SoulLyn
  • Home
  • Mind Body
  • Soul
    • Writing >
      • Categories >
        • - Thoughts
        • - Poems
        • - Fiction
        • - Travels
  • Contact

Budapest, Hungary

10/7/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture

There's something nostalgically mesmerizing about a city that contains so much history and timeless beauty. Without doing much research on the city or country itself, a "let's see how much we can explore and eat on a budget" unfolded two weeks before departure. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised with our findings. With our 3.5 days we decided to roam by foot and keep it simple.

Our days consisted of lots of coffee, lots of comfort food, lots and lots of walking, and some lounging in one of the most badass "hotels" I've had the pleasure of renting. 
​

Welcome to Budapest

Picture
- map by Stefan Mlynarcik
Budapest was created in 1873 by the merging of 3 cities: Buda, Óbuda and Pest. Before the destruction of WWII, there were 7 bridges that linked both sides of the city, more commonly known as "Buda" on the left and " Pest" on the right, over the Danube river bank. Only one survived the war.
The rest would later be rebuilt.
Just how old is the foundation and history that lies beneath the layers of architecture? Interestingly enough, traces of the first communities date back to the Stone Age. I believe this is why I felt the opposing sentiments and conflicting ancestral energies so heavily below my feet while roaming the streets.

I have never been someone who was very into history or even one who can remember many historical events, but for some reason I was enthralled by all that Budapest had to offer. Seeing as this city is quite the tourist spot, free history tour guides are easy to join and are 100% worth the time.

The Living Quarters

Picture


​Our hotel was practically our own apartment. We had everything we needed to live comfortably and then some. Pictures just don't do this place justice, but if you ever find yourself booking a trip to Budapest I highly recommend The Living Quarters. It is located in the inner city centre of "Pest", making it very easy to explore by foot. 

​The Living Quarters is part of "The Brody House Collection" which inspires "places to sleep, work or hang whether you’re in town for a one night wonder, business trip, city break, family visit or longer term residence", as quoted from their TripAdvisor description. We really enjoyed the low-key vibe their social club, The Workshop, had to offer and highly approve of their Manhattan & Old Fashion making skills!
Picture

Comfort Food

If you know anything about Budapest you know that paprika is in everything they cook or at least served on the side like salt, Goulash is their known specialty, and white wine and beer from the country are a must. We tried a different goulash everyday and our favorites were from Pécsi Sör Beer & Traditional Food and Kazimir Bisztró. The Chicken Paprikash, another well known Hungarian dish, from Frici Papa was also a favorite, but whatever you do, do not get the plate of noodles with sour cream and cottage cheese. Rookie mistake (based off a recommendation). I don't even like cottage cheese or sour cream. But hey, the generous pour of white wine made up for it!

St. Stephen's Basilica

The largest church in Hungary dedicated to Hungary's first king, St. Stephen

Controversial Memorial in Szabadság Square

Why so controversial? This "memorial" is to the German occupation of Hungary in 1944. Many say this contradicting monument tries to rewrite Hungary's involvement with the Holocaust in WWII by paying tribute to all the Jewish lives that were taken by the Nazi's, whom the Hungarian's allied with prior to Hitler's invasion. But the Hungarian's contributed to the violence and murders as well (read the museums section below to find out more) - To many, it is an insensible, false depiction, that whitewashes their involvement in the murders of the innocent Jewish lives that were brutally taken. The local's protests along the monument tell the truths on barbed wire.

Hungarian Parliament Building

Picture
This is easily the most break taking building in Budapest. It took 17 years to complete and sadly the Hungarian architect, Imre Steindl, who designed the Parliament died right before it's full opening in 1902. 
Picture
​
​


The Parliament is Hungary's largest building and the world's 3rd largest Parliament building.

It's Neo-Gothic inspiration was sculpted with 
precious limestone and 40 million bricks. It is dressed with 40kg of 22 karat gold and stands tall with it's 365 towers.

The Budapest Parliament is also home to one of Hungary's most precious jewels - St. Stephen's Holy Crown.
Picture

Monuments Surrounding The Parliament

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Lots of men on horses... I know.

Haunted Shoes Along The Danube River

Museums 

Upon careful consideration, we decided to visit these two: 
​
Terror Háza
- House of Terror -
&
Magyar Nemzeti Galéria
- Hungarian National Gallery -

House of Terror

I didn't take a lot of pictures of what we discovered inside of this museum. We were strictly asked not to. Usually, I do whatever I want but in this case I chose to be respectful and take it all in without any camera.

This museum is all about the German Nazi's,
the Hungarian (Nazi) Arrow Cross Party,
and the Russian Soviet Union.
​

The House of Terror was once home to the Arrow Cross Party and used to be called The House of Justice. Trust me, there was nothing just about what the Hungarian government was doing to these innocent Jewish people. The house was only occupied for a month and would later be taken over by the Soviet Army. 

We were advised to start from the 2nd floor and make our way down. When entering each room you were offered a full sheet worth of textbook history; Extremely informative, little exhausting, but definitely intriguing and worth each read, but what made the museum worth it was the final floor of the exhibit: the cellar.

The cellar was used as a prison torture chamber. Hundreds of innocent lives were murdered between these cold, concert, walls. The silent cries float along the dense air as you make your way through each prison cell.

If the memorabilia held on each floor wasn't disturbing enough
the cellar would be.

​

Hungarian National Gallery

Picture
On a lighter note! I introduce to you, art.
A whole bunch of it. Ranging from the 15th century to modern day.
We didn't get to thoroughly enjoy every exhibit but I think we did a good job..

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Sphinx
Picture
Earthly Paradise
Picture
Masque
Picture
Invisible Sleeping Woman, Horse, Lion
The Rotting Donkey
Picture
Summer of St. Michael
Picture
The Double Secret
Picture
Picture


Picture
Picture
Picture


Picture


Picture
Picture

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

Picture

Buzogánytorony - Mace Tower

Picture

The Széchenyi Chain Bridge

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

 Mátyás Church & Fisherman's Bastion

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

Cat Café

Picture
If I would have known this was legal (in some countries) I would have opened one up myself a long time ago! Yes, I am a crazy cat lady (lover of all animals). Yes, I loved every moment. It was a very respectful, calm, and peaceful environment. If you love cats, you will love this special café.
​

📍Cat Café Budapest ​
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

Food Truck Takeover

On our last day we happily stumbled across this food truck takeover in the streets. I love food and I love food trucks and this was a perfect way for us to end our visit. It's clear there is always something to do in this busy city!
Picture

We love you, Budapest..

Picture
All in all, this city is incredible. With so much to see and do, I cannot wait to go back and explore some more. The food and drinks are cheap and delicious. There are so many museums to choose from and plenty of stores to shop. Sadly, we missed the Ruin Bars which was on our list of places to visit, next time! And for us, the highly rated Thermal Baths were not our thing so we opted out of that experience.

​If you have any questions about the city, leave a comment below and I'll be sure to respond. Xx
Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Travels

    All
    Chicago
    Costa Rica
    Hungary
    Italy
    New Hampshire
    Spain
    Travels
    Van Life

    Picture

Home

Yoga

Blog

Contact

 SoulLyn © 2017
  • Home
  • Mind Body
  • Soul
    • Writing >
      • Categories >
        • - Thoughts
        • - Poems
        • - Fiction
        • - Travels
  • Contact