OK, so not the most glamorous or romantic title for a blog post. Nonetheless, we had a ball, walked our feet off, got blisters, found the pharmacy, communicated with sign language, patched me up, and off we went again. That's how it goes in Budapest. So much to see. So many wonderful cafes, cakes and coffee. We soaked it all up.
The first thing that hits you about Budapest is that the Hungarian language is like no other. We couldn't make out one word. That didn't matter because most people know a word or two of English and we could point at what we wanted.
Statues, monuments and baroque-style architecture abound (many inscribed in Hungarian so although beautiful shall remain nameless to me). I was drawn to the Danube. We drank tea, scoffed cakes and devoured slow roast pork knuckle and goulash. The weather was fantastic!
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| The very grand New York cafe for afternoon tea and cake |
Statues, monuments and baroque-style architecture abound (many inscribed in Hungarian so although beautiful shall remain nameless to me). I was drawn to the Danube. We drank tea, scoffed cakes and devoured slow roast pork knuckle and goulash. The weather was fantastic!
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| Riverside statue |
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| Lunch! |
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| Synagogue against a beautiful blue sky |
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| Parliament building across the Danube |
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| St Matthias Church, Fisherman's Bastion and Royal Palace in Old Buda (Obuda) |
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| Japanese garden on Margaret Island |
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| Chain bridge, one of many crossing the Danube in Budapest |
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| A King in front of the Royal Palace |
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| Getting ready for the marathon |
We stayed in the Riverside penthouse apartment belonging to a fellow tweeter. Thanks @EvaGodden - the apartment was wonderful, in a great location, with lovely views, comfortable and well appointed. We used the spa, gym and swimming pool in the basement, a great additional feature of the rental, especially after a hard day sightseeing.
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| A novel way of sightseeing |
The hens were ably cared for by our wonderful neighbours, who are now experts on chicken-keeping, and have been rewarded with a double yolk! Brin went to the kennels and his lovely dog walker, Tracey, took him out daily, so he was absolutely fine.It was a fantastic short break.