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Europe » Hungary » Central Hungary » Budapest » Pest
April 12th 2014
Published: April 13th 2014
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Dear Blog Readers,

After a magical and unforgettable wedding we spent our first two nights of married life in a hotel overlooking the debauchery of Botchergate, Carlisle on a Saturday night followed by an evening in the romantic capital of England - the service station Days Inn at Newport Pagnell. We were almost too giddy with excitement (even with a 4am wake up) to get on a plane heading to Budapest, Hungary...and so, by popular demand (my Gran said she'd been missing my blogs), here's what we've been up to in this magnificent city.

We managed to sleep almost the entire flight which was a real achievement given that Wizz Air's leg room allowance meant my knee kept smacking me in the five-head. When I did manage to eek it into the alleyway, the air stewardess decided to ram the drinks trolley into the point of my knee which was nearly as eye watering as their prices. Once landed, the tourist information was very helpful and we were soon on a bus/metro combination which took us straight into the heart of the capital city within an hour and for about £4!

Our one piece of hold luggage arrived off the flight minus it's handle - it had simply been snapped off! We laughably ended up pushing it along the cobbled streets of Budapest. However, it didn't feel like much of an ordeal as we were often transfixed by the beauty of the city which we found ourselves in. That sense of excitement landing in unknown territory and exploring hadn't been felt for some time. We stumbled into a great restaurant - Frica Papa Kifozdeje - which served up a perfect late lunch for weary travellers. It was the first of many great meals in this gastronomic paradise of a city.

It was early afternoon so we went in search of our hotel for the week - the 5 star luxury that is the Corinthia Hotel. If you can imagine the look in the eyes of the doorman who had just welcomed a man who had arrived in a Merc wearing a green velvet waistcoat and bow tie followed by a bedraggled couple fresh from the stress of a wedding with one of them physically pushing a suitcase along the street with a snapped handle protruding from the top. To say that we definitely didn't belong here was a bit of an understatement. However, the staff were gracious and uncompromising in their service. Our room was simply phenomenal and they even brought up champagne and strawberries when we arrived. Luxury!

The following day, we explored the town and found the focal point, Daek ter, which had numerous tourist information centres where we were able to buy the highly recommended Budapest Card which meant free travel and free/discounted museum visits. We used it to good effect and were soon hopping on and off the metro seeing some of the sights lining the (not so blue) Danube dividing the city into Buda and Pest - the Parliament building, the Holocaust Memorial Centre, the Danube shoes, St Stephen’s Basilica and the Great Synagogue to name but a few.

We had scoured trip advisor before arriving into Budapest and the number 1 attraction was Claustrophillia. This was a game not too dissimilar to the Crystal Maze whereby Laura and I entered a house and had to try and work our way through a series of games/puzzles in each room with the aim to complete it in an hour. It was absolutely superb and really good fun (we nearly completed it!) - we could definitely see why it was number 1! We did the new Voodoo game and you need to book in advance because each game is set up just for you. Also, write down the address because it took us a while to find it!! Afterwards, we made use of the free Royal Spa attached to the hotel which was a superb treat to finish the day.

Nothing beats a good nights sleep on a king size bed! We were bright eyed and bushy tailed and made our way across to the hillier Buda side of the Danube and arrived in time for a superb walking tour from a local. He showed us around the Castle District which included the magnificent Matthias Church and the Royal Palace. He timed it perfectly so that we saw a changing of the guard as well as getting some great panoramic photos of the Pest side of the city - in particular, the magnificence of the Parliament building offset by the dated Communist style of the Marriot and Intercontinental hotels.

After the tour, we wanted to visit the Hospital in the Rocks. This is a fascinating museum showcasing a secretive wartime hospital, and later, a Cold War era nuclear bunker embedded into the cave system in the Buda hillside. The guided tour was superb and I even got to wind up the nuclear bomb siren! We stayed on the Buda side and went north to the Lukacs Baths. Due to Budapest's geography (hillsid adjacent to flatland), there are literally hundreds of natural hot springs. The thermal baths here are superb. Lukacs has a much more sulphuric smell but the pools and variety were great. The city is beautiful by day but it takes on a completely different level of beauty by night. It is truly amazing. A tip from the guide was to revisit the Fishermen's Bastion in the Castle District after 9:30pm to get in for free and a money-can't-buy view of the city.

Frustratingly, we'd already passed the halfway point of our mini-moon but we still had plenty we wanted to do. We decided to get a hop-on-off sightseeing bus ticket which was great as we were able to see a lot of the city we would've otherwise missed and learnt a lot about it enroute. We made it up to the Citadella overlooking the city from one of the highest points and managed to get a couple of pictures in before the heavens opened. Finally the weather had caught up with us having had glorious weather thus far.

The bus took us back across the Danube and we decided to visit 60 Andrassy Ut - also known as the House of Terror. This place was synonymous with the activities of the Communist Party and Arrow Cross headquarters where hundreds who had opposed the regieme had been taken prisoner, tortured, interrogated and finally executed in this one building. It was a remarkable place and the museum that it now houses was very informative and did it's best to put into context what life was like during this period - something that is quite incomprehensible to us. We finished the day by going on a night river cruise up and down the Danube - something that we highly recommend doing as it was great and gave some unique views of the buildings we'd become familiar with during the week.

It was with great sadness that we had reached our final day. A lazy morning preceded a pleasant walk along Andrassy Ut towards Heroes Square - the Budapest equivalent to Trafalgar Square. Unfortunately we didn't have time to do the art museums but the main attraction was the Szechenyi Baths. These were by far the biggest thermal baths in the city housed inside a wonderful building which surrounded two outdoor springs. We spent the whole afternoon there before grabbing a bite to eat and having a final drink in one of the city's infamous ruin bars. These bars were made out of the remnants of unoccupied flats/houses after the Communists had been driven out and make for a quirky, unique setting to have a drink or two.

Budapest - a country with a fascinating past which holds onto elements from it in the form of beautifully architectural buildings interspersed with almost ruined blocks of apartments which come alive at night. Interesting museums, superb food and friendly people create a city unlike anything we have ever experienced before but one that will hold an unforgettable and special place in our hearts.

Tink & Laura


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13th April 2014

the one the only the Tink and Mrs!
Glad to see Laura's 'Diana' - shes definitely one of the Whites now!
13th April 2014

Congratulations on your marriage...
like your grandmother said it's been awhile since you blogged so we missed you. You picked a perfect destination for your mini-moon.
21st April 2014

Congratulations!
Congratulations to you both! Great to see this - haven't 'done' Budapest, but this is certainly an inspiration. Wishing you all the best for a happy future.
5th May 2014

CONGRATULATIONS!
Congrats to you both. Wishing you all the best and a very happy future together xx

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