I was looking forward to exploring Budapest having heard many great things about the city. With very little knowledge and even less planning I was very greatful for my local guide Ami!
Many of the buildings date from around the mid to late 19th century and are grand and ornate. We walked to Andrássy út a 2.5 km boulevard which is listed as a UNESCO heritage sight, leads to Heroes' Square and is listed as Number 7 on Lonely Planets top 10 Budapest sights.
We caught the train from a subway station dating back to 1894. The oldest subway on the European Mainland. Only surpassed in age by London's underground.
The metalwork detail and timber and tile finishes make these stations works of art. We jumped off the train at the Opera House and meandered past fancy shops, much like you would see in Collins Street in Melbourne. We then jumped on a bus (number 16) which took us across the Széchenyi Chain Bridge, up a fairly steep hill aptly named Castle Hill because there is a Palace on top of it!
About the extent of my knowledge regarding this city was that it was two cities, Buda and Pest, which are separated by the Denube River. Buda is the hilly side of the city and Pest is very flat.
We walked around the palace grounds, down the hill and across the Chain Bridge.
We headed down Zrínyi u which is a pedestrian mall which perfectly frames the St Stephen Basilica in the distance.
We met Greg and had lunch at a local cafe before Ami and I headed South towards Nagycsarnok, the Great Market. It took us a while because we went in and out of a lot of shops and there was an artisan market in a square along the way.
Skater statues and mail boxes were distractions as well:
Eventually we made it to the market - an amazing building both inside and out.
Grabbing a few things for dinner we started heading home. Literally only a few blocks from home I fell over, twisting my ankle! It was bound to happen at least once on this trip. Ami looked after me and I've had frozen beans cooking on it - she'll be right!
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