Budapest Day 1

This past weekend I went to Budapest with my friend Katie.  It was pretty much completely amazing.  When we got there, the girl working in reception at our hostel told us that it was the first day of spring, which was a very nice change from the grey, winteriness of Prague.  We took a bus from Prague on Friday morning at 6:30 that passed through Brno and Bratislava over the 8 hours it took to get to our destination.  On the bus they gave out free tea and coffee and showed movies--one of which is a Czech musical from 1974 called One Night at Karlstejn, which is a delightful 70s romp based in the time of King Charles the IV around 1400.  I think it's one of my new favorite movies.

When we got to Budapest, the first thing we did was buy 3-day metro passes at the bus station and headed over to the hostel.  Once we were all checked in, we decided to go for a walk around the city while the sun was out.  We basically ended up walking the entire major part of the city along the Danube River.  Something about how big the river is makes the city seem so much older or more impressive than Prague; I don't really know why.  They're both beautiful in their own way.  Prague is very picturesque, and Budapest is like a combination of the old-feeling in Prague and the largess of New York.

We walked for nearly 3 hours, ending up in an area with lots of restaurants and theaters where we had dinner.  We made our plans for the coming two days over some amazing chicken curry and some Hungarian beer (which in no way measures up to Czech beer) before heading back to our hostel for some much needed rest.

Somewhere between Prague and Brno around 6:50 am

About 10 minutes later.  This is the most sun we'd seen in a few days.  Prague in the winter would not be a good place for someone with Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Inside the bus

Our lovely Student Agency bus stopped at a gas station in Slovakia

I have no idea what was so funny, but at the time I also laughed.

Slovakian gas station where I could not buy the Diet Coke I so desperately needed because I didn't have the right currency.   Sad.

Katie wishing I wouldn't take her picture so early in the morning.

A glimpse of Bratislava.  They have some pretty cool bridges there.

That person obscured in darkness is me.

Courtyard of the building where our hostel was located

Entrance to the Mandragora B & B where we stayed.  Best hostel ever.

Our beds

More beds in a Indian-themed room

Sitting area in the hostel

After settling in, we took a walk around the city since the sun was actually out.  Of course, one of the first things we passed is called Cafe Praha.

Just can't get away.

Cute square near the hostel

A view of the Pest side of the city from one of the many bridges across the Danube

I'd forgotten how amazing sunlight is

Looking back at the bridge

The famous Gellert Hotel on the Buda side

Part of a cool fountain outside the Gellert

On the streets

Part of the massive Budapest Castle complex.  We meandered our way up here and had no idea where we were until the next day when we went by on a tour bus.

Budapest is more than a little pretty

Pest

Another bridge

Same bridge

Parliament.  Be prepared for many more pictures of this building to come.

Me in front of the bridge

Parliament again

Once more.  I think I took so many pictures because I wanted to remember that blue sky really does exist.  Everything isn't grey!

Me and my friend Parliament

I'm not really sure what this building is...I think it has some sort of official purpose :)

Church in Buda

Along the river

After Katie and my massive walk that basically covered the entire main part of the city along the river, we ended up at this Indian restaurant for dinner.  It was completely delicious.

After dinner we went for a walk back toward the hostel.  I realized how wonderful Budapest is when we discovered they have Office Depot.  Unfortunately they were closed.

One of the biggest synagogues in the world

 

Going down to get the metro at the end of the night

The trams and the metros are pretty old in the city, but they work really well and are actually color co-ordinated with the color of the line they run, unlike in Prague.