On our first night in Budapest we were able to meet up with a couple we met at our hostel in Slovenia for dinner, drinks and Budapest’s famous chimney cake. It was fun to socialize for an evening and discuss our traveling experiences.
The next day we set out to explore the city. Budapest used to be two cities “Buda”, more residential and quieter, and “Pest”, the busier side, split by the Danube river. We walked around the “Pest” side of the city including the Parliament building, Great Synagogue, and Great Market Hall.
One of the things we miss most is being able to cook a nice meal, so we splurged a little bit and got an Airbnb with a full kitchen. To make good use of it, I researched traditional Hungarian recipes and decided to make mushroom paprikash, which uses the paprika that is found all over Hungary. A home cooked meal was a great cure for our homesickness.
On our second day we visited The House of Terror museum to learn about Hungary’s dark history from 1930-1990, when the country was controlled by the Arrow Cross (put in place by the Nazis) and then the Soviet Union. Later we walk around the castle hill where the Buda Castle is located.
Budapest is known for thermal baths, which was one of our main reasons for visiting. We decided to avoid crowds by going first thing in the morning to a less ornate bath that is popular with locals. Most people spend around two hours soaking, and we had originally planned to visit a museum in the afternoon. However, we were enjoying it so much that instead we spent 7 hours there! Luckily they also sold decent food.
Budapest exceeded our expectations. The city is beautiful, lively and has lots to do. The food and accommodations are affordable as well. Now that we have a better feel for the area, we wish we had spent more time in Eastern Europe and are talking about future countries to visit.
Not Sew Fancy Travels 