we arrived in Budapest and eventually made it to the hostel, where we were greeted like long lost friends by the people who worked there. We were staying in a small apartment opposite the Opera House, and so we were taken there and given a bottle of wine and given a map, which she then wrote all over telling us where to go, what to do and how to do it. The best welcome I have ever received in a hostel - ever.
The first night we just walked around the city, and I tried to find the YUM vegetarian restaurant (Vegetarium) which I had been to before. I found the old location but it wasn't there any more (Boo!) - but we ate there anyway and it was still lush :o)
The next day we did a walking tour of the city. The guides were full of energy and info and took us all around Pest and the castle district of Buda. The tour ended up near a workers canteen so they took us there to eat and helped us order good Hungarian food. Then they sat us down and wrote even more stuff all over our map, of yet more places to go, and what to see and do. It was awesome.
Later that afternoon we went to Heroes Square and to the Szechenyi Baths. Budapest is famous for the Turkish Baths and hot pools. We laxed out in the hot pools feeling luxurious and then did a huge walk up to the citadel on Gelliert Hill. You get a fantastic view of the city at night from here. We were in need of refreshment after that and went to one of the many bars we had been recommended. It was a great bar called Mumush with a courtyard, beer crates to sit on and lights coming from oil drums with bullet holes. Very Eastern European.
The next day we went to the Statue Park, which is outside of the city, where lots of old Communist Statues went to rest. It's pretty cool. It must have been good times to be a sculptor in Communist days!
After the Statue Park we continued our Communist theme with a tour led by Gabor, who had been one of the previous guides. He was a living breathing post-communist Budapestian. Anyway he had plenty to say on both communist times and Post-communist life. The tour was really really interesting, and ended with him taking us all to a bar called instant, which used to be an old block of flats. Each room in the building was now a different alcove of the bar. It was very reminiscent of bars in Berlin, really relaxed (like all of Budapest) and fun. Gabor had lots of mementoes of his childhood, passports, pictures etc, and hearing him talk was fascinating.
We continued onto another of the recommended bars and had a night out in Budapest. It is such a chilled place, with loads going on at all times of the day and night.
The next day was our final day and we dropped our bags at the train station and hired some bikes for the day. We went to the Synagogue (except doh! it was the Sabbath so we couldn't go in) - the biggest in Europe. Then we went to the huge market hall and stocked up on cheese and bread for lunch. YUM.
We then continued to Margit Sziget, Margaret Island in the middle of the Danube between Buda and Pest. We biked all over it and had a picnic before heading back to the train station and our plane home.
We had a brilliant holiday and for me it wasn't even over - I got up at 7 the next morning and met Rose, Flair and Anh (Rose from NZ, Flair and Anh I used to work with in London - now we all do knitting together). We took the train to Portreath in Cornwall (Flair's hometown)and spent a couple of days swimming in the sea and raiding the op shops. Flair's gran even made us proper Cornish pasties.
I am still on holiday for another few days - back on the 3rd Sept. So we are off to stay with Rosie, who is house sitting in Bristol, for the weekend. Next weekend is a bank holiday and we are off to the Lake District.
The next instalment will be some time after that I imagine!
Steph
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