Blogs from Budapest, Central Hungary, Hungary, Europe - page 123

Graeme here, well we arrived in Budapest in the afternoon on July 2nd. After a lengthy couple of bus rides we arrived at some sketchy hostel but splurged for a private room so it wasnt too bad. Bupapest is apparently called the Paris of the East and rightfully so - its well groomed, for Eastern standards and has amazing architecture. The city is divided by the massive Danube river. Buda, consisting of green hills and old churches and palaces, lies to the west of the river. Pest lies on the East side, where you find most of the city. Together they form Budapest. We had to use the "Forint" since Hungary doesnt use the Euro. It wasnt THAT cheap to come here. A Big Mac meal costs 3.50 Euro or 5.25 CAD. Budapest is pretty modern ... read more

budapest - not the bestest city in the world in my opinion but the thermal baths make up for any shortcomings!! the city is pretty normal, just the usual city things - castles, palaces museums etc. but the thermal baths are awesome. yesterday i did a walking tour in the morning. it was pouring the whole way but it was still fun. after that we came back to our room and dried out a bit. then.... went to the baths. the lok exactly like they do in all the pictures. the old men playing chess that look like they've been there forever, amazing buildings surrounding, beautiful sculptures and fountains. soooo cool. it was absolutely freezing yesterday - about 10 degrees, but we went to the outside baths anyway - they're much better than the indoor ones. ... read more

It only took 48+ hours, three flights on three different airlines, but I have arrived in Budapest. My luggage has not and I hope it follows soon as I am sick of wearing these clothes. The weather is overcast and drizzlely - just like home! After being on a plane for so long my head is still swirling. I have so far met some very nice Maygars that have been very helpful and speak great English. After filing a report for my missing luggage I went out to meet my driver. There was no one in the waiting area with a name card for me so I went hunting for an ATM as I had no Florint. I was just getting to the front of the line for the ATM when it ran out of money. ... read more

Greetings from gloomy eastern Europe! It turns out being post-communist means that buildings come in many different colors which are all shades of grey. The light drizzle didn't help matters, but the Hotel that I am staying in is pure luxury -- we have a shower door, a dresser and carpeting, which are three firsts for this trip. I'm very excited about sleeping there tonight, I'm hoping the positive atmosphere will stop Richard's ear-splitting snoring, which could wake the dead. He must be stopped if I am going to get a good night's sleep on this trip. I will start with some closing comments on Athens. I am convinced, after visiting, that every cabbie in that city is selling women on the side. I still don't understand how, but every single one offered us a wonderful ... read more

Acordamos tarde, então acabamos desistindo da visita ao Parlamento. Caminhamos pela Rua Váci, a principal rua de pedestres da cidade, até o Mercado de Budapeste, que lembra muito o Mercadão Municipal de São Paulo: no térreo, bancas de frutas, carnes, peixes, embutidos e temperos de todos os tipos - com destaque, é claro, para a páprica, muito tradicional na Hungria; na sobreloja, restaurantes e algumas barraquinhas que vendiam de souvenires a tecidos. A hora do almoço já se aproximava, então decidimos comer alguma coisa. Comi uma almôndega de carne com recheio de queijo. Compramos algumas lembrancinhas pra presentear os parentes e o Márcio também comprou cerejas. Pegamos o metrô rumo à Praça dos Heróis (“Hösök tere”, em húngaro), construída em 1896, em homenagem ao milésimo aniversário da cidade. O monumento representa os 7 líderes das tribos ... read more