Summer Adventure 2018: Part Two

Hello again from the lovely land of roses and rakia! There has been a lot going on this summer and we finally have the time to write about it! I won't waste much more of your time so lets get started. We left off in part one with Chris and I boarding a train from Vienna to another jewel along the Danube River; Budapest, Hungary.

Cheesin' by the Parliament Building

We arrived in Budapest in the late afternoon so after we checked into our Airbnb we decided to grab some dinner. Hungarian cuisine is some of the best we have encountered. With their use of paprika and hearty meats and vegetables we never had a bad meal during our stay. After dinner we decided to explore a bit and found ourselves along the Danube. The river is interesting as it runs through the city. Our evening trek gave us a beautiful view of the castle and fortresses along the river.

The next day we took a tour of the city with Free Walking Tours. On the tour we learned that the city name is pronounced like buda-pesht instead of buda-pest. We also learned that the county is named Hungary because the people who conquered the land were thought to be Huns from the east when really they came from the north by Sweden. So in turn the Hungarian language is closer to Swedish than any other central European language. On our tour we were able to see the major sights like St. Stephan's Basilica, the Parliament Building, the Chain Bridge and the castle on the Danube. The tour definitely helped us navigate the city for the rest of our trip. After some lunch we went souvenir shopping and loaded up on paprika. We ended our touring at St. Stephan's Basilica. It was quite impressive inside.

A view of the Chain Bridge and St. Stephan's Basilica

Day three in Budapest was a little rainy so we visited the House of Terror. The museum is not about terror or terrorist groups but rather about the atrocities faced by the Hungarian people during the Nazi occupation and later the rule of the Soviets. The museum is housed in the former headquarters of the secret police of both regimes. It was an interesting and highly recommended museum. It was still a little dreary outside so we decided to head over to the Great Market Hall. It was a great place to find good spices and other souvenirs. We bought some Hungarian alcohol called Palinka. It was very strong. After a quick bit to eat for lunch we decided to dodge a few rain drops and see the parliament building in all its glory. The Hungarian Parliament building is one of the largest legislative buildings in the world. Trust me, it's just as impressive as it sounds.

A memorial to the Hungarian Jews who suffered at the hands of the Nazis

The next day the sun was shining so we decided it was a perfect day to visit the mineral baths. If you have never been to one I highly suggest it. We went to the most popular bath Szechenyi Bath. The baths are fed by natural mineral springs and they were warm so it was pleasant to swim and soak in. The complex also had a sauna and full spa for guests to enjoy. It was a lovely day to relax after the stress of the school year. After our time in the bath we stopped for a quick Chimney Cone snack and got back to our place to watch some World Cup action.

Our fifth day was our final day in Budapest. Our flight didn't leave the city until later in the day so we did what any good history nerds would do, spent time in a museum. We visited the Hungarian National Museum. It was fascinating because it had artifacts from early humans to Roman times to Byzantine era Christian settlements. They also had jewels and clothing worn by Habsburg royalty (if you are curious about this royal family check out this article). The museum also touched on the the culture of the country during World War II and the Soviet era. Posters, tins and clothing were on prominent display and accompanied by movies. It was a great way to end our time in Budapest and get ready for the next part of our adventure. Stay tuned for part three of our Summer Adventure!

Gelato and a Chimney cone to hold you over until the next post