Buda as in Pest

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Just to finish off from my last blog...my last two days in Krakow were an incredible!! I am really glad that I went to Auschwitz. Going there will obviously be a difference experience for everyone - and one that I highly recommend. We visited the salt mine in Wieliczka and walked 101 metres under ground, the whole time I felt like when you get out on the surf and your body drys and you feel salty! Very cool to see!! And yes I did lick the salty walls...very salty. The next day we did a walking tour and learned a lot about Krakow, it was one of the only cities in Poland that wasn't not destroyed in WWII, so it is very old and very beautiful. Exciting news...I survived my first over night train! Matt and I left Krakow at 9pm and arrived into Budapest at 8am the next day!! Quite an experience, very old trains, we had a bed each, but in one cabin there are 6 beds, 3 each side and we both had the bottom beds. Thank god, because as you can imagine the higher you are the hotter it is and you don't want the window down very far in case of gypsies! We locked all our bags, and slept on them and had our passports and money on us. Verdict...it was fine!!

I have spent the last 5 days in Budapest! Some fun facts for you...Buda and Pest were originally two different cities that were separated by the river Duna, and then in 1873 they became one...hence...Budapest, I had no idea!. We spent most of our time on the Pest side which is where our hostel is. The metro system is quite easy to follow, but you can easily walk all around Pest and Buda without the metro and be fine. I love visiting Eastern European countries because they have been through so much in History and you can see the effects in the infrastructure, government, economy and people!! Hungary only became a democracy in 1990, the people call it Post-Communism, but there is definitely still a hierarchy prevalent and still has communist attributes with in different systems (our free walking tour guide definitely believe that). They are pretty poor country, but most of the people are really nice and most of the younger generations speak English. Matt and I went to a traditional Hungarian restaurant and I had Goulash and then this chicken dish, I am not kidding I had to loosen my belt by two holes, so full. We did a walking tour of Budapest, and a communism walking tour which were both as good and as interesting as eacho ther! We went to the Muesum The House of Terror, which was about when Hungary was occupied by the Nazi's and then by the Soviets!! Ruin bars are the new craze here - basically someone has bought an old abandoned warehouse and the turned it into a very alternative pub and club. We went to a few, and just to give you an idea, one place had 23 rooms, 6 dance floors, two gardens, 5 bars, it was massive.
Oh we also when to an Icebar, and it was minus 7, and I was wearing shorts! They give you a jacket and gloves but nothing for your legs. Oh well!! The weather has been relatively good, every day it has been over 20 degrees, some moments it is sunny, then cloudy, then windy, then blue sky, then sunny. It is a little bit like England where it likes having four seasons in one day, but not the to extremes of England. There is alot happening in Budapest, always something going on and it does give off a really nice vibe from a tourist point of view!!

Love Jen

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Photos

Pest side, Budapest, Hungary
Filling up water bottle up before our walking tour of Budapest.

Streets of Budapest
St Stephens Basilica on the Pest side

Comments

[tony rowe]

Hi Jen,sounds like your having a ball, great insight,stay safe and love from all Tony,Julie & boys.