Budapest

Definitely our favourite city of the trip so far. A bit rough around the edges but full of charm - a mixture of history, culture, great and varied food and cool but unpretentious cafes and bars.

We were lucky to have a local take us to some of her favourite places and give us lots of tips on what to do and where to go - thanks Sylvia! We were also lucky to be able to stay in a extremely well located apartment in the heart of Pest - thanks Cerasela and Wijnand! That said, with the help of a decent guidebook, one of the great things about Budapest is that it is very accessible and has something for everyone.

On arrival, after picking up the keys to the apartment that was to be our base for the next few days, Sylvia took us to 'Instant', a bar set-up in an abandoned apartment block. Set over two floors with quirky decor and many of the rooms left as they were when they were abandoned, it would be a Hackney hipster's dream! But what was particularly great about 'Instant' was that there wasn't a hipster in sight. After a few drinks, we headed to 'Klassz', a wine bar and restaurant serving top quality Hungarian cuisine and wine. The food was delicious and the local wine varieties were unique and equally delicious. All in all, our first evening in Budapest left us with a very good impression.

We spent the next few days exploring on our own, admiring the brilliant architecture, a large proportion of which was in the art deco style, constructed around the beginning of the 20th century. We also did a walking tour through the old Jewish quarter which has the second largest synagogue in the world. Unfortunately we couldn't go inside as it wasn't open to the public the day we were there. What was particularly fascinating about the old Jewish quarter, compared to the rest of mainland Europe, was that Budapest continues to have a significant Jewish community (approximately 80,000) and as such, the area has an abundant number of Kosher cafes and restaurants. We visited one cafe, 'Koleves Vendiglio', and after having a light lunch, we thought we'd treat ourselves to some cake. We ordered a matzo, poppy seed, walnut and apple cake and as we were sharing, asked for a large slice. Big mistake. Whilst the cake was delicious, the slice was the size of my head. We still managed to polish it off.

Another walking tour took us to the castle district, just across the Danube in Buda. Completely separate and distinct from Pest, the castle district felt more typically European - grand buildings, cobbled streets and quite ordered. It was however very beautiful and had spectacular views back towards the Hungarian parliament and the rest of Pest. The highlights of this district for us were the unique Matyas church and the Fisherman's Bastion.

Although we were unable to go inside the Hungarian Parliament (as you have to get there at 8 am to get tickets - far too early for us on holiday!), we did get tickets to a performance at the Opera House. Built in the style of the Viennese opera house, it is a spectacular and grand building and considerably cheaper to visit than it's counterpart in Vienna. We got tickets for about 11 euros each, and whilst we were quite high up, we were in the front row of our section with a commanding view of the stage. The performance comprised of several dance acts - part one was primarily Hungarian folk dance and part two was a mix of classical and contemporary ballet. There was a part three but we decided it was time for coffee and cake instead...

All in all, we were pretty lucky with the weather in Budapest, but we had one day when the skies decided to open and it poured with rain. We took this as a sign to visit the Szechenyi Baths - a large thermal bath complex, only a short metro ride from central Pest. Whilst big fat hairy men were plentiful, the baths were completely relaxing and a nice escape from the cold. In fact, the cold wet weather made the outdoor bath even more enjoyable. It was quite fascinating to see the elderly local men playing chess on the poolside and not quite so fascinating to see one particular woman doing some rather exotic stretches in the pool - perhaps a form of flirting?

Notwithstanding a couple of comments regarding the bias of our blog towards food and drink, we can't talk about Budapest without giving the cafes, bars and restaurants a fair mention. A few standout venues include Szimplakert (another bar set in an abandoned building with funky decor), 6tus (a smaller bar in the old Jewish quarter with table tops made from random postcards and exceptionally friendly staff), Cafe Csiga (a cute little cafe which would certainly be our local if we lived in Budapest) and Sylvia's house! Sure, not a restaurant but the food was amazing.

Finally - because we forgot to include it above - we also made a bit of a trip outside of the city to the Szobor Statue Park. Whilst many cities which found themselves on the wrong side of the iron curtain quickly destroyed the many communist era statues that had filled public squares and buildings upon the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, Budapest relocated about 40 of such statues to Szobor Park. The result was an interesting, albeit limited, window into an aspect of communist propaganda. Whilst not a must do, it was an interesting add on to our time in Budapest and a good opportunity for some old fashion statue poses.