Adventures in Budapest

Hello, 

Hungary has been a whirlwind of adventures and new experiences. It's quickly climbed the ranks as one of my favourite cities in the world just by the sheer number of things to do, the stunning lights and buildings that flank the river and surround the square. I'm just going to list the highlights of my time in Budapest in this post because I've done so much in five days, it's hard to capture everything minute by minute. 

Things to do:

-So a really awesome activity to do in Hungary are the Escape Rooms. Basically you get locked in a room and you have an hour to solve a series of puzzles to escape. It's an incredibly interesting activity that messes with your head. You receive certain clues and end up spending a long time trying to see the connection between them and it's frustrating but also the best feeling to be able to crack a code. Definitely worth doing if you're in Hungary, or if you have one in your own city. We did an Alice in Wonderland themed room and there was actually a second room through a cupboard. Amazing design and ingenuous puzzles, such a great way to spend a night. 

-We visited a few famous monuments including the Buda-castle and Matthias church. Both were situated higher up than most of the city so you got a panoramic view which was beautiful. While we were at Buda-castle it started snowing and it littered the buildings with a thin layer of white that created a magical atmosphere. You had the city lights laid out in front of you and snow cascading from the sky as the sun set. It was as beautiful as I've painted it to be. There's a museum inside Buda-castle but we didn't go inside. 

-Budapest is also known for their public bath houses that are sourced from underground thermal vents. I don't have any pictures of them, but you can google it pretty easily. I think Juls and I were expecting hot springs with different temperatures but it was closer to large, heated pools. They're situated outside so you before you get in you shiver in the cold, but the water is such a relief. There are old men sitting on the steps playing chess and women doing exercises on the bars at the side. We just floated around and talked about future adventures and travel. It was different to what we imagined and a little underwhelming, but that's mostly because everyone we spoke to in the hostel had talked it up to be the most incredible experience. I personally found them to just be heated pools with an uncomfortable amount of steam, but still a cool experience. 

Historical aspects:

-One thing I really think is worth a look is the memorial from World War II. Between Margit and Chain bridge on the Pest side, there is a line of metal shoes against the edge of the river. At first we didn't know what they meant, but we later found out that where they are situated is part of the Jewish quarter pre World War II. During the war, they would march Jewish people to the edge of the river, make them take off their shoes and kill them. There are women's, men's and even children's shoes displayed and it's an eye opening reminder for everything the country has endured. There's no plaque and no explanation for why they are there so I guess you need to know what it means for it to really have an effect. I found that the simplicity of their placement and the object itself, something so seemingly insignificant as shoes, was a beautiful memorial for those who lost their lives. 

-The only museum we went to (and the only museum really recommended to us) was the Terror Museum near Oktogon. It details the war in Hungary during the Soviet and Nazi occupation. There are images, videos and personal stories about those who survived the war and you get a better insight to the culture and history. Its a shocking revelation when you realise that the wars in Hungary occurred less than 20years ago. It's not something that's buried into our history for another time, but an event that's occurred within our own lifetime. We think that wars are of the past and nothing more than black and white images in museums from another era when in reality it's everywhere. Such chaos and destruction is a part of the world today, and the museum gives an insight to that part of Hungary's history many people might not have known about. There are also prisons and bunkers underneath that use to hold real people. It's an eerie, uncomfortable atmosphere that puts you in their shoes. I didn't even want to go inside the rooms because it felt like someone would lock me inside. If you're into history, it's worth a look to learn something about Hungary and it's people. 

Other things worth noting: 

-Our adventure highlight from Budapest was paragliding. It was just an activity reception mentioned when we arrived on our first day and Juls jumped at the idea. We ended up going on our second last day and I'm not going to lie, it was pretty awesome. We went with a guy from New Zealand who, and I quote, said 'this is so Eastern European. It's great!'. We got stuffed in vans too small for us and drove up mountains we weren't supposed to go through but I wouldn't have it any other way. It feels like you're floating above all the trees and there were people who stared at us as we landed. We yelled at the top of our lungs because, well, there isn't another feeling like getting caught up in the wind and floating your way to the ground. We were lucky enough to see some deer sprinting down the mountain and watched little dogs jump around in their backyards. Overall an amazing experience to have in Budapest.

-Okay, the food in Hungary is literally the best thing I've ever tasted. Everything you eat is delicious, cheap and come in massive portions. We ended up going to the same restaurant three times just because we loved the traditional Hungarian dishes they served. We tried goulash, which is like a meat stew, and langos, which is a round piece of fried bread. Both are great dishes for Cold nights, but not only is the food fantastic, but the hot chocolate is also incredible. I'm a huge coffee snob and I'm dying to be back in Melbourne drinking my flat whites but I swear Hungarian hot chocolate could make me forget coffee even existed. Don't let the styrofoam cups fool you, it's like creamy, liquid chocolate. Better than anything a Melbourne cafe has ever presented me with. A must try if you're in Budapest. 

-This last activity is a little controversial. There's a zoo cafe in Budapest which is like a cat cafe, except the animals are more exotic. You can sit and have some coffee while you pet a snake or a bunny. I'll be honest here, as cool as the experience was, you could see the visible distress in the animals. There was a hedgehog that kept scampering away from our hands and eventually just buried its head into my friends arm and wouldn't come out. It curled into a ball when I held it and I've found out that this is a defence mechanism for the animal. The Guinea pigs were still and didn't move a muscle while we held it and it was heartbreaking to watch. Some of the animals seemed fine and comfortable, such as the cats which roamed free throughout the cafe. I don't like endorsing animal cruelty so somehow I feel a bit apprehensive about this experience. 

Last shout out to the people at Carpe Noctem - the hostel we stayed at. Super helpful, friendly people. Would recommend if you're in Budapest. 

Next post will be in Prague!

Amy