Day 17
Planning & Rest Day in Budapest
Thursday, September 5, 2024
Jó reggelt kívánok,
Today was another planning day as we plotted our next moves, organised places to stay, and transport, and kept up with the housework.
We have been staying in apartments rather than hotels on this adventure. We've being finding that apartments are generally cheaper than hotels. They also tend to offer a larger space, including a basic kitchen. Koro is not about to start cooking! It is just nice to wake up to a basic breakfast of cereal, yoghurt and fruit that we get from a local supermarket. This is much quicker and cheaper than finding a café to eat breakfast each day.
Lately Grandma has hit on the brilliant idea of also buying some bread rolls, ham and cheese and making our own sandwiches for lunch. This is also quicker than trying to find a basic sandwich shop in a strange city. Often we just want something quick and easy for lunch, we don’t want the bother of sitting down and ordering from a menu. You quickly find that most of the touristy cafes have the same basic menu (pizza, pasta and burgers, all of it overpriced). Making our own is also a great way to eat genuine local food and produce.
When it comes to dinner though, it is nice to dine out properly, relax and take our time. For our last night in Budapest, we went to a beautiful Hungarian restaurant called Kispiac Bisztro located in District V.
We found District V to be a charming residential neighbourhood, and the meal at Kispiac Bisztro was stunning. Afterwards, we followed the sound of live music and came across what appeared to be a free concert in Liberty Square. The band must have been very popular because during a couple of songs, the singing of the crowd was louder than the band. The square was full of people of all ages eating street food, enjoying the music and dancing.
We walked through Liberty Square and found ourselves just metres from Parliament Building. The grand old building was lit up in all her splendour. Not just Parliament Building, but the entire riverside, including all the bridges, looked stunning lit up in the darkness. This time we did enjoy a quiet stroll in the balmy summer evening along the banks of the Danube. Around Parliament Building, back to the Metro and home to our apartment on Erzsébet körút.
Tomorrow we are on the move again, off to another city and another country. So as we are leaving, what are our thoughts on Budapest? Our judgement is probably clouded a bit by the oppressive heatwave. If you are thinking about visiting Budapest, you absolutely should. But heed the warnings that we did not. Even in late August this city is still very busy. You will need to pre-book tickets if you want to tour Parliament Buildings.
We didn’t come across any prospective girlfriends for Buzzy Bee in Hungary. We have a long way, and a lot of countries, to go yet.
Love to you all from Grandma & Koro & Buzzy Bee.
