BUDAPEST
With Budapest only a few hours away from Vienna by rail we thought a short trip there might be nice & it was!!
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Keleti Station & that confounded construction works |
We arrived at Keleti Station in Budapest about 1pm then walked to our apartment. We walked, because they were doing construction work on the Metro & no matter how many times we looked round the area we could not find the entrance so we gave up & walked the 4 stations. This proved a good idea after such a long sit but it also gave us a chance to get orientated, we had only brought overnight luggage with us & had left our big stuff at Dany's so nothing much to carry anyway.
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National Museum of Hungary, our apartment was in the street
directly behind this building |
Our apartment was very inexpensive (only $A50 a night for a kitchenette, washing machine, spa bath, satellite TV & very comfortable bed, all in the heart of the city) & they threw in as a Christmas gift, breakfast at a local restaurant for both of us for two mornings, two free hot wine drinks, not to mention the complimentary bottle of nice Hungarian wine they left in our room. Australian hotels could certainly learn from some of the places we have stayed, here they actually want your business!!
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Budapest Great Market Hall |
After settling into our apartment we went for a walk down to the Danube, stopping for a snack at the Great Market Hall, two storeys of fresh foods, souveniers & takeaway sorts of local foods. We were heading for the Tourist Information office so we followed the riverside walk until we got nearer then zigzagged through the streets to Deak Square. Map & information in hand we walked home again via a christmas market & some beautifully decorated streets.
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Mid-week shoppers, after dark in Budapest |
Next morning after that delicious free breakfast (Grant had the cheese omelette & I had the muesli with fresh fruit & yoghurt) we caught the Metro Line 1 out to Heroes Square. This metro line is the second oldest in Europe, built in the 1890s & the platforms are decorated in a period style with photos of the construction & the era on the walls, very interesting. At this stop there was the large square with its huge statues, the Fine Arts Gallery & a Museum, next a walk through the park which included a large lake.
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Left side of the monuments |
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The right side of the monuments |
Well, it might have been a lake in the summer but it had been drained & had an ice-skating rink covering a large part of it, there were dozens of people out training for speed skating, ice dancing or just having a good time.
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Skating Rink, free for anyone who wanted to use it.
What a shame I forgot my skates, haha |
We found ourselves at the Transport Museum but we didn't go in, with only one day we didn't have time for long visits so it was round the block, so to speak, back to the Metro entrance to catch the train back to near the Chain Bridge.
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Chain Bridge, crossing the Danube to Castle Hill,
you can see the structures in the background |
We walked across this famous bridge with its 'lion statues' intending to catch the funicular up to the castle but the queue was way too long so we walked up castle hill instead. It was worth it though, great views on the way & the pathways were zigzag with short flights of steps joining them if you wanted to shortcut, there were even some good vantage points for photos.
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View over the Danube & the Chain Bridge from half way up the hill |
Once at the top we enjoyed the views from the castle, strolling through the area, round the ruins which were being excavated, taking photos/panoramas galore. After a delicious coffee & cake at a little restaurant we checked out a few of the touristy shops (nice stuff but so expensive).
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Just a small section of the palace area |
We walked along the ridge to the Temple with its brightly decorated roof & the wonderful Fisherman's Bastion, strange name, not sure where it comes from but it was basically a raised platform with multiple towers & an arcade underneath from where you could see the amazing Parliament House, the river bend & one of the islands in the Danube.
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Temple on Castle Hill |
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The very unusual but lovely Fisherman's Bastion, upper level |
Down a multitude of stairs & winding our way through the backstreets we ended up on the riverside again, continuing until we got to the next bridge west of the city as we wanted to catch a tram there. For only 640HUF (that is about $A3) we caught Tram 2 which passes or gives great views of all the main historic attractions of the river area.
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The staircase down to the Danube & an interesting view of the Fisherman's Bastion |
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The unbelievably beautiful Parliament House on the banks of the Danube |
We got off at the Great Market Hall again this time for Grant to find a fire station & for me to go souvenier shopping. Back home at last, aching feet (Grant's pedometer said we had walked over 20 km), washing in the machine, wine in hand, bread rolls & cheese for dinner, the perfect end to a very tiring day.
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A close-up of the back of the Parliament House from Tram 2 |
Budapest is a really lovely city with huge beautiful buildings & a large number of spas which we didn't have time to visit unfortunately, I think it would be very easy to spend a week or more here without getting bored at all. During the warmer months there are lots of cultural activities, there were plenty of posters around telling you about them - at least I think that is what they said!
Another delicious breakfast then a walk to the main station at Keleti & on the 11am train back to Vienna, local train to Dany's town (Jedenspeigen which is about 45 minutes out of the city), a pleasant walk from the station through the village looking at all the wine cellars & their decorations, home for tea!
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