Budapest Part 1

Our flight from Tirana to Budapest was memorable only for its queues and crushes. Tirana, even at 6.30am, was crowded and chaotic - a disorganised crush for an hour at the Ryanair bag drop plus normal queuing at passport and security.
At Liszt airport, Budapest, we queued for an hour and a half to clear passport control, even though we had previously entered the EU & been fingerprinted and eye scanned. They needed separate queues, working passport machines and officers who didn't spend half their time chatting.
Fortunately, when we finally exited the airport, a lovely young lady in a nice cool car met us within a few minutes and whisked us into Budapest to our comfortable, central apartment. First appearances were slightly shocking - damaged entry doors, common areas a bit grotty and the central courtyard in the midst of what appears to be a neighbourhood rubbish collection. The apartment itself though has a good feel and is v well set up. After the worst of the heat had lifted, about 7pm, we headed out for a local reccy and some supplies from the supermarket & pharmacy.
Our first full day in B, saw us sightseeing by 7am, (30°). (The apartment is in District V, where all the main old city buildings are). Budapest is a grand old city, with an abundance of beautiful and stately buildings and avenues, such as Vajdahunyad Castle, St Stephens's Basilica, the Opera House, Andrassy Avenue & Heroes Square. This is all on the "Pest" side.
After a lunchtime haircut and an afternoon rest, we found an excellent gluten free Mexican restaurant for dinner. The gluten free options here are much better than anywhere else we have travelled this trip,.
Tomorrow, we cross the Danube and do the " Buda" side.Read more