Budapest

We had a very good sleep in and slower morning after boat party last night!

We walked to the central markets to explore the handicrafts (including beautiful leather and lace products) and also to try làngos, which was recommended by our guide yesterday. It is a kind of deep fried pizza base traditionally served with sour cream and cheese, and it is absolutely delicious!

After our much needed hangover food, we walked along the Danube to the location of the ‘Jewish Shoes’ memorial. These are bronze shoes that symbolise the Jewish people who were shot and pushed into the Danube river by the Hungarian Nazi soldiers, the Arrow Cross. It is very moving and such a devastating aspect of WWII history that we had not heard about before.

We then made our way to St Stephen’s basilica, where we were able to go inside and also explore the treasury as well as a fantastic view over Budapest. There was plenty of ornamental gold inside the basilica but one very interesting item is the mummified right hand of St Stephen! After exploring the church, we went up to the roof for some brilliant views over the city and even got to hear the bells as we were there on the hour!

After the basilica, we went back to the hostel to chill out as we had another eventful night planned! We started with dinner in the Karavan food truck lane, enjoying a traditional Hungarian goulash served in a bread bowl, followed by drinks in the original ruin bar, Szimple Kert. We had heard stories but nothing can describe how cool it is once you walk in - it is like a district with many different types of bars within the one building, with walls covered in graffiti/decorations.

No visit to Budapest would be complete without experiencing the thermal baths and so we made our way to Sparty, a rave party in a spa! It is just like going to a spa, except with DJs, fire twirlers, dancers of stilts, dancers with reflective mirror costumed, acrobats and other live performances going all night with thousands of people! We had such a fun night enjoying drinks and dancing in the thermal baths! We enjoyed a beer each and wine but the drinks are definitely expensive at this party! After we felt we had had the proper experience, we took a long leisurely walk back to the hostel to sleep.Read more