Grad Trip Day 16 & 17: Budapest, Hungary

DAY 16: 3 JUNE 2014

We woke up early today to grab sandwiches and pizzas for our long train ride to Budapest.

Last evening, we took a walk to the Zagreb railway station to purchase the tickets.

Before embarking on our trip, we went online to search for the timetable.

There was an option to purchase online, however, we decided to get it when we

arrive in Zagreb as it was less of a hassle.

Each ticket costs S$52 and it was a 6.5 hour train ride to Budapest.

A passport check was carried out due to border crossing, so just remember to place

your passport somewhere convenient to retrieve.

We finally arrived in Budapest-Deli station at around 4.30pm.

We went straight to a money changer to exchange for Hungarian forint.

Thereafter, we purchased a 10-pieces discount coupon book from the 

metro ticketing office for 3000 ft, which is valid for both metro and tram rides.

You are required to validate your ticket each time you use them.

So we took the metro to Nyugati station and took a 10 minutes walk to our airbnb.

We met up with our host who introduced restaurants where locals often patronise

and key attractions to visit.

The apartment was really simple and cozy, and it was really cheap!

After settling down, we decided to take a stroll along Dunabe river.

Parliament building

The parliament building was one of the many buildings located along the Dunabe river.

The Buda castle could be seen too, on the other side of the river.

Shoes on the Dunabe

Another site that we chanced upon was the Jewish shoes.

This memorial was created to honour the Jews who were killed by fascist

Arrow Cross militiamen in Budapest during WWII.

They were ordered to remove their shoes and were shot at the edge of the water so that

their bodies fell into the river and were carried away.

This re-creation represents the shoes left behind on the bank.

We turned into one of the lanes to get to St. Stephen's basilica.

We didn't get to enter as there was an event ongoing.

It would have been nice to be able to view its interior though.

St. Stephen's Basilica

When we were at the square, Michelle remembered that the famous gelato shop

was around the corner.

The shop, Gelarto Rosa, is a little different from those we commonly see in Europe.

This particular shop scoops the gelato into shapes of rose petal to form a rose gelato!

There were many options available, ranging from one to four flavours.

Michelle and I went for four flavours which costs 700 ft.

The gelato looks good and tastes really yummy too!

We came back the next day to satisfy our cravings again and to try out other flavours!

After getting our gelato fix, we continued to walk around in the Pest side before

going for dinner.

Hungarian State Opera House

It was time for dinner, and Michelle brought me to a restaurant which she dined at

during her first visit to Budapest.

I can't remember the name of the bistro, but the prices were really affordable!

Goulash soup with bread

Hungarian dumplings with chicken

Michelle and I shared a pot of goulash soup and Hungarian dumplings.

Both dishes were really good, and the texture of the dumplings were spot on.

We ordered two fruity beers to go with our food too.

I still prefer the normal beer though.

So after dinner, we decided to take a stroll along the river before heading back to our apartment.

The scenery at night was really lovely.

Szechenyi bridge

Fisherman's Bastion

I really like how the buildings were standing out in the night sky, 

especially the Fisherman's Bastion.

Parliament building

We went back to our apartment to get some sleep before embarking on a full

day adventure at the Buda side tomorrow.

Loved my first day in Budapest even though I had only been there for a couple of hours.

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DAY 17: 4 JUNE 2014
There were many sights lined up for today's exploration.
We planned our route the night before to fully use our coupon tickets.
Heroes' Square was our first stop of the day.
We took metro line M3 to Deak Ferenc ter, followed by a transfer to line M1
in order to get to Hosok tere.

Heroes' Square is one of the major squares in Budapest, and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It is noted for its iconic statue complex featuring the Seven Chieftains of the Magyars

and other important national leaders.

We spent some time admiring the statues all around the square before walking to a

nearby park, Varosliget.

Varosliget

If I am not wrong, this pond will turn into an ice skating rink during winter.

These are the little things that make me wish for four seasons in Singapore.

We left the park shortly after arriving to explore the Buda side.

We took the metro to the Moszkva ter stop and then walked up the hill in order

to get to Fisherman's Bastion.

Michelle saved offline google maps in her phone, and we used it to find our way there.

Fisherman's Bastion

We finally arrived at Fisherman's Bastion after some effort.

My first impression of this place was that it was so medieval like, and it feels as

though I am in a fairytale land!

Fisherman's Bastion is a neo-Gothic and neo-Romanesque style terrace and

rampart situated on the Castle hill in Buda.

The seven towers represent the seven Magyar tribes that settled in the Carpathian Basin in 896.

The Bastion takes it name from the guild of fishermen that was responsible for 

defending this stretch of city walls.

View of the Dunabe River from the Fisherman's Bastion

Matthias Church

We spent close to an hour taking in the lovely scenery and architecture.

Thereafter, we proceeded to our next sight was the Buda castle.

Changing of the guards ceremony

On our way there, I spotted some guards marching outside the Presidential Palace,

and I knew it would be the changing of guards ceremony.

It was definitely different from the one I have seen in Seoul, which was of a bigger scale.

But do have a look if you are visiting the Buda castle.

It happens daily at every hour, from 8.30am to 5pm.

Buda Castle

There were many viewing points along the Buda Castle Hill.

You could easily spot the Parliament Building and Szechenyi bridge from there.

Szechenyi Bridge

After strolling around the castle district, we decided to head back to the Pest side

and get our last rose gelato in Budapest.

We thought of taking the boat taxi across the river, however, we were told by the

staff that the ticket we bought was not valid.

In the end, we decided to walk across the Szechenyi bridge to get back to the Pest side.

Walking on Szechenyi bridge

We decided to have dinner right after our gelato fix.
And this time, we tried out our host's recommendation, which was a restaurant
located just three minutes away from our apartment.
I didn't note down the restaurant name again...
But the food there was really delicious.

Beef goulash with dumplings

I had this together with beer and it was so delicious!

The portions were really generous and Michelle had to pack hers back because

she couldn't finish hers.

Our dinner bill came up to S$24 for the both of us, which includes two mains and drinks.

That marks the end of our time in Budapest.

I love this city, and I will definitely return when I do an Eastern Europe trip in future.