Buda-ful Budapest

Now that I've been to both Prague and Budapest, I find it rather ridiculous that people often lump them into the same category.  Sure, they are relatively close to each other geographically, and are both built around a river (the beautiful Danube runs through Budapest), but they are so different architecturally and culturally that it's like trying to compare apples and....goulash.

View down the Dannube (with Chain Bridge in background)

But, still, I'll try.  When we arrived (after a seven hour train ride) my initial impression was that Budapest seemed a bit more "real" than Prague.  It felt a lot less touristy, maybe a bit rougher around the edges, and somehow seemed a lot bigger (although, really, there isn't that much of a difference, with the populations of Budapest and Prague being 1.7 million and 1.2 million, respectively).  But, the city soon warmed on me and it quickly became became clear why Hungarians are so proud of their world-class capital. Honestly, it baffles me why this isn't a bigger vacation destination than it is.  

Although this area has been inhabited since ancient times, the modern city we now call Budapest only came into existence in 1873 when the former cities of Buda, Pest, and Obuda joined forces.  Buda is the older, hillier part of the city, which is located on the west bank, and Pest, on the east bank is its more modern and flat counterpart.  It's hard now, though, to imagine the cities as separate entities, since the two sides of town feel completely integrated and connected by many bridges (the most famous of which is the chain bridge).

View of Hungarian Parliament Building from Buda

Tom and I stayed on the Buda side of the river, and are glad we did, since its landscape and historical buildings made it our favorite part of the city.  Buda's "Castle District" is a gorgeous area to walk around, and contains some of the city's most beautiful buildings, including the Royal Palace (which arguably look a bit more like a typical government building than a palace), the Fisherman's Bastion (a beautiful terrace so-named after the fisherman who used to set up market there), and the colorful Matthias Church. And, of course, from Castle Hill you're treated to breathtaking views of the early 20th Century Hungarian Parliament Building.  Although we hear it was originally considered to be "too fancy" by the locals when it was built, this building has truly become the symbol of the city, and its enormous size and unique Renaissance Revival features, make it easy to spot from any high point in Budapest.

Royal Palace

Fisherman's Bastion

Hanging out on Castle Hill

Matthias Church

On Andrassy Street

By contrast, the Pest side of town feels a bit more like your typical big city.  In many areas, I could have easily believed that I was in New York or Chicago.  However, it still has a lot to offer a visitor, and Tom and I enjoyed our stroll down beautiful tree-lined Andrassy Street, which is Pest's main thoroughfare and home to its Opera House, as well as many other historical buildings.  At the end of the street is the beautiful Hero's Square (which commemorates the founders of Hungary), which leads into Budapest's City Park.  The park has a lot of attractions, including a bathing complex, but the highlight for us was taking in the view of the little lakeside castle.

Walkway Along the River in Pest

Statues in Hero's Square 

Church in City Park

Lake and Castle in City Park

Locals in the Park (note the guy on the tight rope!)

Budapest actually does a really good job with its green space.  There are numerous parks throughout the city, flower gardens on seemingly every street corner, and tons of bike paths.  (The city also has a great public transportation system, and was actually was the first or second city to ever have a metro, depending on who you ask...) Perhaps the most beautiful park in Budapest is Margaret Island, which is situated in the middle of the Danube.  The island, which was named after the king's daughter who was a nun on the island's convent, is now a favorite spot for bikers and runners.  We didn't make it around the entire island (the perimeter is about 5k), but we did bike and walk a good deal of it during our visit.  One of our best memories from our trip was catching the "water show" at the fountain near the park's entrance.  We stumbled upon it completely by happenstance, but had a fantastic time watching the water dance around to everything from CCR to classical pieces.  The best part, though is that the fountain contained an outer ring where you could dangle your feet in the water to cool off while sitting and enjoying the show.  

Musical Fountain on Margaret Island (with foot soaking space in the outer ring!)

Gellert Baths

As you've probably gathered, Budapest does many things well, but there are two things that it just might do better than any city in the world:  baths and night lights. Budapest is known for its natural hot springs, and has several bathing complexes where locals and visitors can relax in the warm water (which supposedly has healing properties).  On one day of our visit, Tom and I spent several hours at the Gellert Baths, on the south side of Buda. Outside the baths have a wave pool (at 26 degrees C), and a large warm pool (at 36 degrees C), as well as a sauna and a cold plunge pool.  However, the real treat is indoors where there are additional hot pools, done in the art nouveau style.  These pools were only desegregated by gender in January 2013, and I'm so glad we visited after that time, because the men's pool was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen (although I'm still a little upset as to why the men got such a better space than the women!).  The entire room is ornately decorated in hues of blue and green, and the back of each pool contained a beautiful fountains and statuary.  We both felt quite relaxed after our visit (although I have to say, I don't think it totally healed all of my chronic running injuries), and I feel like I really got a taste of what it would have been like to be an ancient Roman spending a day at the baths.

Beautiful Indoor Baths

"Men's Bathing Room" (now co-ed)

Budapest by Night

As amazing as the baths were, the highlight of this portion of the trip for me may have been seeing Budapest at night. After sunset, the city completely transforms into a magnificent glimmering masterpiece.  Huge spotlights illuminate all of the city's major buildings and bridges, and its hard to imagine any city looking more sophisticated.  To celebrate our wedding anniversary (I can't believe how quickly the last three years have flown by!) we treated ourselves to an evening river cruise, where we were able to get a clear view of the entire city at night.  Despite the somewhat corny audio guide (which included the personified "walls" of the palace telling your their story), it was an incredibly special experience.

Parlament Building at Dusk

Royal Palace

Vegetarian Hungarian Goulash

Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't say just a word or two about the food here.  On the whole, Hungarian food is really rich and heavy.  Once, Tom ordered a "baked potato with mushrooms" only to find that this meant mashed potatoes, which were then somehow fried and topped with creamy mushroom gravy and cheese.  However, it's not impossible to find healthier fare and we actually had one of the best meals of our lives here (and a price less than 40 dollars!).  Budapest is also known for its cake (which we made sure to try) and its goulash, which, in contrast to its Czech counterpart, is more like a hearty stew in a delicious spicy tomato sauce (the vegetarian version I found was amazing).  It's true that the service wasn't always the most friendly here, but we were able to communicate our basic wants and needs in English most places, and that's about as much as we could ask for.    

In the beginning we debated a bit between visiting Budapest and Vienna, and as amazing as I'm sure Vienna is, I'm very glad we chose to come here.  It was such a unique place, and one that's a bit off the beaten path for many European backpackers (although, of course, it still has its fair share of tourists). As always, we're a bit sad to go, but already excited about our upcoming adventures in Croatia!

Alla Prossima,
Erin    

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Thurs. July 18:  It's hot now!  Almost too hot in our non-air-conditioned rental apartment!