Budapest 6

It was a great visit and we thoroughly enjoyed what we saw and experienced, although it wasn't all of what is on offer. We walked extensively despite the chilly weather and were fortunate to have had a location so close to the bridge and in easy walking distance of the most interesting parts of the city. Yep, good place to be commended!

Budapest 5

Another pleasant surprise was that a Christmas Market opened the day after we arrived, and was very close to our hotel. The quality of goods on sale was very good and we browsed many times, perhaps also attracted by the mulled wine on sale at strategic points. Food was local and prepared on an almost industrial scale, including chimney cake, cooked to order on a charcoal fire then covered with whatever additions you want, before being served still steaming. The downside of the weather was worth the benefit of the market!
Nearby was Gerbaud, famous local tea house, where we enjoyed coffee, hot chocolate (I had two!) and very (too) sweet cakes. Needed a mulled wine cleanser after that.

Oh, yes, the rastafarian dog - no idea what breed and had a rather dirty undercarriage!

Budapest 4

Walking around the city, we came across numerous bronze statues in the street, full of character and very good too.
And, these were in addition to the many sculptures and other statues, which seem to project more action and movement than is common.

All but one of the communist era statues have been removed to Statue Park on the outskirts of the city, although we didn't visit it. The communists were allowed to select one to remain in the city and they chose the one with the gold star on top, apparently for its position in view of the US Embassy!

Budapest 3

We took two organised tours, the first of which included a visit to a market to view local produce before enjoying a typical Hungarian meal with different wines - Hungarian Goulash Soup to start, Pork to follow, and a very sweet but pleasant dessert to finish. We learned about the local wines, particularly Tokayi, which we sampled a few times afterwards. Paprika features significantly in Hungarian food, which suited me fine!

Our second walking tour included a trip to Heroes' Square, a series of buildings with differing architecture and a hot springs bathing facility, although we had neither time nor kit to enjoy this, all a few Metro stops from the city centre. We ended up at the Royal Palace and Matthias Church on the Buda side again, and also paid a short visit to a Marzipan Museum - great complex model exhibits, but you still wonder why Marzipan!

Budapest 2

Budapest is steeped in history and, despite a bit of homework, we still found ourselves having to consult our Lonely Planet guidebook to clarify which era was relevant to something we were either looking at or talking about. Most recently, it had become part of the eastern block under communist rule from after WWII, until the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of communism in Hungary soon afterwards. Much of the city had been destroyed both in this and previous conflicts, but the architecture that exists today is both varied and striking, with almost no evidence of the drab designs of the communist period. Most rebuilding has been in the original styles. The people are friendly although the language is very unfamiliar, with ties to Finnish and Estonian. The Parliament building, one of the largest in the world but hardly occupied, has a commanding position on the river front.

St Stephens Basilica is also an imposing building, inside and out, and on one day the visibility was good enough to make a visit to the dome worthwhile to enjoy views across the city. The promise of seeing beyond the city wasn't quite fulfilled, but we did get an impression of what it would be like! Jean walked up, but I took the lift!

Budapest 1

November maybe wasn't the best time to visit as it was quite cold, foggy and occasionally wet, but it didn't stop Jean and me enjoying this great city straddling the Danube. We had a great view across the river to the Royal Palace and Matthias Church on hill on the Buda side, and were very close to Chain Bridge connecting Pest to it. The nightime view on our arrival was magnificent and clear, but the following day, when we ventured across the bridge for the first time it had become rather foggy after an initially bright start. Even so, the views were nonetheless worth it.