Budapest…second day

The hotel breakfast today was top notch and better yet…free and served with champagne! We discovered a fun way to get around Budapest by taking a 4 hour Tuk Tuk tour. What fun! We saw the highlights of both “Buda” and “Pest” while learning about the history of the city and country. Budapest is split down the center by the Danube River. The east side is flat Pest and the west bank is hilly Buda. Pest is the commercial and administrative heart of the city and is very lively. Buda is more picturesque and tranquil with historic architecture. Our guides took us to one of the world’s first public parks called City Park. There’s a zoo at one end, a castle at the other end, and just about every activity can be found in between including thermal baths and museums. It was built when an emperor of the Holy Roman Empire wanted a public place for people to relax.

We visited “The Shoes on the Danube Bank” which is an emotional memorial that honors the victims of the Holocaust who were killed by the Hungary Arrow Cross militia, the fascist group that ruled during the reign of terror in WWII. It is a line of iron cast shoes that symbolizes and honors the Jewish people who were killed. The story behind these shoes is truly horrific.

We ended our Tuk Tuk tour at the Central Market Hall which is an iconic Neo-Gothic landmark dating back to 1897. We saw an abundance of stalls selling Hungarian paprika!

Public transportation is free for anyone over 65, so we took the tram back to our hotel.

Our night ended with a walk to the ruin bars in the Jewish quarter. These are old abandoned buildings that have been turned into bars. We decided on the popular Szimpla Kerr ruin bar for drinks and dinner. It was dark, funky and very unique with a maze of rooms and bars in it.

I’ll close with a funny story for those who know me well. Yesterday it was too warm in my room. Air conditioning is shut down in October. I asked if someone could come up and turn off the heat or show me how. Well, maintenance came up with tools and a ladder and then proceeded to open vents in the ceiling to disconnect it!Lue lisää