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Published: January 12th 2008
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Fisherman's Bastian
On top of Castle Hill in Budapest With most holidaying Brits choosing to take to the ski fields or soak up the warmth of the Med we decided to find some middle ground (and cheap flights) for our festive getaway.
Waiting outside the Bratislava airport in Slovakia we are immediately impressed by the evidence of recent snowfall and the locals wearing fur hats. Before long we are out of the cold and on a bus heading towards our intended destination, Vienna.
Of all the European cities we’ve visited so far, Vienna could very well be the grandest with elaborate architecture everywhere we look. Our lonely planet guidebook joked that if New York is the big apple then Vienna is the big wedding cake- an analogy that we thoroughly agree with.
As we pass through the city, even though it’s late at night, we can see that the statues of Vienna appear to be breeding. This is particularly true of those resembling horses, which are abundant!
Our first morning starts with coffee and pastries at a small café. We then move on to the magnificent Parliament building and stroll through the Volksgarten (people’s park) to the Imperial Palace. We love this part Vienna, which is
Very Vienna
Horse statue, Museum, Christmas market stalls... made even more charming by men with their horse drawn carriages taking tourists around the city.
We collect some kitschy Motzart souvenir chocolates (too hard to resist) and potter on to our next port of call, Stephansdom. I’m sure it would be a beautiful cathedral at any time of year, but especially for Christmas large parts of its cavernous interior have been filled with real pine trees. The Austrians sure get into the spirit of things!
On our exit we weave past costumed ticket hawkers in the Stephansdom square (“No, I’m sorry we’d like to go to the opera, but we won’t be in Vienna tonight.”) as we make our way back through the Palace to the Museum Quartier. With so many museums in Vienna, it seems impossible to choose just one, but an exhibition entitled ‘China, Facing Reality’ at the MUMOK (Vienna Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art) takes our fancy and turns out to be our best gallery experience in Europe to date.
With Lachlan having somehow lost his beanie at MUMOK, we need to stop somewhere to ward off the cold and a café serving authentic Vienna style Schnitzel is just what we are
What is that...?
Another unusual Viennese statue looking for! Leaving the café we collect our backpack from the hotel and say ‘auf wiedersehen’ (farewell) to Vienna as we head for the West Bahnhoff to catch our train to Budapest.
Budapest is split in two by the Danube River, which runs from the Alps to the Black sea. The two sides of the city are Buda and (you guessed it!) Pest. In the summer, you can travel along the river by boat between Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary but because we are visiting in the middle of winter, most of the boats are parked up.
Our first morning in Budapest starts with a metro ride under the river to the Buda side of the city where we intend to explore the magnificent Castle Hill area. We exit the metro station into -5 degree temperatures and can’t seem to find the right street. Then it starts to snow lightly (yay - so it does snow in Budapest).
Eventually we find the right street and soon enough we’re on the edge of the hill, looking back over the river towards the centre of Pest. We’ve arrived at Fisherman’s Bastian, an ornate set of stairways, balconies and statues leading
Knock knock!
Castle Hill, Buda from the bank of the Danube to the hilltop church, Matyas Templom. The views are amazing. The church itself is also impressive. Every inch of its walls, floor and ceiling are covered in pale coloured decorative patterns - uniquely Hungarian! Next we check out the grounds of the Royal Palace before descending the hill and crossing one of the many bridges linking Buda to Pest.
After successive trips to continental Europe it is getting steadily more difficult to be impressed by churches - but our visit to Budapest’s Basilica, located in the middle of Pest does not disappoint. Lachlan almost loses his beanie (again) but luckily this time picks it up from the lost and found.
Back with beanie in hand (or on head) we find a Hungarian restaurant where we enjoy Goulash and Gypsy style roast pork. Very nice!
We didn’t know it at the time but this was the last time that Lachlan felt well in Hungary. Nothing to do with the food, but as we arrive back at the hotel a fever sets in, and he spends the next 36 hours bedridden.
The next day, leaving Lachlan to recover in the hotel room,
Having a break
Ariana relaxes in the grounds of the Royal Palace in Budapest I head out to see the Hungarian national museum, Budapest food markets (complete with numerous salami and paprika stalls), the shopping district, German Christmas markets, and finally make a trip to a chemist. Luckily the chemist is able to explain in English how much cough medicine is required, because the bottle, with its Hungarian directions, is of no use to us.
For our final day in Budapest we step out of the hotel into our coldest morning yet (-7 degrees) and head down to the Hungarian Parliament building. We jump on an English language tour and we have fun posing for our obligatory “Ariana and Lachlan take a seat in the Hungarian Parliament” photos. Plus the building is heated. Ahhh sweet heating.
We then stroll down the riverside undoing all the benefits of our heated tour and conclude that by the bank of the Danube is the next coldest spot in Budapest - running a close second to the fan-forced escalator ride down into the Metro station near our hotel.
After lunch in a Dutch pub in the centre of Pest we head by metro to Hero’s Square in the north east of the city. Not far
Winter wonderland
The Royal Palace in Budapest looks magic dusted with snow from the multi statued square we find a small castle and a lake, which given the ambient conditions is frozen solid and flood lit for skating. Very European! On the upstream side of the bridge, and in stark contrast, are natural hot springs (which the ducks seem very pleased about). The steam rising from the water is slightly eerie but nonetheless a good place to end to our tour of Budapest.
Arriving back at our hotel we collect our backpack and jump on a shuttle bus to the airport. Six hours later back home in Nottingham - even in the middle of the night, England seems quite warm…
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Bathy
non-member comment
Awesome
Except for Lachlan getting sick, (no good mate), that is an awesome blog.