Day 8: A Day at the Castle

On Friday, the 16th, we went down to grab some of our free hotel breakfast, only to discover that it wasn't just simply some croissants and jam, but a huge, six table spread of cereals, cheese platters, cold meats, jams and other spreads, hot cooked breakfast, pastries, about 10 different types of bread, fresh orange juice, champagne, tea, a coffee machine and multiple types of juice. It was quite a production!

 The bread/pastry table at breakfast

After breakfast, we set off on our first full day in Budapest. We walked first to the Gellert Monument and the Queen Elizabeth Monument which are across the river from our hotel.

Gellert Monument

From here we walked over to Buda Castle and caught the funicular up to the Royal Palace, Matyas Church and Fisherman's Bastion. These were beautiful. The exterior tiling on the church was stunning and Fisherman's Bastion was striking.

The Royal Palace

 At Buda Castle. The view of Pest is behind us.

Matyas Church

At Fisherman's Bastion

We also grabbed a bite to eat by trying a Hungarian pastry called Kurtoskalacs. They are basically dough that is cooked and rolled in something, mine was rolled in cinnamon and Sarah's in nuts. They were ok, but nothing amazing, and we didn't feel the need to try them again.

Trying a kurtoskalacs

After spending hours at Buda Castle, we descended and walked across the apparently famous Chain Bridge and then walked along the Pest side to the Shoes on the Danube. This is a memorial to the Budapest Jews who were shot by Arrow Cross militiamen between 1944 and 1945. The victims were lined up and shot into the Danube River and they had to take their shoes off, since shoes were valuable belongings at the time.

Chain Bridge

 Shoes on the Danube

We then randomly discovered St. Stephen's Basilica which looked beautiful at night. We plan to visit it in daylight during the next few days.

St. Stephen's Basilica

Before heading 'home' we made an effort to find Szimpla Kert, a bar that we were told had quite an eclectic mix of decor. It did, with all sorts of junk on the walls, it looked like a flea market had been regurgitated onto the walls and roof. That sounds gross, but it wasn't, it was just really quirky. It was created inside an old apartment block and had exposed brick, coloured pipes, bicycles hanging from the roof, lampshades, mismatched furniture, road signs, old computer screens, anything really. We then found our way back to our hotel and grabbed a quick dinner at La Botte.

Szimpla Kert