Budapest, to me, is one of those cities that as soon as you get there you feel relaxed. I arrived in this beautiful city alone as Kieron had to get the bus due to using up an extra travel day on our Interrail ticket, but not a single part of me felt worried that I was in a big, foreign city, loaded down with both of my packs and trying to find our hostel. One thing I'm not very good at (and this isn't very helpful as we're usually travelling on foot) is navigating. But with beautiful architecture around me, the smell of coffee as I wandered down the streets and thousands of people going about their daily grind, I was more than happy to take it slow and make my way into the centre using the trusty google maps.
As always we got to know our bearings around the city on our first evening and found the most delicious Japanese restaurant where I could get my noodle and tofu fix. Then we spent the evening writing and reading over a steaming mug of coffee. I got to have a little chat with my Grannie and Grandad which was lovely, thank you for being my biggest blog fans!
On our first full day, in true tourist style, we headed straight for the castle. It was a warm sunny day and after a 30 minute incline we reached an old local market with souvenirs, handmade jewellery and traditional Hungarian dresses. Not long after we reached the castle. The roof was mosaic style in different shades of red, orange and yellow giving it a wonderful golden effect. With the beauty of the castle and the view of Budapest from the Fisherman's Bastion, we completely forgot to go inside and explore the interior of the castle. Doh!
In the afternoon we wandered over to Heroes Square and in all honesty I wasn't too sure what I was looking at but if you're interested in the history of Hungary, definitely worth a visit! Then we spent the afternoon wandering around the park watching people practising slack lining...I hope I've got that sort of balance one day!
Day two was all about feeling relaxed and rejuvenating my body. After just over three weeks of being on the road (or the tracks) I was very eager to go to the thermal baths. I chose the main one called Szechenyi Thermal Bath and it was a great experience. There's loads of pools inside and out filled with cold, warm and hot water. I was definitely a fan of the hot baths and going in and out of the steam rooms letting all the waste toxins exit my body. I'd been
doing really well with budgeting so far so I treated myself to a 30 minute full body massage...heaven!
The baths had a funny smell whilst I was there, a little like rotten eggs, but I've since learnt that is normal for hot sulphuric water...a little off putting but if it's normal then there's nothing to be concerned about.
All in all Budapest was a lovely city to explore and one that I can imagine has a lot of hidden gems so is somewhere I'd be more than happy to visit again. Here's some of the photos below, I seem to have edited some with a slightly ugly pinkish tinge but I'll roll with that!
