Budapest was definitely the most exotic city we have visited up to this point, and the furthest East we have gone. It just has a totally different vibe compared to anywhere else we have been so far. It was fun to be in a new kind of setting. Unfortunately, we only had a few days here and were only able to get into town for two of those days.
Our first day out we wandered through the major sites of the city. As we stepped out of the subway station into town we were struck by the sight of the most incredible building we had ever seen: the Budapest Parliament building! It’s almost 900 feet long and over 300 feet tall. We took tons of pictures with it, but none of them do it justice (it’s so large that it’s almost impossible to fit the whole thing into the camera) so here’s a picture that I took from the internet.
We continued walking up the hill on the Buda side of town and arrived at the Fisherman’s Bastion, a long terrace with towers that fishermen would use to watch over the town during the Middle Ages. It has such unique architecture, and an amazing view of the Danube and the Pest side of the city. It’s also home to Matthias Church, a beautiful cathedral where we were lucky enough to see a cute couple’s wedding complete with bubbles as they were walking out of the church!!
While wandering through the towers we learned a lot about the turbulent history of Hungary. Neither one of us is particularly familiar with Hungarian history, so it was fascinating. Gaining a more profound insight into the past really helped us appreciate the place we were visiting for a few days. We also were able to take a fantastic picture of Marcus as a Hungarian soldier.
We walked down past Buda Castle, crossed the Chain Bridge, which was the first bridge to connect Buda and Pest, and explored a bit more of Pest. We went to the Parliament Building up close and tried to take a tour but they were all sold out. I’m pretty sure the outside is the best view, though! We both agree that it is the most impressive building we have ever seen. After a lot of walking we headed back home ready for our second day out in Budapest!
On our last day in Budapest we took the most beautiful tour of the Danube by boat! The tour went for about an hour or so, and seeing the beautiful city right from the river was such a great way to get to know the area. The setting sun cast a golden hue to all the buildings and streets. It was magical!
To end the night we went to Mazel Tov, which is a restaurant built in the ruins of an older building. There was a line out the door but the food was definitely worth the wait! The atmosphere was great, there was live music, and a healthy quota of hipster millennials. We shared a lamb dish, duck breast, mediterranean rice, pita bread, and some delectable sauces. It was a great way to end our time in Budapest!
The next day, we took a very long bus ride to the beautiful city of Prague!!
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