Ha! I knew when I decided to post every day that I was crazy. I guess these travel posts are a bit more spread out than that, but I’ll keep posting them as quickly as I can write them. Also – I should note that I started this draft about a week ago. Last week was insane! It was the first week of classes (which didn’t mean too much for me, but it did mean I had to prepare for my new interns) and I had 2 website roll outs. Enough with the excuses, let’s talk about Budapest!
Budapest was perhaps the most relaxing, and the most isolating, of the places that I visited. One the one hand, I was there for an entire two weeks, and I was in an apartment again with a kitchen! Yay! Also, the people who managed the apartment were super nice. They bought me a bottle of Bailey’s to drink in the evenings. Yum. This did, however, make me more prone to stay inside and cook instead of going out. I’m a bit ashamed to say that I only went out for dinner once. Ouch! I also speak absolutely no Hungarian. While many of the people did speak English, few of the people I worked with spoke it well though. They were very nice and accommodating though, so I can’t complain.
Perhaps my favorite part of the trip was the tea date I had with my friend Lauren from The Thinking Closet. I ended up having some hut mulled wine on the Fisherman’s Bastion overlooking the Pest side of the city. Budapest is actually the combination of two cities – Buda and Pest (pronounced pesht) which flank the two sides of the Danube. I stayed on the Pest side, and the Fisherman’s Bastion was on the Buda side.
Ok, enough with the chatter – onto the pictures!
I arrived at night, and oh what a vision it was! I'm telling you - I thought I was in a scene from The Polar Bear Express. Pictures don't do the ambiance justice.
Of course, the magic just wasn't there during the day, but the station is still a beautiful place.
To get to my apartment, first I needed to go through the big red door you see here.
This lead to a short hall way and a courtyard.
Up the stairs I go!
Isn't that just beautiful tile work?
I have to admit - the walk across this narrow path made me a little woozy.
But it got me to my little 1 bedroom apartment! See - A kitchen and everything!
Ah - home sweet home (for the next 2 weeks at least).
Lots of nice touches - like this piece of petrified wood sitting in a nook in the wall.
And the bauble lights were just the right amount of fun.
This is one of the sights I woke up to every day. I don't kno what it is, but the textures and colors (even the little bit of brick peeking out) really spoke to me. I wish I could wake up to this every day!
Another view. It's it's own type of stratigraphy!
Just outside my building was a cross section of sorts, many different roads converging. Here's just one of the ways I could venture out into the city.
I went on a walking tour (this time guided), and one of my favorite statues was this little girl. Her knees are shiny from people rubbing it for luck.
I don't really remember what many of these buildings are, but I thought I'd leave them here anyway for you to see.
I thought this was really cool. It's a grate that was built specifically for love locks - padlocks that are locked onto the grate to symbolize people's love for each other. The key is then tossed in the Danube.
There's just something about ferris wheels in the middle of European cities.
St. Stephen's Basilica.
I believe this is a statue of the composer Franz Liszt.
It's never too early for the Christmas Market! I also found it interesting that this passage is part of a hotel which is owned by Trump.
Crossing over to the Buda side!
It really was an absolutely beautiful fall day. And quite warm at around 60 degrees!
This church is the Matthais church. It has a surprise hiding behind it!
Surprise! The tile has a beautiful colored mosaic on the roof!
I'm just enamored with the layers in this building.
And this is the beautiful Fisherman's Bastion.
This is one of the times I decided to have lunch at a "touristy" place. A yummy goulyash followed by mulled cider and warm cake.
A view of the Pest side from the Fisherman's Bastion. In fact, the view I enjoyed with my mulled cider!
Awkward Selfie!
One last view before I had back over to the Pest side.
I could hardly believe how much green there was! Plus - lovely old walls.
A little view of what some of the more normal parts of the city look like.
See - I have a thing for old street lights.
Lions guarding the bridge. Couldn't ask for a better guard!
And finally, a view of the city just outside the train station the day I left.
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Again – thanks for sharing. I really love seeing all the sites through your eyes. I especially liked the grate with the love locks. What an interesting idea. I wonder who started/thought such a thing up.
I liked that one too. You’ll see another in Graz, Austria (I think..). This particular one was built by one of the old rulers for this purpose. Many others are just places where people leave their locks. I’ve heard different variations on when and how the tradition started, but I really like it too!
Wow, I’m in awe of the beauty captured in your photos and storytelling (love the captions). And our “tea” date looks so lovely! Thank you for including your friends and readers in your overseas adventures in this way. I can’t help but think you’ll be so glad you took the time and effort to write about these tales someday…I myself have had a renewed excitement about journaling like this. Thanks for sharing! Lauren @ The Thinking Closet recently posted…Five Minute Friday: Half a Cookie
Again – thanks for sharing. I really love seeing all the sites through your eyes. I especially liked the grate with the love locks. What an interesting idea. I wonder who started/thought such a thing up.
I liked that one too. You’ll see another in Graz, Austria (I think..). This particular one was built by one of the old rulers for this purpose. Many others are just places where people leave their locks. I’ve heard different variations on when and how the tradition started, but I really like it too!
Wow, I’m in awe of the beauty captured in your photos and storytelling (love the captions). And our “tea” date looks so lovely! Thank you for including your friends and readers in your overseas adventures in this way. I can’t help but think you’ll be so glad you took the time and effort to write about these tales someday…I myself have had a renewed excitement about journaling like this. Thanks for sharing!
Lauren @ The Thinking Closet recently posted…Five Minute Friday: Half a Cookie