Thursday, April 18: it’s travel to Budapest day. Goodbye Bracka 6 apartment (a great place!) and a 20-minute walk to the bus stop followed by waiting on the bus. A simple get-on and ticket validation then start Google Maps to let me know when I get to the airport. Just in case the aircraft landing and takeoff weren’t apparent.
Having breakfast at the Krakow airport of a tasty baguette with ham and cheese and a cappuccino probably about $10. Appreciate that no plastic is used and that it has real silverware and plates.
While flying I reread Rick Steves' book and discovered a transit bus leaves Budapest airport every half hour and stops about a block from my Budapest hotel. For about 30 euros less than MiniBud transport. Next time.
Friday, April 19, my first full day in Budapest in 2024. I stayed in the Danubius Astoria Hotel in 2019 and again on this trip. However, this year’s budget room didn’t compare to the 2019 room. The 2024 room is much smaller and does not have the heated bathroom tile. I stopped in the downstairs bar after the evening’s arrival to see if I could get a Sambuca. Nope. The next morning I had the usual great breakfast buffet there at the hotel; such great selections and coffee.
I won’t go in-depth on my Budapest week stay since most is a repeat from 5 years ago but I will call out the notable do-overs and new stuff.
Bob had recommended going to the beautiful US Embassy. Yes, it is quite a building as well as all the other embassy buildings around a circle. I had reread Rick Steves’ Budapest book and discovered there was a basement floor in the Central Market.
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| Panoramic view from Central Market top floor |
This floor contained fresh fish, some in aquariums, and plenty of vegetables. Central Market is a beautiful building. Also found the place where Bill and I had many 2019 lunches.
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| Great Lunches and Dinners |
Is anyone interested in a goulash sampler? How about some fermented root vegetables?
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| Stuff Cabbage. Yummy. |
That evening I walked around my usual area looking for a dining place that I hadn’t been to before. Score! Grinzingi Borozo just had the look. And they delivered.
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| Grinzingi Borozo |
I walked in, made eye contact with the person behind the bar, and pointed to a table. A head nod, yes. It seemed some locals walked in, all friendly. The person at the next table and I conversed in broken English and pointing; he needed to see the only menu that I had. Not a problem my friend.
The next day, the temperature was getting so cold that I wanted to get all my fun in during the day. I had an afternoon cappuccino at Central Hall (recommended by Rick Steves) and scored a great window seat overlooking the street.
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| Damn fine coffee |
All good until the piano and violin player started playing right behind me. Dinner was at the Central Market. I went looking for burgers but went with the Hungarian sausage with stewed tomatoes and onions. Very tasty.
I also walked partway across the bridge to look back at the Central Market building. While at the bridge I got a funky picture of a unique part of the bridge ornaments.
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| This dude abides |
The afternoon temperature got very cold and windy, so time to head back to the hotel.
Saturday, April 20. I have had certain behavioral changes since my first Budapest visit 5 years ago. One behavioral change is that I try to minimize putting my hands where many people have also put their hands. So I chuckled when I saw tourists rub the policeman statue's belly for good luck.
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| Don't rub that belly! |
I am not sure how much good luck will come your way after the belly rub but certainly you will get the germs from hundreds if not thousands of other hands.
The Memorial for Victims of the German Occupation is one of several somber sites.
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| The official Memorial |
Next to the official memorial is a citizen-contributed makeshift memorial reacting to the first memorial.
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| One of many citizen-contributed memorial items |
A recently elected government is attempting to whitewash Hungary’s complicit or ignorance of Nazi Germany, and the makeshift memorial calls this out.
The Bloody Thursday Memorial is across a square from the Hungarian Parliament building. Unfortunately, the Bloody Thursday Memorial building was being internally renovated so protected temporary walls had been set up around the building. But you could still see the bullet holes in the outer walls.
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| Bullet holes |
Nearby is an informational nook/museum area that explains what happened leading up to the massacre. It began as a peaceful protest they quickly turned non-peaceful (tanks, snipers) due to Soviet influence In October 1956.
Sad to see.
Then walked down to the water on the Danube to see the Shoes On The Danube Memorial. Very somber. Next to it is another citizen-contributed makeshift memorial that wasn’t there 5 years ago. The new makeshift memorial consisted of shoes/boots of people from both sides of the recent Israel/Palestine conflict.
I investigated enough of the transit system that I discovered a bus can get you to Fisherman’s Bastion, rather than taking the Funicular. The bus solution worked well. I timed one Bastion visit for sunset, to see the Pest side lights come up on the Parliament Building, St. Stephens’s Basilica, and Szechenyi Chain Bridge. Stunning.
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| Parliament building |
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| Moonrise |
I have noticed two patterns: one surprises me the other well whatever. The first pattern is that I have seen people out, and people on dates which is the surprising part, whereby one of the parties will get up and just leave to go outside and have a smoke. Inside is not OK for smoking, but people will leave their partner to go outside to smoke and then come back in. The second pattern is the number of cannabis shops is very small compared to what I am used to seeing in other metropolitan areas. I have only seen maybe three maybe four shops. And I have not smelled much pot while walking around even though several people are smokers.
More Europe 2024 Budapest pics here.
