Firstly, I must say that the place where I am right now has taken all my time with the beautiful spots to see and discover so I wasn’t able to write articles on time. Also for the other reason that I’m still planning the rest of my trip… Anyway, I arrived to Budapest (or how it sounds to me in Hungarian as Buddah-Pesht) on sunday night on a 3 hour train journey from Vienna. Crossing the borders seems to be very easy within the EU and Schengen Area… I’ve been to 3 different countries in a duration of 5 days!
Budapest is the third city on the Danube I visit in Central Europe. I’ve known this city for so long and for a long time as many do I was mistaken it with Bucharest. Now, I know I’m definitely in Budapest and it is a beautiful place. The city has some amazing vibes attracting tourist and backpackers from everywhere!
After my climbing adventures, I’ve had some rest and I was ready to visit the city. At noon, I’ve seen the two french girls I’ve met in Vienna. We’ve been then on a long discovery of the city. We started with the visit of the GreatMarket Hall (Nagycsarnok) that seems to be pretty and traditional. There is a kind of a food court at the top floor where people seem to enjoy some Hungarian dishes. Then using our 3 days transport pass we were able to use public boats too, so we’ve taken the route number 11 passing by the Hungarian Parliament one of the most famous landmarks in Hungary. It is an interesting building by its architecture and location all along the Danube. We’ve tried to enter inside however only guided tours at specific times where available and we were not flexible enough to wait so we’ve missed it.
Later the same day, we’ve been to Buda Castle on the other side of the city. The view from the castle is amazing where we can see some parts of Buda, Pest and beyond! Inside the area of the castle, there is Mathias Church built on the 15th century and containing a window from the 13th century. On the other side of this lovely area, there is the actual president residence, the Royal Palace (now a library) and the court of the Lions.
Following our visits and sightseeing, I met Rick a friend I know from “Madchester Invasion” a CouchSurfing event I’ve attended few months ago in Manchester. We have been around a nice neighbourhood that seems to be calm but vibrant at the same time with some bars, pubs and restaurants. We walked on a street I could easily compare to Paris’s Champs-Elysees, the metro station was Opera and luxury brands have their stores there making this a posh spot of Budapest. We’ve had a kebab for dinner where I met a Tunisian working in the fast-food. He seemed to be delighted to meet an Arab person as their presence is limited in Budapest.
The next day, me and the frenchies decided to meet again and try one of the most interesting attractions in the city… Szechenyi Bath.
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