Budapest (aka: Buda Peshhhht)

Gill and I went to Budapest for our Birthdays.  We selected a day exactly in between our birthdays, and she set the trip up.  I'd suggested Istanbul, but received a text from her suggesting Budapest, and we had what we thought was a very good deal, including airfare and 3 nights at a 5 star hotel.  

Now everyone that heard of this deal scoffed and said...5 stars!  Well, it was pretty fantastic by all standards when we arrived on Wednesday night.

Fancy fancy room before our stuff exploded all over it

Budapest is sort of a big city and since we really didn't know anything about it, it was a little overwhelming.  But then Gill noticed this bronze dude hanging out, and he became our landmark for all trips out.

We ate in the hotel (tapas) and had a good nights sleep.  When we got up in the morning, we ventured out to the New York Cafe.  We had sort of a hard time finding it, but Gill used her iphone and the tripadvisor feature, and we were soon there. 

The New York Cafe has had many lives.  It is currently in a hotel and owes it's complete restoration to the Italians.  It was originally built by the New York Insurance Company as part of the New York Palace in 1894.  During the 1930s, it became the most beautiful warehouse in the world.  We had eggs and lovely coffee, and it was so fantastic (the food, the service, and the atmosphere) that we came back 2 days later, even though it was really out of the way.

'The most beautiful cafe in the world' the swirly pillars are carved gorgeous blonde wood

Budapest is two cities divided by the Danube.  I thought the architecture is fairly spectacular and not at all what I expected for a former communist country, where many I have seen have lost their personality for uniformity.  Pest is pretty much flat and Buda is really hilly.  Pest is a bit more modern; Buda's streets are crooked little paths dictated by this big hill.

Overlooking Pest from Buda at the Parliament Building

The funicular is the best way to get up the hill on Buda, to most of the big sights.  There are three little terraced cabins in each car that goes up and down the hill.   The views were spectacular, and it saved the legs.

Buda's funicular

We didn't really go into any of the 'sights'  We had brunch in Buda and the most amazing fresh squeezed apple, mint lemonade, and then tried to find the underground hospital, but when we didn't find it after much backtracking, we decided to go to the baths instead.  The weather was glorious the 3 days we were there.

Overlooking Buda from Pest

Budapest is the best value for money I've ever seen in Europe.  You could easily spend a week or two and not see everything.  The food is lovely and everything is very very reasonable.  It has clearly been hard hit by the world's economic issues.  Most people speak some English, and they work hard to try and communicate with you.  

They are doing everything they can to make tourism work.

My advice: get there...go, go, go