Beautiful Budapest

Yesterday and today we spent our time usefully by cleaning up the house and having a good ol' rest after we got back from Budapest. And boy did we need that rest! We always drive ourselves into exhaustion whenever we go on a trip because there is always so much we want to see in and so little time!

Budapest was an absolute dream though and well worth the exhaustion! What a lovely city (although very loud at night) the people are lovely the buildings beautiful and the history daunting.

While we were there we saw loads of the city by just walking around. We did make an itinerary like we do for every trip but we always drop it halfway through the day because on holiday you can't really plan anything can you, except the part where you catch the plane there and back:)

Budapest surprised me because of all the old and modern mixed together. It's strange looking out over the city and seeing beautiful old buildings with giant modern hotels standing next to them. For me it spoiled the view slightly just because it doesn't fit in with the idea you have in your head of this old city.

The hotel owner( we stayed at the Europa Centre Point. Great location, pretty building inside and outside and all the necessities of a hotel but don't stay there if you are expecting luxury, you will be very disappointed!) he told us that although the economy is very bad we would love Budapest, and we did!

Now our only real regret about our stay is that we researched all the places that we wanted to sightsee but kind of forgot to look up restaurants to eat at(goulash!) which resulted in us eating at Hardrock cafe one night and TGIF the other. Now in our defence we don't have a TGIF in Holland, we do have a Hardrock but Amsterdam is to far a drive to go there regularly! So no Goulash for us! All the pastry we could eat was at our disposal on every corner of the every street though and boy was it good!

We tried to avoid the shops as we can shop at home and there were no markets on the days we were there so we stuck to all the sights. We were really lucky with the weather as well. We had some rain on our first day but it soon cleared up and we could enjoy the rest of the day in the sun! We were in Budapest from Tuesday night 'till Thursday afternoon, so we only got to see a smidge of the city. The urge to go back is definitely there. Budapest made quite the impression on us! So we are already planning our next trip! Only a different hotel (my request), getting to eat Goulash (my boyfriends request) and a longer stay (both our requests!).

Haven't seen one of these in a hotel in a while!Shame we didn't actually have any shoes to polish! 

The courtyard in our hotel was beautiful!The hotel shares the huge complex with home-owners
so everywhere Hungarians and tourists can be find around the building talking with each other.

This was our front door up on the fourth floor. Plants and ornaments are everywhere
because of the home owners. They treat the entire building as there front/back garden
so this gives the whole building a beautiful rustic look.

Oh yes we did!! Budapest has a cat cafe!! Now people who know me, know that I love cats.
Seriously I am like that crazy cat lady on Youtube! We actually saw this cafe by accident and went on a
massive city tour looking for it. And it was worth it! You pay a small amount (I think it was 5 euros)
you get as many refills as you want and a piece of cake. And of course you can play with the cats to your
hearts content. It was awesome! I really recomend going there, if you love cats that is:)

The mosaic on the buildings is absolutely breathtaking! This picture was taken in Buda.

We took a trolley up the hill to see Buda. You can  also walk but I seriously recommend taking this baby uphill!

What I really loved about Budapest were the 'random parks' in the town. Just lovely places to sit and rest, have drink and watch the people flow on by. 

Central Market Hall
The central market is the biggest indoor food and souvenir market Budapest has to offer. Walking into those main doors the smells of meat, fish and sweet pastry mingle (sounds gross but it's not) to create this buzzing atmosphere. On the first floor the stalls where the souvenirs are can be found. Haggling is a must and can save you a lot of money! Try the Hungarian cream puff and/or the strudel when there. It's like heaven. No joke.

The details on the buildings are so intricate. It's just amazing to look at. If you see a busload of tourists heading your way, go to the next stop on your list. I get ticked of with the 5 different languages they seem to speak and they all arrive at the same time with their microphones and cameras. So if you are like me, just move on and come back when it's quiet. You will take better pictures as well!

The view at night was just breathtaking. We took the above pictures standing by the Donau river. We were in Pest and looking over Buda. Ontop of the mountain they have a statue of liberty. You need to take a bus halfway up the mountain and climb the rest of the way. Once you reach the statue you will have the most amazing view of Budapest. You can see all around you. Do this at night. With all the lights on, the city really is magical.

Just.Cute.

Okay. Weird picture, I agree. I was just so happy because this was the first time that Starbucks spelled my name right. Nothing world changing about this. It just made me happy that's all:) oh the simple things in life:)

The view from our hotel window at three a.m. Couldn't sleep, too much noise.

Now I can tell you to go to Budapest. It's an absolute must. But I can't tell you where to go when there. The best thing to do is just get up early, get a good hearty breakfast and just walk. Walk until you can walk no more! It's the only way that you will see the city. And by walking everywhere you will probably see all the sights anyway. It's the way we stumbled across loads of sights that were in our guide book. And if you get tired or even lost there are underground stations everywhere. Just pop down one, find your bearings and get going. It's that easy. The cheapest way is to buy a tourist card. This card let's you ride the underground, trams and busses for 24 hours. And it costs approx. 4,50 euros.

A few things I can recommend are the hotel we slept in. The Europa Centre Point. The staff are incredible, helpfull and friendly and the location is right in the centre of town. It's simple but clean. Just what you want after a long day of sightseeing.
Also take a trip up the mountain to see the statue of liberty and the other side of the city. The view is breathtaking as I said before and there is loads to look at.
Rent a bike. The costs are next to nothing and it's a cheap and easy way to get around. You can rent them anywhere around the city.
The Vaci Utca is the high street of Budapest. Here you will find loads of shops, bakery's and cafes.
The citypark (Varosliget) is amazing and well worth a visit. Spa's, outside games, an iceskating rank in the winter and even a zoo can be found in the park. Buy some lunch sit back and enjoy is my tip!
The Westend City Centre is the biggest indoor shopping mall in Budapest. You can shop, eat and drink here until you are fulfilled.

Now there are many more tips I could give you if only I knew the names of the places we went and saw. We walked and walked and saw so many beautiful sights. This is the only important tip I will give you. To walk around and take in all the surroundings and enjoy yourself. You will love it.

Xox Elena