500 reasons why: Budapest, Hungary

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Budapest, Hungary

On the weekend I spent two lovely days (kid free!) in Budapest with Rachel and Sarah - the follow up to our trip to Krakow earlier in the year. We stayed here which was amazing (despite not getting a chance to use the pool or spa) and seemed to spend a lot of time eating. I also managed to get in a couple of decent sleeps (bliss).

We arrived early evening on Friday so just dropped our stuff at the hotel and headed out to eat. We went to Ket Szereczen which had been recommended and it was great - so nice we ended up going to the same place for breakfast on both Saturday and Sunday.

On Saturday morning after breakfast we wandered around a bit and eventually ended up at the Christmas Fair in Vörösmarty tér - definitely my favourite part of the trip. Awesome local food and lots of lovely Christmas decorations and beautiful handmade ceramics and earthenware. (Though I didn't buy anything except for a nice commemorative mug).

Budapest is relatively small and we did a free walking tour on Saturday afternoon which was the perfect way to see a lot of the city in a short space of time. It was 2.5 hours and I can't believe how much I learnt about Hungarian history and customs (or: I can't believe how much I didn't know about Hungarian history and customs). Our guide, Anna, was fantastic - she conveyed a lot of information but it was always interesting. By the time that finished it was time for dinner.

On Sunday we wandered around a bit more and visited the House of Terror (moving) and St Stephen's Basilica (beautiful), finally ending up the Christmas Fair again for some more great food. Not long after that it was time to get our stuff and head back to London.