Budapest 1

Budapeste

It is the 26th December and we arrived the day before in Budapest. After some phone calls to Catherine it was possible to get into the Airbnb flat. It is in an old fancy block of flats. Tixa and Wolfi described it as the scenery of a James Bond movie. The are two open courtyards that we have to cross and an arched veranda leads us to the butterfly door! Nicely renovated it has room for the five of us to be pretty much comfortable.
The following morning breakfast is at home and after that the city is here for us to experience it. It is bank holiday in Hungary and the streets are almost empty as we head to St Stephen’s Cathedral. It is a magnificent Basilica with splendours ceilings and Christmas trees around. The Christmas market outside is full of lovely handicrafts, food and hot wine stands. The smell of the spices invades the cold air still filled with the Christmas spirit. But we still had a lot to explore and the Parliament and the river bank with the Shoes Memorial are outstanding under the pale sunlight. After crossing the Chain Bridge we stop for lunch in a Belgian beer pub. Delicious food and a perfect way to get back to warm hands and faces. It was cosy enough to keep us there for a while but still on time to visit the Fisherman’s Bastion and the Castle Hill. The view to the other side of the river is amazing and we can have sunset and evening in our pictures. Crossing back the Chain Bridge we look back at the castle reflection on the Danube... breathtaking too. Again the chilly windy evening takes us inside a coffee shop to eat apple cake. Walking back home for some rest before dinner, we still pass by the Christmas market for mulled wine that keeps us warm all the way back.
Dinner is around Raday utca. We choose an Hungarian restaurant and, again, the food is delicious!
Nothing better than to end up the day at a ruin bar a bit far away from home... well... it was actually a bar in the Jewish ghetto because Szimpla Bar was closed - second Christmas Day.Read more