This was our first stay for the spring break adventure. This city reminded me of a cleaner Paris and was definitely a beautiful city! Buda (west of the Danube River) and Pest (east side) were joined in 1872 to become Budapest. Hungary isn’t using the euro yet, so I got to try out some new currency. About 160 forint = $1.
The first morning we went to Grand Market Hall that had two floors and 2 ½ acres of stalls for venders. I spent a good chunk of the morning just looking at the never ending rows of fruit, vegetable and meat stands and moved up to the top floor to look for souvenirs. For breakfast there I ate a round piece of fried bread with strawberry marmalade topped with powdered sugar. By this point I decided I definitely liked the food of Eastern Europe.
The morning was cold and rainy, but since we had a limited time here we decided to walk around anyway. We crossed the river to the Buda side to Varhegy (Castle Hill). From the height I got a great view of the river, unique bridges and the massive Parliament building on the Pest side. The castle area was quite a beauty and the streets were colorful and quiet. Underneath all this are the Castle Labyrinths. I’m not sure of the purpose of the underground tunnels, but it was fun to walk through. The lights were dim and there were themed rooms and statues. The Labyrinth of Courage consisted of a completely dark room with only a “thread” to guide you. I hesitantly went in to prove my courage…but only with the stipulation that my friend had to let me hang on to her. I don’t like the dark!
The rest of the day was spent wandering the streets and walking through a market near the town center. We think this market was an Easter celebration. It was open all day and throughout the night selling various items and food. The night view of the river was wonderful.
The next day (our last day there and Easter Sunday) proved to be a quiet morning. After an omelet breakfast we went to the House of Terror museum. The museum sits on 60 Andrassy and held prisoners of the Nazi and Soviet regimes. It was a documented memorialized the lives lost there and what the country went through during this time. It was a very moving and informative museum. That afternoon, we went to the famous baths that have been operating since 1565! The thermal pool was a great way to relax. Old men there were playing chess in the baths!
That evening we hung out at the market area again and caught a night train. (We each got a bed! Great sleep!)
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