Beautiful Budapest

Sorry for the radio silence this past month!  It's taken me quite a while to get round to editing my photos, as loverboy and I have pretty much spent all of our spare time outdoors this summer, as you know.  However, now that the weather has turned decidedly autumnal, and we have already been on another holiday in the time that has lapsed (!!!), I have finally put together a post about our wonderful time in Budapest back in July.

The most popular Communist-era car to come out of Eastern Europe - the Trabant.  Or as it is affectionately referred to, the 'Trabi'!

This tram was yarn-bombed!

If you have been reading this blog for a while, you may have read about my last trip to Hungary, three years ago.  Growing up, I spent most of my summers by the lake Balaton and other parts of the country - did you know that I am half Hungarian?

Well since it had been three years already, we planned a trip to Budapest - my mum's home town - for her birthday.  I was excited to visit again, and extra excited that I got to share it with loverboy this time!

We met up with family members on our trip, including my aunt and cousin.

We had the most amazing time - perfect weather, delicious food, lots of sight-seeing and fabulous company.  Coincidentally, two of our friends from the San Francisco Bay Area were visiting Budapest at the same time as us, so we also got to hang out with them!

Bay Area represent!

I will get right on and tell you about some of my favourite places in Budapest that we visited on this trip.

The Szent István Bazilika is beautiful and we ended up in the square where it is located quite a few times during our stay.  This may or may not have had something to do with the delicious and quirky-flavoured rose-shaped ice creams that could be purchased nearby at Gelarto Rosa...

Salsa dancers, shaking their thang outside the Bazilika at night!

Hungary is famous for its thermal baths, and I couldn't wait to return to my favourite, the Széchenyi fürdő, with loverboy!

As well as offering massage, sauna, gym facilities, a restaurant and physiotherapy, the main draw (for me) are the outdoor pools.  There is a hot thermal pool, a swimming pool, a cooler pool and a whirlpool - all in the most beautiful setting.

We spent a nice and relaxing time here on our last day in the city, and after a week of sunshine and hot temperatures, there was a thundery rain shower and everyone (including us) got into the hot pool!  A fun and romantic moment!

Being a foodie, you just know that I was all over the Central Market - making two visits in one day!  The market is huge and full of fruit and veg, pastries, cheese, meat and Hungarian souvenirs.

This indoor market is beautiful and on such a grand scale that I would recommend anyone visiting Budapest to stop by and pick up some snacks.  We bought some delicious fruit, and a whole load of rétes (strudel) in many different flavours (I love them) - cabbage, cherry, apple, plum.  Yummers!

We also loaded up on pogácsa on multiple occassions this trip.  I mentioned this delicious snack in my other post on Hungary - they are sort of like little savoury scones and I can't get enough of them!  They come in different flavours (cheese, carraway seed etc) and we bought a whole bunch of them at the market to take as sustenance on our long, steep walk up Gellért-hegy, which is a hill overlooking the Danube and has a Citadel (Citadella) at the very top.

Pog-eye...

Let me tell you, it was quite the tiring walk, up endless amounts of steps in 35c degree heat.  We joked that if this was in the USA, this walk would be regarded as 'hiking' and everyone would be wearing lycra workout gear...

Szabadság Szobor - Liberty Statue - commemorating those who sacrificed their lives for the independence, freedom, and prosperity of Hungary.

One of my favourite places to chill and have a drink was Deák Ferenc tér.  This square is bustling with outdoor bars, music, a ferris wheel (every city seems to have one these days!) and a vibrant atmosphere.

A good thing to remember when walking around Budapest, is: look up!  There is so much detail on the architecture, and you miss so much if you keep your eyes at ground level.

Some other points of interest that we visited were....

Budavári Palota (Buda Castle), which used to be known as the Royal Palace and is now a museum.  Check out the amazing water fountain!

Halászbástya (Fisherman's Bastion), also on Castle Hill and named after the guild of fishermen responsible for defending the city walls in the Middle Ages.

Mátyás-templom (Matthias Church) which is a Roman Catholic Church, located next to the Halászbástya.

Parlament (Hungarian Parliament), a beautiful Gothic architectural landmark located on the banks of the Danube.

Hősök tere (Heroes' Square), which features the Millennium Memorial dedicated to the heroes who gave their lives for freedom and national independence.

Magyar Állami Operaház (Hungarian State Opera House) - we did not attend a performance, but went to look around as it is a stunning piece of architecture with an exquisite interior.

 Of course Aaron rode the Sphinx outside the Opera House...

We had the most wonderful holiday, and with more time, we could have seen and done so much more, as Budapest really is a vibrant city with a lot to offer in terms of history, tourism, culture and nightlife.

There's so much more I could have shared, but this post just kept getting longer and longer!

I can't wait to go back!  Hopefully we will get to visit again next year, even if just for a weekend...