Chain Bridge
A
weekend in a vibrant European city with girlfriends has now become a
tradition. This time we've put our minds to Budapest. I have never
been here before, but always wanted to visit it.
Budapest
seemed to be an ideal city. It's a compact city, full of culture and
a interesting nightlife. Perfect for us. In a short time we could get
acquainted with the city, see much and enjoy. I must say that I've
somewhat underestimated this capital. Budapest is much larger and
offers more than expected in all fronts. And it's actually quite
positive. Because there is a reason to go back and I'm sure I will
see a lot of other places.
We
arrived on Friday evening. We took public transportation to our
lovely apartment which we found pretty quickly (gone wrong just
once). After a quick refreshment, we went to a nice place to eat. Not
far away and within walking distance of our apartment we found a cafe
with a patio in the middle of a residential district: Pótkulcs
The
presence of the big screen with football didn’t spoil the fun. The
dinner was good and the drinks even better.
Back
in the apartment we toast with the local specialty palinka and do not
go to bed too late.
View from our apartment
The
weather here is fantastic, so much better than home. For the first
time this summer, we dress according to the season. We started our
walk towards the chain bridge but first we go to lunch. In the
beginning we pass the island of Sziget and then we walked by the
impressive Parliament building. It's hard to see the building from
this side, but it is still very recognizable.
On
the posh Oktober street we stop for a long but nice lunch. And before
we cross Danube we stay in the Pest area for some shopping. When
we're finally ready to view the opposite of Budapest, we were
interrupted by a kind of international parade. Several nations were
walking along the river, they stop to show their dance and make room
for the following performances. It felt stupid to stand here along
with other photographing tourists. But we were genuinely intrigued.
Azerbaijan dancing
At
last we reached the chain bridge, crossed the river and took a drink
break in a cozy cafe with jazz music on.
From
there we took the cable tram to the hills of Buda. The view above is
exactly as stunning as I expected.
We
understood that near here is the oldest pastry shop of the town: Ruszwurm. We have had no local delicacies yet, so we hurry to the
famous patisserie. It's not difficult to find this shop. The street
opposite the Matthias church is where our delicious pastries were
awaiting. We tasted strudels with poppy seed and cottage cheese
filling while drinking champagne. The atmosphere was good, we were
enjoying but we wanted to see more of Buda than just pastries. We
strolled along the fisherman's bastion, took some pictures of each
other and even danced a bit to the music of restaurant musicians. We
wanted to return to the Pest area, but make a little circle around
the museum first.
It
was a long day, but not over yet. With tired feet, we travel by foot
and subway to our apartment, where we gather our forces to go out.
The plans were to visit one of the ruin bars. Unfortunately it was
too late for the subway, so we went to the nearest rock pub. It was
not a very special place, but we laughed and danced a lot.
On
our way back we find a wallet with money and passes. Once we were
back in the apartment we tried to trace the owner via the social
media.
Saturday night out - I' wearing a vintage dress and Prada heels
The
owner of the wallet had a facebook. We have tried to contact this
way, but he has not yet responded. We continued on with our own
plans. Sunday was even warmer than the day before. We wanted to swim
in one of the baths of Budapest. It was hard to pick one. Eventually
we preferred Gellert, the one in the Art Nouveau style.
But
first we go to the terrace of the cafe Alibi for a lunch and drinks
on the Egyetem square.
Szabadság bridge
Gellert
bath is across the river. This time we take the beautiful green
Szabadsag bridge. The large building of Gellert is immediately
visible. In the same building there is also a hotel. The rooms must
be really beautiful!
Gellert
The
entrance alone is very impressive. If you come inside the building,
you are in a huge hall with high ceilings, sculptures and fountains.
The way to the dressing room is kind of a labyrinth. But we manage to
find everything. First we see a large outdoor pool with loungers in
the sun everywhere. But we begin with the bath inside. Immediately
after we jumped in the first pool a female lifeguard with a
dissatisfied face whistled at us. We wore no cap. Instead of picking
up one we jumped in another bath with very warm water. The head cover
was not required here. We soaked and chatted here for a while.
Then
we took a tour along all areas to get a good impression of Gellert.
Once outside we found two free loungers. It was already late
afternoon and still quite crowded. For many people in Budapest this
is an ideal getaway from the hot weather in the city. We were also
very pleased with this opportunity.
After
having enjoyed swimming, we took the same route back into town. Not
far from where we have had our lunch earlier in the day, we took a
drink break first. And then finally we went in search of the ruin
bars.
A
strange thing happened on our way, which totally confused us. One of
the streets was decorated with Russian theme. Suddenly there were
Russian shops, cafes and street signs everywhere. Well, my Russian is
fluent, but when the street names do not match with the map, finding
the way is less easy. We asked a guy the way and what was going on
here. Apparently they were here to film the movie Die Hard.
Szimpla Kert
Eventually
we found the right way and the ruin bar too. It was not the intention
to stay very long, because we had to fly home early next day. But it
was such an enjoyable evening with cocktails and lots of nice people
from different countries. It was a memorable evening and we laugh
about it all the way back to home.
To
leave Budapest was heavy. We have barely slept and still wanted to
stay here a little longer.
It
was a great weekend in an amazing city full of sunshine and laughter.
Coming home was really contrasting and not easy to adjust to reality.
But
as always there are great plans for the future again.
First day outfit - H&M dress and Burberry sandals
Second day outfit - Zara Tunic and vintage shades
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