Destination: Budapest

We visited Hungary’s capital on the first few days of our two-week fall break, les vacances de Toussaint. Flew out of Geneva and arrived in Budapest later that afternoon, with no idea what to expect other than the fact that Eastern Europe would be different. And change it was—Budapest was a lot larger than I imagined, had culture and industry and the rich and poor mixed right together, was surrounded by locals who spoke a complex tongue with a harsh accent, and the food was definitely unusual. It was also my first experience in a hostel, and to make stories even better, we soon learned where the place, Casa da Musica, got its name…. it doubled as a dance studio.

Things to do
-Visit the Hungarian National Museum: it holds the largest collection of Hungarian relics (from the Rakoczi War of Independence to 1990) and the downstairs is the Lapidarium (with Roman, Medieval, and early modern stone collections). Overall, the museum plays hosts to much armor, crowns, pendants, furniture, musical instruments, and art

-Go to a concert in St. Stephen’s Basilica: you’ll see tickets being sold on the stairs near the entrance. We did a one-hour classical performance called “Ave Maria Air Alleluja”. Come here for a concert, take in all the architecture and beauty inside the church, then eat out for dinner in the surrounding area

-Spend a half-day wandering through the Castle District. Make sure to stop at Matthias Church and the Fisherman’s Bastion during your trip (which has great views that overlook Buda, if my memory serves me correctly). Watch out for a throng of tourists

-Go to the baths or a spa. But be warned—a few friends and I decided to visit the famous Gellert Hotel and Spa and there was definitely a miscommunication when we asked and paid for a traditional foot massage (1600HFT). Our afternoon consisted of us (essentially) putting our feet in a bin of hot water. There was no massage involved. The attendant also called Hannah’s feet a catastrophe during her “pedicure”

-Walk across the famous Chain Bridge—the country’s first bridge monument, has lights at night and quite an impressive view of the Castle District in the background

-Look at all the tourist vendors (seen on any of the main streets) to get an idea for the products the country specializes in—porcelain, embroidery, etc.

-Go to the Ecseri flea market outside Budapest for a morning of antique and vintage shopping

Eat
-Definitely branch out and try the traditional delicacies like goulash in its many forms (soup, stew, beef). Hungary also known for stuffed pancakes called palacsinta. The hot spice paprika is usually served on dishes
-Coffee Heaven, with the logo “good food, good mood”, quickly became our local Starbucks

Night-life
-Irish Cat Pub was close to the area of town with the Hungarian National Museum—relaxing pub to grab a few beers. This is where Ann started her coaster-collecting trend
-Simpla was really cool—half indoors and the other half outdoors, with a good crowd of 20-year-olds and fun music, even had empty bathtubs and tall, funky lights as decorations
-Morrison’s Music Pub was awesome—we walked from Simpla which felt like it took about an hour but it was well worth it and cover charge (everything in Budapest is cheaper than central Europe, by the way). Had cool underground tunnels with a different type of music in each room