Hungary

The second day was much more relaxed, I had a good dream that told me to let go of the fact that I lost some money and to just focus on enjoying the day. My day started with me going to the nearby store to buy some breakfast. I sat myself on a bench overlooking the Danube river, across the bridge that I would be taking to go to the other side. After eating a coupel of sandwiches, I went up the bridge and was switching sides because both sides offered an awesome panoramic aerial views of the city. It was a long bridge and a bit windy as well, I enjoyed the walk and got to the first stop of the day: Gellert Hill Cave. It's a church situated inside the hill. I would have liked to go around Gellert Hill as well but it was closed due to some renovations so I continued on towards to Castle District.

It was surprisingly empty, maybe because of a weekday and because of Covid. I made my way upwards and found an elevator in one of the alleys, normally there would be a huge line and waiting time here but seems like today's my lucky day. The castle district offered even better views of the city, I could see the Parliament Building all the way from the top. The grounds were huge and I easily let myself get lost at awe at the history and architecture all around. Some of the main highlights was definitely Buda Castle, Matthias Church and Fisherman's Bastion. It was difficult to take photos of myself without other people but it worked out pretty well and I was able to get awesome angles. After a pleasant walk around the castle district, I bought Janelle and myself some Halta's painted eggs as a souvenir. These eggs are painted in a town called Halta as the name suggests. It's meant to bring good luck and traditionally hanged around the kitchen as a symbol of life. I walked around the castle grounds some more before taking another way down the other side, I followed the staircase all the way down until it led me to a nearby park that's split by more stairs. I let myself rest by the bench here, watching people try their best to go up the steep slope. I was quite hungry (pun intended) and was looking for more traditional Hungarian food to try as so far I wasn't disappointed at all. I was able to land myself in a bit of a fine dining, Michelin star restaurant after a couple of minutes of waiting for it to open. Once again, another awesome meal in Budapest, I've had some of my best meals here to be honest. It was also pretty cheap considering everything. I overheard a tour guide talking about the thermal baths in Szechenyi, one I was also quite keen on trying.

After lunch, comes the long walk. I also quite enjoyed this moment as I had this strong feeling inside of me that was screaming "Wow, I am really here going around Europe" and it was an amazing feeling. I followed the river all the way to the bridge at the top, taking frequent breaks whenever needed. I crossed the bridge to the other side and had to still walk several blocks until I reached the park where there Vajnahuyad Castle was. I was able to get some good photos even though the sun was too bright. From there, I went to the much awaited thermal baths to take off all my fatigue but was greatly disappointed when I realized they weren't renting any swimwear and that I had to buy so that means I just ended up becoming so fatigued for nothing. I tried to cheer myself up by getting myself some delicious icecream and ate it while watching some guys play ping pong at the park nearby. I definitely didn't want to walk all the way back so I risked taking the train and was able to get out safely without encountering any guards to check for tickets as I didn't even know where to buy tickets. My next problem was my bladder. It was difficult to find a bathroom in Europe as most of them charge money, but I made a big brain move and went to a 5-star hotel instead, from their lobby I went to their awesome bathroom, free of charge and even lounged a bit to use their wi-fi and catch up with some people before heading out. I was hoping to catch the sunset but it was such a cloudy day, I didn't think it would appear so I started to make my way back, seeing a lot of funny statues along the way. Halfway back, I realized that there was going to be a sunset judging from the sky's colors and started to head back down to the river docks. I managed to grab myself a bench and was able to absorb the beauty of it all. On the way back, I got sucked in to another fancy restaurant for dinner, more Hungarian finedining. Amazing food as always, definitely my top country in Europe for delicious food. I made my way back to my hostel and was finally able to take a nice shower and some much needed rest.Read more