And finally, the final full day in Budapest! We had a half day on Saturday- before the flight. We did a bit of walking before heading to the airport, which I included at the bottom of this post.
Budapest I and Budapest II for you slackers who have not read.
Day three:
On the third day of Christmas in Budapest, we started the day with breakfast. Actually, that´s a lie. I went for a quick 45 minute walk before breakfast.
Here are some things I found:
A “love-lock” gate, full of locks with people´s names.
There was a statue that I came across, which caught my eye because in front of it, it had stones, photos, shoes, clothing garments, and letters.
I read some of the letters that were in English, and learned that this statue was put up as a memorial to the Hungarian Jews that were deported in 1944, but many people believe that the memorial was created in a way that will “re-write” history, making Hungary look innocent in what happened to thousands of their people. People have left pictures and various items to show the public what the real history is. If you want to read more, here is an article about it.
After I walked home, we had breakfast and then tried to join a walking tour, but we got lost on the way and arrived too late. So we walked through Budapest´s commercial district and then made our way over to a HUGE market hall, full of food, souvenirs, and other things.
The hall was incredible because it wasn´t only for tourists. It was a place that Budapest locals sell and buy their groceries and other goods. Did you know Hungarian paprika is a thing? I didn´t.
We bought a couple of gifts (life insurance…haha) and then we walked more! Of course 😉
This bridge was closed, so we took a picture.
We walked along the river for a bit, and then stopped for HUMMUS!
While in Budapest, please go to the Hummus Bar. It is a local franchise, but it is full of low-priced salads, hummus, falafel, sandwiches, and beer. So goooood.
We were insanely tired after dinner, so we walked back to the AirBnB with plans to relax and then go back out to a beer garden, but I….fell asleep before 10:30 pm. Oops.
Day four:
On Saturday, I woke up 12 hours later ravenous since we had eaten so early. We ate breakfast, but were interrupted by the Hungarian cleaning lady trying to kick us out!! We had to gather our things and quickly rush out of there, which was slightly annoying, but also kind-of our faults. We packed up and walked around for an hour. Basically, we walked to the Hungarian Parliament Building, took some pictures, and walked back to get our suitcases.Quite an impressive building isn´t it?
Our flight was mid-afternoon and had us back in Madrid around 8:00 pm. We had a homemade dinner (so nice after so much traveling!!) and then I went home and unpacked all of my stuff. I am so incredibly lucky to have been able to do this trip and to have someone to do it with. If you have never been to Prague, Vienna, and Budapest, I encourage you to go. Find a way to make it happen, and GO!