Twice as nice.*
After our short stay in Bratislava, we hopped on a train to Budapest. The ride was pleasant and comfortable. The thing about train travel is… I really like it until the train nears my destination. Depending on the train it’s not always super clear which station you are approaching. Not to mention, trains usually only stop for a few minutes (if that) at each stop. If you’re not prepared you could find yourself far down the rail line… and without a ticket. That’s why I became hyper-vigilante when the time of our arrival drew near. Unfortunately, the train was at least 45 minutes late arriving at the station in Budapest. That meant that when Mike kept telling me to calm down and stop standing up to press my cheek up against the window for a better look, he was actually right.
We arrived at our hostel a bit later than expected and were greeted by the very friendly proprietor. He took out a map and immediately began jotting down the best routes for our visit.
We started off walking along the Danube and quickly came upon Shoes on the Danube Promenade. The shoes are a memorial to the people who were shot into the river during World War II. I really appreciated the uniqueness of the memorial. It’s haunting to see abandoned shoes on the edge of a river.
Just past the memorial is the Hungarian Parliament Building. Completed in 1904, the building was built in the Gothic Revival style. Not that I have to say it, but…this building is striking. I have several photos of it from many different vantages. It just demanded to be photographed. Although we didn’t enter the building, it was immediately obvious why Parliament is one of Budapest’s main tourist attractions.
We crossed the bridge and rode a funicular to the top of Castle Hill. A folk festival was taking place so a good portion of the grounds were closed to those who hadn’t paid admission. That included us. Instead, we walked towards Matthias Church. I’m sure the interior is beautiful (we weren’t able to enter at the time), but could it be more interesting than that roof? I love the colorful design.
I had to laugh when I saw this little boy attempting to scale this statue. I almost felt like I was back in Abu Dhabi.
From just beyond the church a viewpoint looks out over the Danube towards the Parliament Building. There just happened to be a string quartet playing close by. And did I mention it was golden hour? Well played, Castle Hill.
We lingered on the hill a bit longer before descending to get a look at Parliament from directly across the water.
I’m not orange. It’s just a weird setting on Mike’s camera that hates my skin tone.
We stopped on our way back over the bridge for some nighttime photos of the city.
On our way to dinner we happened upon an outdoor concert. We tried to eat quickly and hurry back to the music but the show was wrapping up just as we sat down on a bench to listen. I think I was half asleep at this point so it was probably just as well.
xo, jill
*Budapest became a single city after the smaller cities of Buda and Pest united in 1873.
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