Day 9: It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Saturday, 17th November, saw us visiting the Central Market Hall, a double-story building that looks like it used to be a railway station and is now filled with local goods. The ground floor has fruit and vegetable produce as well as meat and cheese stalls. The upper level houses copious souvenir stores and local crafts, with everything from lace and traditional costumes, to ceramics, leather goods, snow globes and babushka dolls. Sarah and I went a little overboard with our shopping but it was worth it :)

 Central Market Hall from the upper level

Central Market Hall

 

After spending what seemed like half a day at the markets, we dashed back to the hotel to deposit all of our purchases and to grab a free coffee before heading out to do the other things planned for the day. First we made a beeline for the Budapest Christmas Markets. We saw them setting up on our first afternoon and couldn't wait to look around. We did preliminary stall shopping and taking photos while it was still daylight and made notes of where we wanted to go when we came back at night for dinner and proper European Christmas Market time.

Budapest Christmas Markets

 Budapest Christmas Markets

 Budapest Christmas Markets

We then headed off to the Parliament building, which we had seen the previous day from afar and decided it looked amazing. However, on the way there, we discovered we had less than 2 hours before a store we wanted to visit would close. Rododendron is a store featuring art and design goods by thirty up-and-coming local designers, and since it wouldn't be open on Sunday, our last day in Budapest, we decided to post-pone Parliament until the next day and so we could make it to the store in time. Good thing we did because I fell in love with a graphic design print, which I bought. We also had enough time to visit St. Stephen's Basilica (in the daylight) which was on the way to the store.

Ooo what's that behind our heads? St. Stephen's Basilica!

 The interior of St. Stephen's

In the evening we returned to the Christmas Markets to experience all their magical glory at night time. We bought a few little bits and pieces, tried local food (savoury this time!) and drank hot apple cider with cinnamon.

 Budapest Christmas Markets

 Mmmm... Hot Apple and Cinnamon!

After finishing up at the markets, we popped into Gerbeaud Cukraszda, which is a famous desert cafe (according to Lonely Planet). It was good, but very rich!

Royal Csokolade