Greetings from Budapest! Dani and my Central/Eastern European tour continued with a 3 day trip to Budapest from October 27th through the 29th. Budapest was on my list of must sees and it should definitely be on everyone's must see list. The city is hip and cool with SO MUCH history and the most wonderful food. I enjoyed my time there so much, hopefully I get to go back soon (wink wink family who were jealous of me wink wink) Sunday: On Sunday we had a super early bus ride from Vienna to Budapest. It was my first flix bus journey, and surprisingly, it ran smoothly. The ride was insanely foggy, so I did not get to see that much of the Austrian / Hungarian countryside but luckily the fog cleared as we made our way into Budapest. Budapest is actually two separate cities, Buda and Pest (a fact I did not know until after my friend Cally explained it post her semester abroad). After dropping off our luggage at a storage place, we started exploring on the Buda side. We walked Bartok Bela street (a trendy area on the Buda side) before finding a restaurant called Hadik for lunch. I had the freshest split pea soup with goat cheese and a Hungarian dish I can't remember the name of. It had bacon and onions and I think it was a "Sztrapacska." If that is right then it was curded ewe-chese noodles. But honestly I do not remember. Both dishes were super tasty though! After lunch we walked along the Buda side of the river to the Buda Castle and Castle Hill area. The area was beautiful and super crowded with tourists. It also had such amazing views of the river and Pest. Dani and I got confused by daylights savings time so we ended up walking around during golden hour right before sunset which only added to the area's beauty. Also in that area we saw Matthias Church and Fisherman's Bastion. We rode the funincular back down the hill and checked in to our airbnb before taking the subway to Szechenyi Thermal Baths. I'm not really sure what I expected from the baths, but it was both an incredibly fun and incredibly strange experience. Basically, its an outdoor heated pool. Since it was cold out, the water was incredibly enjoyable and we lost track of time sitting and catching up on our semesters. After the Baths, we went back to the airbnb to change and went out to dinner at Koloves. Koloves was recommended to us with the description of being a combination of Jewish and Hungarian food and let me tell you, the recommendation did not disappoint. Everything I ate was unbelievably delicious. I had a bowl of matzo ball soup with goose (!!) broth, shared a Vegetarian Tapas appetizer (Aubergine Croquettes, Smoked Qual Egg, Parsley Salad, Fried Pepper Cream, Cauliflower, Flennel, Aubergine with Tahini, Goat Cream Cheese), and for a main course had Goose Leg Confit with a mashed potato and steamed cabbage with dried fruits. One of my most favorite meals of abroad hands down. The matzo ball soup was homey and new. The goose broth was chicken broths more rich cousin that should be used in every matzo ball soup from now on. After dinner we walked to New York Cafe for coffee because of how grand a cafe it is. Its crazy how beautiful even cafes are in Europe compared to the US. After New York Cafe, we headed back to our airbnb for the night. Monday: On Monday, we woke up early again for a free guided tour of the Jewish Quarter located in the heart of Pest. The tour was run by generation tours and was the first free walking tour I took while abroad. Our guide was phenomenal. He shared so much knowledge and was extremely real and truthful about Hungary's role in WWII/the Holocaust as well. The tour walked us through the entire quarter with stops at the Rumbach Street Synagogue, the Carl Lutz Memorial, the Kazinczy Street Synagogue, and the Dohany Street Synagogue. Although its hard at times to hear and learn about the history of the European Jewish population, some of my most meaningful experiences have been walking around the areas of these cities. I am so grateful that I got to see and learn about such a beautiful and currently thriving section of Budapest (from an amazing free tour!!). After the tour, Dani and I went to Mazel Tov for lunch. The restaurant definitely lived up to the hype. We shared hummus with falafal, grilled cauliflower with tahini, almonds, and pomegranates, and I ate a grill plate with parsley beef kabobs and matbucha salad, beetroot, and more fresh pita. Post Mazel Tov, we walked back to the Dohany Street Synagogue, stopping in an artsy store called Judapest. Because of daylight savings, everything starts closing ridiculously early, so we bought tickets for the Jewish Museum housed in the Dohany Street Synagogue but opted to use them for the next morning. Instead, we walked along the Pest side of the river to see the Shoes on the Danube Bank Memorial and the House of Parliament. We got to the House of Parliament after dark so it was completely lit up and golden. Truly stunning. Even though it was super dark, it wasn't that late, so Dani and I spent some time in Szimpla Kert for a nice pre dinner drink. Szimpla Kert is one of the bars that make up the ruin bars in the Jewish Quarter of Pest. The space is wacky and fun with lots of different floors, rooms, and bars to enjoy. Easy to see why Budapest is such a happening city. After enjoying more time catching up and a drink, Dani and I went across the street to another Hungarian restaurant called Getto Gulyas. I have no memory of what I could have possibly eaten but the photos of it look tasty! Post dinner we went back to Szimpla Kert for some more ruin bars fun before heading back to the airbnb for the end of another wonderful day in Budapest! Tuesday: Surprise! Tuesday was another early morning. We checked out of the airbnb (which btw was the most amazing location, a block away from St. Stephens church right on the outside of the Jewish Quarter) and stored our luggage at the same luggage storage place before getting brunch at a place called Cirkusz. Dani had been recommended to try a lot of different restaurants, but we chose Cirkusz because of all the explanation points following its name on her list. The explanation points did not disappoint. I have a severe lack of brunch and eggs in Milan so the fact that I was able to eat eggs benedict with lox was amazing. It also helps when the food is perfectly prepared. Cirkusz itself was also super cute with fun circus and budapest themed paintings along the wall. After Cirkusz, we went back to Dohany Street Synagogue and the Jewish Museum. The museum was well done in explaining all about the Jewish culture and religion. The synagogue also has a cemetery honoring those killed in the ghetto as well as a Holocaust memorial called the tree of life. The memorial is a silver willow tree with each leave bearing the names of Hungarian Jews who perished in the shoah. A beautiful tribute. Also at the synagogue is a booth selling handmade Jewish goods. The artist is Lucy Braun, a Holocaust survivor. I bought a nice little bowl right from her! It brought tears to my eyes knowing that I got to support her and that her life will forever be remembered by the community. After we were done at the Synagogue, Dani and I went to the Central Market on a hunt for Langos (fried dough) and Hungarian paprika. We found both and decided to share a sweet langos with nutella, strawberries, and bananas. Delicious! Unfortunately, after the market it was time to head to the airport. Best Moments:
Budapest was such a beautiful, incredible city!!! Seeing the Fisherman's Bastion at golden hour and walking around the lively Jewish Quarter were probably my favorite moments if I had to choose but honestly the entire weekend was wonderful. Dani and I had such a great time exploring and catching up together. Budapest will easily remain one of my favorite places that I saw while abroad. Oh also, buying a bowl from the Holocaust survivor Lucy at the synagogue will be something that I remember and cherish forever. (Bubbe if you are reading this, hi!, and the bowl is a gift for you!)
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AuthorStill me! Danielle!! Archives
October 2019
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