The 0300 wake up was a little earlier than I would have preferred, but it was exciting to be traveling for leisure once again. Due to a complicated travel itinerary and the lack of public transportation available in the middle of the night, I drove my car to the Stuttgart Flughafen for the first time instead of taking a train. A quick detour through Amsterdam and my KLM flight landed in Budapest only about an hour after Britt and Matt's direct flight from Frankfurt. A 30 minute Bolt (uber equivalent) ride from the airport and the weekend had officially started.
The Airbnb was not quite ready, so we headed a block south to the Szabadság tér (Liberty Square) where there was a fortuidous craft beer festival underway complete with a variety of food trucks. Uncrowded during the mid-day hours, it was a perfect place to spend some time waiting for the Airbnb to come available. After some food and drinks, we headed to the beautiful flat on the 3rd floor of a building one block east of the famous Hungarian Parliament. We collectively decided naps were in order to mitigate the impact of the early start to each of our respective days. Interior courtyard of our building.
In the early evening, we returned to the nearby festival for food truck dinners before catching the metro to the High Note Sky Bar rooftop for drinks. It was fancy with a beautfiul view, which when combined with no understanding of the Hungarian Forint currency, nearly caused me to pay more than three times what our bill stated (50 EUR equivalent). Worse, I thought I was only paying my third. Luckily, the waitor kindly corrected my error and spared me an expensive mistake.
The hotel staircase reminded me of my apartment's, only more glamourous
From there, we took a Bolt to the Jewisher Quarter where there are several "Ruins Bars," the oldest and most famous of which is the Szimpla Kert Ruin Bar. Of course, we waited in the 30-minute long line for entry, but it was so unique inside that I think it was definietly worth it. Interestingly, no one in Budapest wore masks, but the bouncers did check for COVID vaccinations and/or tests. The bar itself was an old parking garage with no roof that extended deep into the block interior. The walls were rough and there seemed to be a slightly different ambience to each of the partitioned sections. It reminded me of some of the bars I wondered through a decade ago when first discovering Eastern Europe.
04 September 2021
I convinced Britt and Matt to do a bike tour of the city...my favorite urban method of transportation. Luckily, we found an ebike tour that covered all of the main sites during a half day tour. The guide had not led a tour in over a year due to COVID and was excited to do something other than his day job at a customer service calling center. The other family that was on the tour were an American family also living in Stuttgart.
We started off at Hősök Tere (Hero's Square) which was unfortunately fenced off and staged for the imminent Papal visit.
Behind the landmark is a man-made pond used for paddle boats in the summer and ice skating in the winter. I don't remember seeing any ice skating last time I was here... Anyways, further into the City Park is the Vajdahunyad which incorporates several different architectural styles.
Anonymous. The unnamed historian who told the past of the Magyar people.
Cycling to the Buda side of the Danube River via the Liberty Bridge.
Matthias Church and the Fisherman's Bastion
Statue of St. Stephen. He was a brutal, but necessary part of Magyar history.
Budvari Palota (Buda Castle) that was rebuilt dozens of times following violent conflicts.
The famous Szechenyi Chain Bridge was unfortunately under construction.
Matt and I
Hungarian Parliament
There were lots of different modes of transportation in the city, but this old big-wheeled bicycle was my favorite (behind the weird scooters). Wish I could have got a better picture of it amongst all the traffic.
Shots near our Airbnb
Basilica San Esteban (St. Stephen's)
We grabbed a bite to eat at the beer festival and napped before heading to our all you can eat and drink Danube dinner cruise. There was live gypsy music (their words, not mine) and great views of the city and the Hungarian Parliament in particular.
Those white specks above the building were birds. So many birds pooping on mankind's accomplishments.
Me taking pics
Matt and I
Enjoying the dinner and music
Liberty Bridge
Budvari Palota (Buda Castle)
The boat had windows to view the engine room and the cool thing was the absence of head covers so you could see the pushrods opening the valves. Not sure if I believe this thing really used the paddlewheels or if they are just for show.
After the cruise, we grabbed a drink in the plaza next to Basilica San Esteban (St. Stephen's) before heading home
I found my old friend from over a decade ago!
05 September 2021
We spent the day at the Gellért Thermal Bath across the river on the Buda side. It was a nice outdoor pool and spa area and great place to relax in the warm sun. It was located in a large building on the other end of the Liberty Bridge.
Iconic trams that look a lot like Lisbon's, among other places.
There was probably more than a kilometer of scooters, bicycles, and other eco-friendly forms of transportation moving with police escort in what I assume was to promote environmentally-friendly transportation options.
Indoor pool we didn't use
In the evening, we went for a massage to complete the day of relaxation. Like everything in Budapest, we got a great price.
After the massages, we ate a wonderful Mediterranean dinner at Dobrumba. Matt and Britt visited on their last trip and they were right to want a second helping. This is one of the few times we were not searching for a party.
06 September 2021
I took an earlier flight since I still had to catch the train back to Stuttgart after arriving in Frankfurt. There was a strike with the DeutscheBahn so I got home about an hour later than planned. Small price to pay for such a wonderful trip.
