We are back at a hostel for our stay in Budapest but we have
a private room and shower so we’re hardly ‘roughing it’. Similarly to Poland
our purchasing power in Hungary is quite good but the exchange rate makes
things seem ridiculous. $1AUD is equivalent to 200 Hungarian Forint. A cup of
coffee is 400 Forint. Sounds like heaps but it’s cheap, everything here is,
except the Baths. We luck out in our room and find a copy of Lonely Planet –
Budapest left by a previous guest in the small library. This book would be our
guide over the next four days and prove immensely helpful. We decide after
Budapest to get a more localised guide book for places we are actually stopping
for reasonable time in.
We rise early but don’t get going properly til later as we’re researching, mapping and eating simultaneously over breakfast. We catch the bus across the Danube and up Castle Hill to see (drumroll please!) Buda Castle! We had planned on going the Budapest Museum but found out that Monday is the day everything such as museums and galleries are closed so we put a pin in that one and walk around the castle, guide book in hand, pointing at statues and reading their significance to each other. The castle is more of a district than a singular attraction.
Making our way around the top of the hill we had a
spectacular view over Budapest that even through the smoke and mist haze of the
morning you could see stretched to the horizon. Down the road a little we came
to Matthias Church which has a beautiful mosaic for a roof which has just been
recently restored and it positively shone in the bright morning sun. On the
edge of the top of the hill is Fisherman’s Bastion, called such because
fishermen used to be responsible for guarding this section of the river way
back in the day. The bastion though is only a hundred years old and built as a
viewing platform. It is an architectural gem with its 13 tent top spires and
stone arcades.
We learnt from the Budapest guide book (BGB) about an
incredible torte at a café near the Fishermans Bastion, which is meant to be
the best in Budapest, we tell ourselves that this is it, the last one, because
we don’t usually eat cake so this whole cake thing is strange for us. We order
THE torte, and it is unbelievable, easily the best cake we have ever eaten, it
comes along with coffee with cherry schnapps in it, another amazing pairing. We
look at each other and say we can’t keep doing this despite the ongoing
incredible taste sensations.
We walk down the hill towards the river Danube to get a
closer look at the parliament building across the river, Amy remarks that is
reminds her of the UK parliament building, sure enough the BGB tells us that
that was the inspiration for the building, well called Amy! We end up walking a
good deal further than we thought to get a good central look at the place from
across the river but it is a mighty building so we decide to cross the river to
have a better look. Exiting the metro on the other side of the river we found
that multiple blocks around the parliament building are fenced off as the
entire area is undergoing a massive renovation, new garden, public squares,
open spaces, roads, the works. So after detouring around and around and around
we still cannot find the way in.
Whilst all that was going on we got to see firsthand the manual
work required for the cobbled streets. Those little blocks don’t cut
themselves, line themselves up in straight lines and set themselves on their
own. We see these streets all over Europe and we often thought what a pain it
would be to actually make these streets.
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| House of Parliament |
Using the BGB we walk around the parliamentary district and check out a few noteworthy buildings, none noteworthy enough to get a mention though, and browse an incredible photo gallery before we walk past the ‘suggested’ place to eat by the BGB. We look at the menu and decide it looks good but not being ready to eat yet we go to our stop deciding to come back afterwards, we would be glad we did.
Saint Stephens Basilica is the premier cathedral in Budapest
and true to usual form has a grand central dome and dual columns out front.
This cathedral boasts an unusual attraction though. The mummified right hand of
the patron saint of the city. That’s right, a mummified hand. This is a pretty
big deal to the cathedral but to us it was a manky old hand. We decided to go
up the towers to the dome for a look around though which proved a brilliant idea.
Right on sunset we had a great view right over the city and across the river.
Amy took some outstanding photos of the sunset.
Descending we rounded the corner to the nearby restaurant we
passed earlier. In the BGB its described as “traditional Hungarian for the
locals and uni students”. Unsure what to expect we asked the waiter for some
recommendations, Amy took his advice and Simon ignored him for more schnitzel
(this time stuffed with cheese). Our minds were blown. The flavours coming out
of the food were incredible. Humble, simple food but with such great flavour
depth we were left wanting more even though we left completely full. Vowing to
be back we left with happy hearts and full stomachs.
Our hostel has given us a bunch of drinks vouchers for a bar
around the corner so we went there to cash them in and use the Wi-Fi to get
some blogging and booking done for our next few stops in Croatia (see end note
of this blog). $2 pints of beer, $6 cocktails and a few hours later we were
very pleased with ourselves and our efforts. Time to turn in.
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| It doesnt look like much but this is a taste sensation! |
Early the next day we’re up and off to the train station to
purchase our train tickets to Zagreb, Croatia. You can’t do anything online
it’s all in person from here on out so after a short trip up the road we’re
sorted for transport and looking for morning coffee.
The New York Café was opened in 1903 as the ‘most beautiful
café in the world’, so how can we pass this up? It was the spot where some of
Budapest’s best writers spent their days and where they supposedly came up with
their ideas and found inspiration. It has been renovated in the last few years
by the hotel it’s attached to. We walk into the most stunning and opulent space
with prices to match. We feel uncomfy and out of place, thankfully those who
came after us were dressed no different or in some cases worse so we relax a
little and enjoy this once in a lifetime coffee space. We haven’t had breakfast
but at $40pp we decide against it. What do we do, we look at each other and say
“this is the last time” and purchase two heavenly drinks and a Hungarian
speciality cake. We decide this is getting out of hand, and left all other
Hungarian cakes alone to live another day for the remainder of our time.
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| Yep theres a pianist up there creating a really nice atmosphere on his grand piano |
After our opulent dining experience we start our self-guided
walking tour of the Jewish District with the aid of the BGB. We seriously love
this thing, it knows everything! We walk around the old district and former
ghetto of WW2. Along the way we find a Seafolly store and Amy buys a bathing
suit for the baths. Yep, we just bought Australian swimwear in Hungary. The
Jews of Hungary, like everywhere during WW2, were rounded up and put into a
ghetto in Budapest. Due to Hungary being allied with Germany though and under
its own command the Jews of Budapest were not deported to Auschwitz until early
1945 and a decent amount of them were able to survive and return after the war.
Unfortunately Jews from the rural areas were usually summarily shot and dumped
in the Danube or deported and killed. We would learn more at the end of our
walk at the Dohany Street Synagogue. The largest synagogue in Europe and second
largest in the world.
Sometimes called the Jewish cathedral due to its unusual interior design and construction the synagogue can hold 3000 worshippers for a service and is only smaller in size after the New York City synagogue which is larger but does not hold as many people. The synagogue was designed and built by Austrians who had not built a synagogue before so used a lot of cues from the bible and traditional cathedrals to end up with the odd mix of styles. The Nazis used it as a base during the war as the Allies would not bomb a synagogue and so it survived destruction. Simon removed his beanie on entering the synagogue and was promptly told to put it back on, men must have their head covered in temple, the opposite of a church.
Sometimes called the Jewish cathedral due to its unusual interior design and construction the synagogue can hold 3000 worshippers for a service and is only smaller in size after the New York City synagogue which is larger but does not hold as many people. The synagogue was designed and built by Austrians who had not built a synagogue before so used a lot of cues from the bible and traditional cathedrals to end up with the odd mix of styles. The Nazis used it as a base during the war as the Allies would not bomb a synagogue and so it survived destruction. Simon removed his beanie on entering the synagogue and was promptly told to put it back on, men must have their head covered in temple, the opposite of a church.
In the courtyard there is small cemetery. This is not an
official nor open cemetery. It was used as a mass grave during WW2 when the
Jews were confined to the ghetto and thousands of them died. With no room to
bury them individually they were buried together in the synagogue courtyard. A
stainless steel ‘weeping willow’ memorial tree was built further around the
courtyard with memorial plaques and on the leaves the holocaust victims’ names
are engraved by family members or friends. It is a really touching memorial.
We were taken around on a guided tour of the Jewish museum
which was a great education as neither of us are particularly well informed on
Jewish customs, holidays, traditions or culture in general. We were shown the
history and ceremonies of the major Jewish holidays. The ceremonial treasures
that were hidden by staff from the Hungarian National museum during the war and
were saved along with the story of the Hungarian Jews before and during the
Holocaust. The guide made it very clear to us that Jews were persecuted in
Hungary since the 1920s and laws were enacted against them some 12 years before
Hitler introduced them in Germany. The Hungarian government worked hand in
glove with the Nazis in deporting and exterminating Jews. We saw prayer shawls
turned into clothes, sacred Torah scrolls turned into hats and worst of all,
soap made from human fat. Disgusting. We left feeling like we a much better
insight into daily Jewish life their history.
That evening now suitably
(hah! Yes pun intended!) equipped we went to one of the two mixed baths in
Budapest Szechenyi Bath. The others are still male/female only at alternate
times and days. On arrival we were a little confused at the process and what
was included, then after getting changed were lost inside the building for a
while as nothing is signed. After a while though we got our bearings. The
indoor pools are at temperatures from 20 through to 38 degrees. In the warmest
pool is like having a nice hot bath. The thermal waters are meant to cure all
that ails you so we wanted to spend a while in here, to hopefully exit feeling brand
new.
The outdoor baths are something to behold. It’s freezing
outside, as you run to the bath which has glorious steam rising up into the
night sky, you submerge yourself in this 38 degree water and it feels like
heaven, you instantly forget about how cold it was. You relax in this divine
bath and stare at the stars and the moon, even though there are others around
you, somehow you feel as though you are the only person in the world. Fully
relaxed and warm you exit the bath, and for the first 10 seconds you don’t feel
the cold, you’re still so warm, then it hits you, 2 degrees on wet skin and the
wind to help out, running for the towel and bolting inside, hoping not to slip
on your butt at the same time.
We spent several hours at the baths in various pool and
Simon in the sauna, which is the biggest and most full he’s ever seen. The
experience was so magnificent we decided to do it again the next night but at a
different location for a slightly different experience.
It’s our last full day in Budapest so we’re out to maximise
with a full day thanks to the BGB. Starting with a walking tour of the premier
street of Budapest. Lining this street are current and former cultural
institutions, national headquarters, embassies, beautiful townhouses, high end
shops and at the end Heroes Place. We start at the impressive State Opera house
and then pass the crumbling former national ballet institute, boarded off and
for sale. This seem to be a recurring theme throughout Budapest. It is obvious
that up to roughly a hundred years ago Budapest was up with Paris, Prague,
Vienna in grandeur and opulence but something changed, I’m guessing WW1. The
once beautiful buildings are dirty and crumbling, former national institutions
are closed and left to decay which is a shame.
We end up at Heroes place which has some impressive
monuments and once again consulting with BGB we decipher the meaning of it all.
It’s very long but the short version is the chariots are War and Peace and the
individuals are people who have contributed in a significant way to the history
of Hungary. Walking a little further towards the park we find the largest
outdoor ice rink we’ve seen.
Deciding to pass on more ice activity we get the
metro back to the centre of town and notice this strange part of the rules on
the metro… haven’t seen that before…
Being 2pm it’s time to get some food so we head to the
markets. They’re housed in a massive brick and iron building with three levels
with different produce and products in different areas. We have a quick scout
and then head upstairs to where the hot food is being sold. Packed with
tourists and locals alike there are vendors selling traditional Hungarian food
alongside more usual fare such as burgers. We spot an old favourite we learnt
of at the London Christmas markets, Langos. Basically deep fried batter then
covered in melted cheese and garlic sauce. We go with a slightly healthier option of pan grilled with ham and bacon with
cheese. Think like a calzone. Simon grabs a traditional goulash with dumpling
noodles and we feast. Cheap, tasty and incredibly unhealthy but nevertheless
satisfying. Before we leave we try some of the local wine Tokaji, we had the
sweet and dry varieties which remind of Lambrusco.
There was an awkward moment when standing at the high tables
drinking our wine when Simon suddenly looked at Amy and said “Did you get a
chair babe?”, Amy swiftly replied “No Simon, I’m just short”… awkward.
Exiting the markets via rolling ourselves we were at one of
the two pretty bridges that cross the Danube and join Buda and Pest (yep, once
separate cities). The green bridge is an all steel twin tower span. We grab a
bunch of photos playing around with different angles and things before we walk
across and cop the full gale blowing down the river. On the other side we eye
off the baths we are planning to attend later that night. Going on a little
walk followed but a little public transport adventure we end up on back on the
other side of the river and at the next bridge, commonly known as ‘The Chain
Bridge’. This was the first permanent bridge and was special in that everyone,
commoner or nobleman had to pay the toll. They both make for great photos so we
spent the afternoon and early evening walking the bridges, riverside and taking
photos.
And then finally it was time to go to Baths number two. We
didn’t take any pictures as its quite hard and unsafe to carry a camera around
a pool sorry but follow this link to see some pictures from their website. LINK.
Gellert baths is not as popular as Szechenyi, probably because they are bit
more expensive and a little less laid back.
We attended last night because it doesn’t have the massive outdoor area
but it does have two beautiful mosaic decorated rooms with two pools each
coming off the main chamber with a lap pool and another thermal bath. This bath
was equally as confusing as the first with Simon nearly getting changed in the
ladies, then we couldn’t find the other indoor areas, then we couldn’t find the
way out to the outdoor pools, then when we did all the lights were off so we
thought it was closed… anyway after asking a lot of staff we made sense of the
place and settled in. Featuring the warmest bath so far at 40 degrees which is
like having a sauna bath we found a little too warm so after exploring the
indoor areas and checking out the beautiful interiors we headed outside and got
in the outdoor pool. Delightful. We spent hours soaking in the warm bath and in
the sauna then in the freezing pool and back in the sauna. Feeling completely
new we left with the sad knowledge that would be our last thermal bath until
Turkey.
On our final day in Budapest we spent the morning at a very
familiar place, the Laundromat. A semi full service set up we paid more there
than we did in London for our washing but it needed doing and this was our last
opportunity for a while.
We had time for lunch before our train to Zagreb so we
hurriedly returning to the charming little restaurant we had the amazing Hungarian
food near St Stephens. Once again we were blown away by the full flavours of
the food. We had not expected much of Hungarian food when we arrived but after
our experience at this place we are putting it on our ‘to-cook’ list when we
get home, followed by a week at the gym.
Returning to our hostel we left the BGB for another
traveller to hopefully get as much use we did and set off to the train station
where the confusion set in.
Border control is significantly different to Australia over
here, sometimes you never see customs or an officer as you move through
countries. You don’t even ever see them within the Schengen zone, which means
no stamps on passports. This is all OK until you actually need to prove you are
exiting the Schengen zone, so you don’t overstay your visa allowances. We get
to the train station about to board our train to Croatia, and we have no idea
where we get our passports stamped to say we have exited Hungary (Schengen zone
visa). We pop into the international train travel office, they don’t know what
the deal is. We go to the visitors centre, they have no clue they just say that
at the border someone might come on. We go to the other train office, they also
are extremely vague telling us legislation has changed recently and they send
us to the Police office. By this stage we are a little concerned because this
damn passport needs stamping and nobody knows anything. We enter the Police
office, they tell us that someone should be at the border to stamp us out, and
then someone will stamp us into Croatia, he then says that “this happens mostly
but not always”. I said “OK so we just have to cross our fingers and hope”, and
he smiled and said “yes that’s right, it doesn’t always happen”. So we board
the train actually hoping for border control, thankfully we see them outside on
the border and we smile with relief when we see them (this has got to be the
only time someone is excited to see them?) Fully stamped we enter Croatia. We
said in one of our last blogs that travelling requires you to trust the system
even when it doesn’t make sense, this is one of those times, and as we said it
can sometimes be very challenging to just relax through it.
Up until this point in our trip
we have been pre-organised, pre-booked, pre-paid (mostly) on just about
everything so we can focus on just getting amongst it and seeing all the
things. We deliberately left a month in Eastern Europe to have some ‘free
time’. Why we called it this I have no idea because we have no time, let alone
free time. A few reasons we did this though, one was to challenge us a bit more
and push the envelope of getting things done, managing on the fly and seeing
all the things. Another was that for the most part you cannot book transport
(aside from flying) online, you must go to the station and buy a physical
ticket from a person. There is little or no information about routes, times,
stops, costs or anything online meaning it’s all on the fly planning. So as we
left Budapest we took our first leap of faith into the East and entered
Croatia…
Lessons Learnt:
- Hungarian food when done well is amazing
- Thermal baths are amazing
- $2 pints are amazing
- Budapest in general is pretty damn amazing
- Again, trust the system, even when the system seems not to be a system, more just a sometimes practice that nobody knows about.
- City guide books are incredible and make the journey so much more fun, exploring things with more detail and clarity, and finding cheap but incredible places to eat.
Parting Thoughts:
- Budapest has an incredible array of things to do and see, with more museums than it probably knows what to do with. The thermal baths were an experience of a lifetime and will go down as one of the highlights of our trip no doubt, they are something special.
- On this journey we have found ourselves in cities that were once a global leaders and filthy rich, it can be very sad to look around and see buildings that shout power and wealth, yet you realise those days are long gone. Budapest has some of the grandest and most beautiful buildings we have seen, there are some streets where it’s almost overwhelming how many large and stunning buildings there are. Yet you notice they are well worn, and not always well maintained, you go just one street over into where people actually live and you see the ‘real’ Budapest. This is not nearly as glamorous, it is far from it, in fact it feels as though you are somewhere else entirely.
Simon and Amy xoxo
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