Budapest

Budapest was my first stop on the month-long whirlwind tour of Europe I did in September 2016. Buda and Pest are two different cities separated by the Danube River. It is a beautiful city and I'm really glad I started my trip there instead of in Krakow like I had originally planned. There is a communication issue, most of the taxi drivers do not speak English, at all. I had to show the guy what I wanted on the map. Be warned and come there with the expectation to not understand anything.


MUST SEE/DO LIST AT THE BOTTOM!! 

Szechenyi Spa

Oh, am I so glad I started with this. Absolutely beautiful day for an outside pool day. I slept away in the shade for several hours. They provided me a "cabin", it's more of like a closet, but it fit all my stuff easily and allowed me to change and leave my stuff without worry. At 3 pm, I got a massage. It was very relaxing. I had plans to go exploring during the day, but once I was in the spa I couldn't just leave and come back. In all reality, me staying at the spa for most of the day was a good thing. I was so exhausted from my flights where I got no sleep, that napping and relaxing was just what I needed. 

Castle Hill

After I changed my clothes and grabbed my suitcase, I took off for the train station. I got one of those big lockers to put everything in and hailed a cab. I had things to see. I started off at Castle Hill. This is where Buda Palace is (picture of the backside above). It's where all the Hungarian Royalty lived. It's very pretty and offers an astounding view of the Pest side, including one of my favorite buildings Parliament.

Parliament

I took maybe 800 photos of this building because I was obsessed with it. It reminds me of the Parliament building in London, but it's just so picturesque. I decided to leave Castle Hill and make my way to Parliament for some better photos. 

Chain Bridge 

The first ever bridge to link Buda and Pest.

The Danube River 

On the Chain Bridge with Parliament in the background

In front of the Parliament down on the Riverwalk is a memorial called the Shoes on the Danube. It's a must see. It's a memorial for the people that were shot and thrown into the river during WW2. 

Shoes on the Danube

Shoes on the Danube 

After this is was time to head back to the train station, and board a train to Krakow! I only got to spend one day here, I wish it would have been a little longer to really dive into the city, but maybe next time :) 

Must SEE/DO LIST

1. Castle Hill
2. Spa - thermal baths are wonderful
3. Parliament
4. Shoes on the Danube