When I've talked to people, they tell me - Budapest was never on my "list of places to go" - why did you go there? Honestly - it wasn't on my list of places either - but it always intrigued me because I have relatives that emigrated from Hungary. When Brad decided to go to Nationals for Olympic Triathlon, we knew that the World Championships would be in Budapest and if he qualified, we would take the opportunity and go. Sure enough, he qualified and so the planning began. As we read through tour books and online - there seemed to be a shortage of information that could get us inspired and excited. We began looking at the Budapest portion of our trip as something we had to do for the race and then our vacation would begin. Boy were we wrong!! I think that since this country was under Communist rule for so long, there is a shortage of first hand travel experience. I also think that there hasn't been a wide scale effort to market the country to outside travellers. We were very pleasantly surprised at such a great undiscovered gem!
Budapest was actually 2 separate cities for hundreds of years - Buda (shown on the left of this picture) and Pest (shown on the right of this picture) The Danube river was impassible except for by boat for a long time before bridges were finally built that connect the two sides. At that time it was named Pestbuda but shortly changed to Budapest just because it sounded better. Hungary does have highways but they all lead to Budapest where they turn into tiny city streets as they funnel drivers to the bridges that span the river. This makes driving in the city - well a nightmare! Their public transport is excellent - made up of buses, trams and an underground metro - and I highly recommend this method of getting around the city. The first thing to do is to get a public transportation map of the city and learn the starting and ending stops of each line and where your destination is in relation to where you are starting. After that - it is a breeze and very dependable. The metros were monitored very closely for the validated tickets but the buses and trams were not and it wasn't even clear where to validate them. We always had tickets with us and figured that if someone questioned us we would just ask where to validate the ticket.
This bridge brings you right to the Gellert Spa on the Buda side of town. It is the "upscale" spa in Budapest but it really was about the same price as the Szechneyi Spa . We visited both (both highly recommended in the tourist books) and it was heaven after a long flight and for relaxation/preparation for a big race. The spas are fed by thermal mineral water that is plentiful in this part of the world. Brad also visited the Rudas Baths and wasn't as impressed with them - even though they are a true Turkish bath dating back to the 1400's.
Budapest was actually 2 separate cities for hundreds of years - Buda (shown on the left of this picture) and Pest (shown on the right of this picture) The Danube river was impassible except for by boat for a long time before bridges were finally built that connect the two sides. At that time it was named Pestbuda but shortly changed to Budapest just because it sounded better. Hungary does have highways but they all lead to Budapest where they turn into tiny city streets as they funnel drivers to the bridges that span the river. This makes driving in the city - well a nightmare! Their public transport is excellent - made up of buses, trams and an underground metro - and I highly recommend this method of getting around the city. The first thing to do is to get a public transportation map of the city and learn the starting and ending stops of each line and where your destination is in relation to where you are starting. After that - it is a breeze and very dependable. The metros were monitored very closely for the validated tickets but the buses and trams were not and it wasn't even clear where to validate them. We always had tickets with us and figured that if someone questioned us we would just ask where to validate the ticket.
This bridge brings you right to the Gellert Spa on the Buda side of town. It is the "upscale" spa in Budapest but it really was about the same price as the Szechneyi Spa . We visited both (both highly recommended in the tourist books) and it was heaven after a long flight and for relaxation/preparation for a big race. The spas are fed by thermal mineral water that is plentiful in this part of the world. Brad also visited the Rudas Baths and wasn't as impressed with them - even though they are a true Turkish bath dating back to the 1400's.
This is the outside of the Gellert Spa...
Inside the lobby of the Gellert Spa...
Looking into one of the "baths" at the Gellert Spa.
I've heard that all of Europe is littered with statues and tributes to people and saints - but this one was pretty cool - on top of the hill was a huge statue and then a controlled waterfall below it. They turn the waterfall on during the day and have it off at night.
This statue is of St.Istevan - the first Christian King of Hungary. I would think that it would be pretty strange to have to change your core beliefs just because a king decrees that it is to be so for political reasons within the region. Just another reason we can be greatful for the freedoms we enjoy.
Pest was constantly plagued by flooding from the Danube. Finally, they shored up the sides and then put in a "lower road" below the higher road. This road is closed if the river has risen too high. This has helped alleviate the flooding problem. That and during the construction boom in the 1800's, they build Pest up a bit. If you find older churches in Pest, you have to take about 5 stairs down to get to the front door. This lower road was where Brad did part of his bike and part of his run during the World Championships.
Sites in the streets - we had to take a picture of this fountain! The buildings all seemed so huge and were just connected all the way down the street (until a little unassuming side street squeezed in) - in the middle of these "grand facades" were courtyards that residents and businesses used as places to escape the noise and bussle of the streets.
This was built during the construction boom. We took the picture out of the tour bus window but we actually walked through this huge plaza on our first night in town. There are 7 statues representing the 7 tribes that first came to Hungary. Having a huge open pedestrian square like this is very much like other parts of Europe.
This is Castle hill in Buda. I have to be honest - I wasn't super impressed. Maybe that was because we were on a tour with a strict time schedule and it was raining - but although the buildings were pretty, it was mostly highpriced tourist shops, some high end hotels that somehow got in there, and a few historical buildings.
This was the main church up on Castle hill. Notice the tile roof - AMAZING - I wonder if our CCR's would allow that???
View from the top... Across the river you can see the famous Parliment building with all of its spires.
Our tour included tickets to the "Fisherman's Bastion" where we took these pictures. Back in the day, each "guild" was given a responsibility for upkeep. This was the fisherman's area and during the 1800's construction boom, they build this decorative wall and turrets in this area on castle hill. It is a very pretty structure.
Brad on the streets on Castle Hill (I had to keep reminding him to let me take a picture of him so we could prove he went on this trip too.)
This building is one that they are having a hard time trying to decide what to do with. It is filled with bullet holes and shrapnel scars from the World Wars. This was actually my favorite thing to look at up on the hill - it just inspired my imagination as to what life was really like during those great wars. This "hill" is somewhat secluded - not in the "heart" of town, but seeing bullet holes - you know people must have been in every inch of the city engaging in fighting.
During our tour, we learned that during the communist rule, many of the street level windows were required to be plain and undecorated. Any repairs made to buildings from the wars made sure that the street level windows were unattractive so that the people would not be tempted into "window" shopping. The higher up you look, the more decorative the builings were. During that "dark time" not very many people ever looked up.
I came out of one of the underground metro stops and was trying to orient myself. I saw this beautiful yellow building and tried to find it on the map. When I couldn't decifer it, I asked a tour operator in the area and he looked and said, "oh that, that is just a regular building" - that was so profound to me because if this building was here in the US - it would be some political headquarters or famous library - not just a regular building!
Food was fun! The first night we were there, we stumbled on a grand cafe - The New York Cafe.It was unbelievable to look inside and we were still in our travelling clothes having just gone to the spa. We weren't sure they would even let us in but they did and I can't believe we didn't have our camera!!!! You can only go inside if you are going to order something - so we couldn't go back just with our camera (and after paying $30 for 2 bowls of soup - we weren't going to make the effort to eat there again). I do have to say that their apple cinnamon soup was to DIE for!!!! A few of the other nights, we had dinner provided by the TEAM USA activities and for lunch we just stopped by the pastry shops for custard filled chocolate dipped croissants (YUM!!). On the last night, we found this great "all you can eat buffet" with Hungarian specialties.
Our Hotel was perfect. It was right by a metro stop and only one metro stop away from the train station. Our room was the balcony on the left on the 3 floor above the main entrance. We stayed here as part of the TEAM USA package so we probably ended up paying more than if we had just booked it ourselves - things seemed pretty moderately priced.
Inside the lobby of the Gellert Spa...
Looking into one of the "baths" at the Gellert Spa.We didn't bring our camera into the baths because water and cameras tend to not mix well, but the above links show you just what it was like!
The Buda side is described as older and more historical and really talked up as the "nicest" part of the city. It is less crowded and has a few impressive buildings, but things are more spread out and it has a little more of an "uppity" feel to it. A lot of the development of Pest was done in the late 1800's as they prepared for the millennial celebration for the establishment of the Magyar people in Hungary. The Magyar people were made up of 7 nomadic tribes that came from Asia. The Hungarian language is very unique and its closest relative was found in a language spoken in the highlands of China - which makes communicating a bit of a challenge - I got really good at charades!
This is a "Cave Church" built right into the rock - apparently there are several of these - I guess it was easier to carve out rock rather than find it and haul it somewhere to build a church in the earliest of times.
The Buda side is described as older and more historical and really talked up as the "nicest" part of the city. It is less crowded and has a few impressive buildings, but things are more spread out and it has a little more of an "uppity" feel to it. A lot of the development of Pest was done in the late 1800's as they prepared for the millennial celebration for the establishment of the Magyar people in Hungary. The Magyar people were made up of 7 nomadic tribes that came from Asia. The Hungarian language is very unique and its closest relative was found in a language spoken in the highlands of China - which makes communicating a bit of a challenge - I got really good at charades!
This is a "Cave Church" built right into the rock - apparently there are several of these - I guess it was easier to carve out rock rather than find it and haul it somewhere to build a church in the earliest of times.
I tried to get Brad to pose like this statue - no such luck!
I've heard that all of Europe is littered with statues and tributes to people and saints - but this one was pretty cool - on top of the hill was a huge statue and then a controlled waterfall below it. They turn the waterfall on during the day and have it off at night.
This statue is of St.Istevan - the first Christian King of Hungary. I would think that it would be pretty strange to have to change your core beliefs just because a king decrees that it is to be so for political reasons within the region. Just another reason we can be greatful for the freedoms we enjoy.
Pest was constantly plagued by flooding from the Danube. Finally, they shored up the sides and then put in a "lower road" below the higher road. This road is closed if the river has risen too high. This has helped alleviate the flooding problem. That and during the construction boom in the 1800's, they build Pest up a bit. If you find older churches in Pest, you have to take about 5 stairs down to get to the front door. This lower road was where Brad did part of his bike and part of his run during the World Championships.
Sites in the streets - we had to take a picture of this fountain! The buildings all seemed so huge and were just connected all the way down the street (until a little unassuming side street squeezed in) - in the middle of these "grand facades" were courtyards that residents and businesses used as places to escape the noise and bussle of the streets.
This was built during the construction boom. We took the picture out of the tour bus window but we actually walked through this huge plaza on our first night in town. There are 7 statues representing the 7 tribes that first came to Hungary. Having a huge open pedestrian square like this is very much like other parts of Europe.
This is Castle hill in Buda. I have to be honest - I wasn't super impressed. Maybe that was because we were on a tour with a strict time schedule and it was raining - but although the buildings were pretty, it was mostly highpriced tourist shops, some high end hotels that somehow got in there, and a few historical buildings.
This was the main church up on Castle hill. Notice the tile roof - AMAZING - I wonder if our CCR's would allow that???
View from the top... Across the river you can see the famous Parliment building with all of its spires.
Our tour included tickets to the "Fisherman's Bastion" where we took these pictures. Back in the day, each "guild" was given a responsibility for upkeep. This was the fisherman's area and during the 1800's construction boom, they build this decorative wall and turrets in this area on castle hill. It is a very pretty structure.
Brad on the streets on Castle Hill (I had to keep reminding him to let me take a picture of him so we could prove he went on this trip too.)
This building is one that they are having a hard time trying to decide what to do with. It is filled with bullet holes and shrapnel scars from the World Wars. This was actually my favorite thing to look at up on the hill - it just inspired my imagination as to what life was really like during those great wars. This "hill" is somewhat secluded - not in the "heart" of town, but seeing bullet holes - you know people must have been in every inch of the city engaging in fighting.
During our tour, we learned that during the communist rule, many of the street level windows were required to be plain and undecorated. Any repairs made to buildings from the wars made sure that the street level windows were unattractive so that the people would not be tempted into "window" shopping. The higher up you look, the more decorative the builings were. During that "dark time" not very many people ever looked up.
I came out of one of the underground metro stops and was trying to orient myself. I saw this beautiful yellow building and tried to find it on the map. When I couldn't decifer it, I asked a tour operator in the area and he looked and said, "oh that, that is just a regular building" - that was so profound to me because if this building was here in the US - it would be some political headquarters or famous library - not just a regular building!
Food was fun! The first night we were there, we stumbled on a grand cafe - The New York Cafe.
Our Hotel was perfect. It was right by a metro stop and only one metro stop away from the train station. Our room was the balcony on the left on the 3 floor above the main entrance. We stayed here as part of the TEAM USA package so we probably ended up paying more than if we had just booked it ourselves - things seemed pretty moderately priced.The big Market was fun also, but I was amazed to find it exactly like the one in Toronto and other large cities that I've visitied - a large building with a farmers market type set up on the main floor and souvineers on the top. It was fun to look at everything, but definately not "great deals". It did provide "one stop shopping" and out of the rain - but it wasn't flea market prices for the flea market apperance.
Travel tips:
- The hotels in Pest all looked great as long as you were within a mile or so of the river. The further out and towards the airport - the atmosphere wasn't quite as quaint.
- The hotels in Buda seemed over priced and the atmosphere not as fun as Pest
- Make every effort to learn the public transport and look at a map as soon as possible - it is totally worth it
- Tours are good for a quick overview that can cover a lot of ground in a relatively short time and give you little tidbits of otherwise unknown factoids - BUT - I prefer the personal discovery and then read about the sites. I didn't like being herded like livestock and not given enough time to really see what I wanted to see.
- The tap water is completely safe and when you go to a resteraunt you have to specify tap water or they will bring you bottled water at a hefty price!
- The food is great and worth experimenting with. We would often tell the waiter to suprise us with the best items or ask what was the most authentic. Sometimes we were unpleasantly suprised - but that adds to the memories. - Oh and when you are the only one in the resteraunt, that is not a "quaint good sign" - find a better place.
- Pest is more exciting and fun to explore.
- The Spas are a must!
- I'm not sure about "night life" - all the shops shut down at 6pm but most resteraunts stay open until midnight or so. We are the kind of people that go to bed early so that we can get up early and utilize daylight for sightseeing.
Leighann,
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun trip! So excited to see more of this area. I most likely will never see this part of the world so it is fun to experience it through someone else's eyes. Thanks! Was this an actual olympic tryout? Yay for Brad for even qualifying to get in to this race!
Hopefully I'll be able to squeeze in time to post all of the pictures that Brad took! As for the race - That will be my next post. People who compete in ametuer triathlons compete within their age groups. When they are good on a local level, they can qualify to go to nationals. We went to nationals last year and he took 3rd in his age group and that qualified us for worlds. He competed against others in his age group and the actual olympic team competed during a different "heat". It was pretty amazing to be on a team with the olympic team and participate fully in all the festivities. It can become very addicting! :)
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