Monica and I went to Budapest for our last trip together (5 Dec - 9 Dec). We wanted to commemorate our study abroad experiences and since we won't see each other for quite awhile...we figured it would nice to travel together one last time.
The sign we were greeted with as soon as we got off our plane.
All I ate were carbs during my weekend in Budapest. I am definitely not complaining, dough ;) (Haaaaaa I hope everyone got the joke. I said 'dough' instead of 'though' since I was talking about carbs...hahaha....haha....ha...ha...h...a)
Had a quick brunch at the Central Market
Christmas Fair or Karácsonyi Vásár in Hungarian!
I need to invest in a beanie or something...I tied the strings of my jacket so that my hood will not come off from the wind. I didn't know how ridiculous I looked till I saw the pictures!
These things are so cool! They are decorations made out of dried fruits and plants! I wanted to buy more but I was afraid the smell will go away by the time I get home. My room currently smells like cinnamon from this.
Quick side note: Budapest was fun to be in because it is a lot cheaper than most western European countries/cities. The Hungarian Forint is rated lower than USD or GBP, so it was nice to not worry (too much) about spendings.
Kürtőskalács - Hungarian pastry also known as chimney cake.
These were amazing. We only tried the cinnamon one but there were lots of other flavors like coconut, chocolate, toffee and more!
Monica and I wanted to buy the kit they were selling to make these at home!
Hungarian Parliament Building
There was a big construction on the building, so this was the closest we could get to the building.
Chain Bridge
This bridge connects the 'Buda' (west) side with the 'Pest' (east) side.
Buda is the older, more historical part of the city.
One of the hardest / least favorite thing about traveling during the winter is how early the sunsets. It got dark around 3:30PM and felt like the day was already over since it was so dark.
As soon as we finished crossing the bridge, it got dark.
We headed over to Fisherman's Bastion.
One of the best things about hiking up to get to Fisherman's Bastion is the view you get of the 'Pest' side, especially of the Parliament.
The Parliament, along with many other historical buildings in Budapest, lights up from bottom to top. I think this lighting technique makes the buildings so much prettier to look at.
Additionally, Monica and I agreed that Budapest looks so so so SO much better at night.
Look at how nice the Chain Bridge looks at night with all the lights!
Back at the Christmas Fair for dinner!
We took care of most meals here because it was good, relatively cheap, local and Hungarian!
From left to right: chicken goulash in a bread bowl and warm winter wine in a souvenir mug
We ended our first night with a trip to Szimpla Bar or Szimpla Kert in Hungarian
You can't really see but Szimpla is a ruin bar and Hungary is known for ruin bars. In short, ruin bars are bars that exist inside old buildings, usually preserving the beautiful and historical architecture. The drinks are really cheap, beers are good and the vintage environment was super cool!
Slept in a little bit the following day and woke up to make a homemade brunch. We stayed with a guy who was also visiting Budapest. He rented an apartment with his friends but his friends ended up flaking (boo) and so he let us share the apartment with him. We cooked some pasta and omelette and headed to Szechenyi Bath.
Budapest is the bath/spa capital of the world, so we spent hours here. It started snowing while we were in the hot baths, which was a super cool experience.
On Sunday (our last day)...Monica and I headed out to the Christmas Fair again and had brunch (told you we took care of most meals here haha).
From left to right: potato pancake (with sour cream on top) and Hungarian sausage in a bun
After filling our stomachs a little bit, we headed over to St. Stephen's Basilica
We read in Monica's tour guide book that it was free to go inside. However, the entrance said we had to pay to get in...so we were a little bit confused. Then, this old man opened the door and walked in and we then figured out that that was the way in to the church.
Thanks old man, we might have missed the entrance without you.
I have been craving gelato for the longest time and found a really famous gelato place right next to the basilica. This place was called GelARTo Rosa.
Flavors from left to right: pumpkin, vanilla and pistachio & white chocolate lavender, raspberry and mango
This whole trip was really chill(y). We didn't really have too many things planned, so we went with the flow and ended up visiting basically all the famous places in Budapest anyways!
Ahh, I lalalalove this view!
Walked across Chain Bridge again and headed over to Hungarian National Gallery.
We did not end up going inside because the tickets were a lot pricier than we thought they were going to be but the view from the gallery was nice.
Finally a picture together! This is probably the only one during the trip as well...
It is all about getting that perfect angle (for both me and Monica...hehe)
We decided to spend a little for dinner because it would be our last dinner together.
It was really good but too much fried food all at once for the both of us....
Of course we went for the dessert!
Szimpla Kert once more before heading back to England the next day....!
The dark beer I had during the first night was definitely better.
Well...
Peace out Budapest. Maybe I will see you again, maybe not.
