So, last weekend I decided to do a tourist weekend of Budapest to see as much as I could, so that I would know the city’s highlights etc.
So on Friday, some lovely expats and me went to Thai food. It was a restaurant that is basically the only Thai food in Budapest and luckily, it was great and not too expensive!! So, yay for finding good thai in Budapest. Afterwards we went to this great, cool outdoor bar on the top of Kaiser’s supermarket. Apparently, in the Summer, a bunch of outdoor bars open up all around the city because it is too hot inside most places. So that was really cool, just sitting on top of a roof hanging out in the middle of Budapest.
On Saturday I decided to be the ultimate tourist and do a city bus tour so I could see all the main sights. I found this great bus tour that was called a Hop On Hop off tour, where your ticket is valid for 24 hours and you can get off at a bunch of different stops, and then hop back on a later bus. So I basically saw all the big sights in Budapest. Some of my favorites were the Castle District in Buda and City Park and Heroes Square. It gave me a bunch of ideas of where I want to go back and visit in depth later. I especially want to go take a tour of Parliament if I get the chance, and just explore the city more. After hoping on and off, I made my way over to the Chain Bridge where they hold a summer festival every weekend in the summer. Each weekend is a different event, some weekend’s theater, some weekends, music, etc. I was there for a music weekend. It was really cool, they have two stages on each side of the bridge, and then the whole bridge is closed off from cars, so there are a bunch of food and drink and craft booths. After walking on the bridge and scoping out the different booths I headed home. That evening I went with my friend to a Café in Buda. Buda is really nice and perhaps a quieter part of the city. The café was nice and we were actually the only people there who weren’t part of a Russian birthday part going on, so that was funny. So after the café, we walked around Buda and then went home.
On Sunday I decided to do Hannah’s Day of Budapest Jewishness. To start the day, I decided to go on a “Jewish tour”. It started at the famous synagogue on Dohany street. The synagogue is the 2nd biggest in the world, after one in New York. Ha. The inside is really really beautiful and I think I might head there one Friday night for Shabbat services. The synagogue also has a really nice museum and in a back they have a great Tree of Life Holocaust memorial statue. It’s actually really beautiful and different. People are apparently always adding new leaves to the tree, when they find out that there is a holocaust memorial like this. After that I walked around the old Jewish ghetto from during WWII. It was such a small area, but apparently jews were much safer in there than out in the city. I saw an orthodox temple and community area with a super kosher restaurant, etc etc. After grabbing a quick bite to eat, I went to the House of/Museum of terror. It was the building that the Hungarian Nazis used to torture and capture Jews. It was quite an interesting museum, though a bit overly dramatic in the sense of music etc. But it was quite a nice museum. After that I went with my friend to a café where I got a lovely cherry fruit soup. Then I came home and that was that.
So, overall it was a really excellent weekend of exploring and getting to know the cities great sights and neighborhoods etc.
That week was just a nice work week, and actually was short because I left for Bucharest, Romania Thursday night. But, that’s a different blog! Until then!
Szia!
PHOTOS: In no particular chronological order, etc.
Hop On Hop Off Pics:
Post office in Buda. An example of how charming every aspect of the Castle District in Buda is.
A view of Buda.
Buda.
From left to right: Buda, Danube, Pest.
Me, Buda, Danube, Pest.
The reason they call it the castle district.
View of parliament from Buda. It's huge and extravagent.
Me and the castle.
Someone getting married outside the castle!
Horse and carriage in Buda.
SECOND wedding by the castle in Buda!
Castle cone?
Castle through castle arch.
More parliament and Danube.
Tunnel into Buda.
Charming Castle district in Buda.
Model of the Castle.
The art museum at Heroes Square.
Heroes Sqaure
Keleti Train Station
Parliament.
The Opera house
Parliament.
Other museum on the opposite side of Heroe's square.Chain Bridge Festival:
At the Chain Bridge Festival.
The Chain Bridge.
More bridge.
Chain Bridge Festival
Music
More festival
Lion on the bridge.Jewishness:
A leaf on the tree of life memorial.
Leaves on the tree.
This is a cemetary next to the synagogue. Something really unusual. It's a mass grave and they have no idea how many people are in there. Or who.
Flip this photo in your head 90 degrees to the right. It's a statue of an angel helping someone, found in the jewish quarter
Ceiling on the synagogue.
Windows of the synagogue.
Tree of life memorial sculpture.
Inside of the synagogue.
2 levels: upper for women lower for men.
The beema.
The torah arc.
Outside the synagogue.
Inside the synagogue.
Swastika outside one of the buildings in the Jewish district, before it was related to Nazis.
Napolean on the Menorah.
Outside the museum of terror.A Couple random ones:
The kaiser's market where the bar is on top of that I went to.
People taking dance lessons in a park/plaza.
Graffiti on trains in Buda.
My Cherry fruit SOUP!And coming very soon: A recap of my trip in Romania!
