Budapest, Hungary

June 5:  Woke up early this AM to catch my bus to Budapest! Goodbye Prague you were oh so lovely!

<3 Arriving in Budapest, I definitely had some nervousness, as Prague was pretty hard to follow. After arriving at the bus station, I got my public transit pass and stored my luggage in a locker and wandered about. I found a cute little cafe down the road where I got a paprika omelet and some espresso!

Delicious! After lunch, I walked around for a bit and then found a highly recommended pub where I stopped in for a drink. The bartenders wife/girlfriend was extremely helpful and gave me a public transportation map along with some good sites! Met some interesting people there...one of them was definitely inebriated as he tried to hit on me and he was 60+y.o. After finishing my beer, I grabbed my luggage and headed over to my Airbnb where I met my host Kitti and her boyfriend. They are absolutely amazing!!! Their home is adorable and they even put chocolate on my pillow!!

We spent the whole first night talking about places to go in Budapest, history of the city, and English. I ended up helping them study for their English exam which was great fun! I got to try a shot of Palinka...Hungarian liquor that is very strong and tastes of plums! After a few Radlers and some great conversation, I headed to bed with a full list of things to check out during my stay. June 6:  I slept in today!!! It was so nice to not get out of bed before 9am for once! After organizing my purse (there were still a ton of Euros in it) I headed out to the City Park.

After wandering aimlessly for a while, I came across the spa.

I walked inside to see if I could get a walk through tour, but ended up buying a spa package! First time for everything! I had to walk back to grab my swimsuit. On the way back to the spa, there was a girl on the road who had the cutest braid twist hair thing. I told her by pointing and giving a thumbs up, as she didn't speak English. She got so excited that she had me turn around and she did my hair for me! After that, I came across a couple at the square who were so kind to take a picture for me!

I returned the favor to an Austrailian couple on the other side of the monument.

The package included all day spa access to all their thermal baths and saunas, along with a 60 minutes full body massage...free herbal tea and fruit platters were available as well. The experience was heavenly! I have never been so relaxed.

Not being a big sauna fan, I ended up doing small spurts of time in the aroma therapy sauna. I used the outdoor thermal baths mostly, where I met two lovely ladies from Wales! We had a nice conversation about our travels and they ended up asking about my blog (If you're reading this, I hope the rest of your stay was wonderful!).

Having never had a massage before, I finally understand why everyone raves about them. The oil she used was lavender (one of my favorite scents) so that definitely helped. I walked back home after my massage and I relaxed for a few hours. Tomorrow starts my big day of sites! June 7: So hungry! I woke up late again...I should probably start using an alarm clock! After scouring trip advisor, I headed out to get some food. I made my way to Ket Szerecsen and it was so lovely! I had a homemade pasta filled with veal stew and lemonade with basil and elderberry. The pasta was beyond amazing!

After enjoying some reading for a bit, I started exploring the area and naturally found a doughnut shop! After trying on a few swimsuits and not looking too shabby I figured why not. :P

I decided to check out the House of Terror Musuem. It was incredible and heartbreaking.

We learned a lot about the Russian influence during and after World War 2, along with how communism affected the people of Hungary. This wasn't something I remember learning much about in the states...but then again I haven't taken many history courses. I couldn't take any pictures inside the museum, but it was incredible and so massive. We walked through some of the jail cells in the basement and saw places where people were tortured and killed...truly tough to see. During my walk through, I met Andrew who is from Canada! Turns out he met someone traveling in Germany from Platteville..small world!! After chatting a bit, we headed our separate ways and I stopped by EcoCafe where I got some fresh lemonade and a carrot, walnut, apple cake!

On my walk back home, I stopped at a grocery store called SPAR. I got to the counter with my bananas and candy bar and the lady started getting sassy in Hungarian and then walked away...I was so confused. The nice guy behind me told me that you're supposed to weigh your fruits and veggies and get a sticker with the weight...oops! I apologized when she came back but she didn't speak English anyway so I told the guy thanks and headed home. June 8: Today was eventful! I woke up early and went to a tattoo parlor to make an appointment. Appointment was set for 8:30am on Thursday (I ended up calling my dad later and he suggested I wait until I'm home so I have someone who can hold my hand during....soooo there will be no tattoo in Europe, don't worry mom). I took a metro down to the chain bridge and walked across.

It sure was beautiful being over the river. After walking across the bridge, I made my way towards the Castle Hill Funicular (essentially a tram that goes up the hill).

At the top was the National Gallery and the Presidential Palace (Sandor Palota).

At the palace, there was a changing of the guards which was super cool to watch! I headed into the Buda Castle (National Gallery) and enjoyed the art exhibits and looking out at the city from the top of the castle.

At the top of the gallery, there was a view over Budapest...absolutely beautiful!

After, I headed to Fisherman's Bastion and Matthias Church. The structures were beautiful! I did not go up the Bastion as I was running low on cash and I already got such a view from the castle. After walking back across the bridge, I walked down the pedestrian only road towards the Central Market Hall.

There were so many shops! The scarves were all very beautiful and it took every ounce of will power to not buy any! From there I headed to the Book Cafe which, from the outside, looked like an ordinary bookstore. Once inside the cafe, the interior was beautiful!!!

I enjoyed an Americano, chocolate cake, and some more reading. 

After heading back to the house, we grabbed some frozen pizzas and relaxed.

 

June 9:

 

The next day for lunch, I headed to a steak house recommended by Kittie. It was phenomenal! I got the shrimp and then a pudding like dessert!

After, I headed to the Dohany Jewish Synagogue.

I learned that it was named after the street it was on which translated to tobacco. It was one of the few Jewish buildings that didn't get destroyed during the Second World War due to the Nazi police stationing their headquarters on the upper level of the sanctuary gallery.

Walking outside of the synagogue, we walked past the cemetery where thousands of Jews were buried after the war ended. Many of them were unidentified. 

At the end of the cemetery, there was a weeping willow sculpture that had the names of all those who helped fund the synagogue on the leaves. It was a truly beautiful memorial to the Jewish victims of the war.

Following the Synagogue, I made my way over to St. Stephens Basilica. The view inside and out was beautiful!!!

Running out of battery, aka my map home, I decided to head to a coffee shop (Espresso Embassy) and get some much needed caffeine and a phone charge. 

Walking around I saw the parliament building. I tried to go in but all the tickets were sold out for the day. :(

I got a chance to walk by the shoes by the river. It was a monument for Jews who lined up by the river and were shot after taking their shoes off...heartbreaking. 

That night, I went to an organ, flute, and opera concert at the basilica...absolutely amazing!!! The organist played some very familiar songs, the opera singer performed Ave Maria <3 and the flute player performed a song that Danielle and I had played back at HS solo and ensemble!!

What a great last night in such a beautiful city! After saying heartfelt goodbyes to my fabulous hosts (I will truly miss them!!), I headed to bed for my early rise to catch my bus to Croatia!