the Donube river.

It was so windy there by the river side so we hurried towards The Parliament. It was huge! We just kept on walking and walking and it felt like it would never end. This building is majestetic. One of the most impressive buildings I’ve seen, and I’ve seen a lot.

From there we walked over the chain bridge towards the buda side of the city. The line to take the cable car up was so long we decided just to walk up. It was a steep hill but it didn’t take us that long. Once up, a beautiful view waited us over the river and the bridges. The castle was nice, like a castle. We walked around to the other side of it and walked along a parkway with an allé.

By this time I was so hungry I just wanted to get down from the hill and go have some lunch. I was dedicated to try gulasch soup when in Hungary. Eventually we found a cute little sailers restaurant. The soup was not like we make it at home but it was really good!