Budapest fell into a twisted recognition because it reminded me of my hometown, Kiev. The pre-war French architecture and wide streets and the huge river splitting the city into two parts, the deep green hills and proud monuments. It was what Kiev would have been had it been under Austrian or French influence, instead of Soviet. That being said, Communists had their time in Hungary and it is prominent in some parts of the city. Same as Bologna.
We arrived at the Budapest airport on Saturday and went straight to a touristy information booth where we were very pleasantly surprised by tourist travel cards. Wonderful little things that allow you free travel on any public transport and give you free admission to a number of the popular museums and galleries and thermal baths in town and discounts on practically everything else.
Recommended!
After getting to our hotel and being informed that our room isn't ready for check in, mother and I ventured to find food.
Hungary is famous for a lot of food, most of which is meat-based, giving my delusional pescetarian-inclined nature a hard time... for about 5 minutes. After that I ordered a goulash soup and returned to the predator state which I fight like the good-natured monster I am.
The Goulash is a thick, fatty, soup with chunks of meat (normally beef, sometimes venison) and veg and a good load of paprika. Very hearty medieval meal.
Another popular dish from the Austria-Hungarian ages is the famous Strudel.
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| Here's my very tired mother enjoying one of the various cherry strudels I ordered everywhere I went. |
Quick information fill:
Budapest is split by the Danube river into primarily two districts Buda and Pest, which were originally two separate cities.
Buda is the landscape-y historical district, apparently more expensive and as I heard someone say "where the blue-bloods reside". For us, tourists: this is where the Castle is and the central galleries and museums are.
Pest is the city district, here lies the glorious Parliament building, it is more busy with locals and shops, and somehow on an absolutely flat terrain.
The areas have been united in the late 1800s.
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| View from the Buda Castle stairs. I'm not always blocking it, mind you. |
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| Mom at the Matthias Fountain. |
The main figure in the fountain's composition is King Matthias, an interesting historical figure who brought the Italian renaissance to Hungary. Except he's actually interesting because he also happened to be a lavishly-living, alcoholic playboy who gained popularity for allegedly dressing in "commoner" disguises and mingling with locals to stay aware of current social situations. Something modern politicians should try once in a while, IMHO.
Second day we wandered around town, finally getting to the galleries. Then we got lost in the rain and hunted wild strudels. Yum!
Monday (the last day), museums were closed and our card was expiring after lunch, so we took a morning walking tour of the Castle District led by a fantastic guide named Tom. Mom and I both loved the tour, but my mother wanted to go shopping and I couldn't join because my transport card expired minutes before and although the tours are free the evening tours involve some use of public transport... So I couldn't continue the journey with our lovely group and Tom the Tour Guide.
But hey, I got me some shoes.
Last but not least we ventured forth into a sweet little place called Sir Lancelot Knights' Restaurant, a mediaeval themed place where each portion is a feast and there's a jester and live music going on... First impression is a bit iffy, but when the belly is full and the atmosphere sinks in, you might as well be a Game of Thrones character at a wedding-feast............. y'know? The NON-Red kind of wedding?
