Day 5 - Budapest (21 June 2019)

Hungry is a beautiful country with an interesting past!  On the drive to Budapest, I learned all about their heritage, and how it is kind of worlds apart from the other European countries surrounding it. 

They say that Budapest is the last of the Alps. Specifically, the Buda side. There were two different cities, and they united to become one, with the Danube River running through the middle. Buda, the side with the hills, and Pest, the flatter side. 

I always enjoy finding the pulse of the city, and I think it is probably in their paprika dishes and embroidered clothing, sprinkle in some architecture, and Voilà!  You’ve got the country of Hungry. 















It’s a bigger city than I imagined, but I really like all it has to offer. When we first arrived, we drove to Pest and tried to find a (nonexistent) parking garage. After pulling money from the ATM, we finally found a parking spot close to Matthias Church. 

I loved the tiled roof and the painted walls and ceilings inside!





















There was a part that showed how they created stencils for the church, and then painted the walls, and ceilings. Holy smokes, it was still a lot of work. However, the effect was hworth it!









































After our visit, we walked out to a gorgeous area that had a stunning view. 











Did you know Houdini was from Hungry?  Me neither!



Tyler took the van and kiddos down to the bottom of the hill while Laura and I went to discover the grounds of the palace.  A lot has been rebuild, but it’s still impressive!





















We took our time walking down from the palace. Both the architecture and the view were fabulous!

















We got back in the van to drive across the River and eventually found our hotel.   The traffic allowed for me to take a decent amount of photos, starting with the Chain Bridge and worked our way through some of the center of town. A few are of the apartment building where we are staying, and our view from the top floor. 





















We saw some impressive architecture both on our way to the restaurant, and walking back to the apartment.



















 We had dinner at a traditional Hungarian restaurant. I had a plate of Hungarian noodles and Beef goulash dish. It wasn’t a stew, but it tasted fairly similar to the paprika flavorings of the traditional dish.  Mixed with Pīña Colada ice cream, and lining up their colorful money to take a picture,  it was a pleasant day and evening!











We explored more of Buda today, but Pest is on the agenda for tomorrow. There are so many interesting things to learn about a country and culture that is so different from my own. Here’s to another day of exploring a magnificent city!



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