Budapest

                                           

                                                   

 

                                                                                                               


Budapest was a city which was recommended by our daughter , she said from the moment she went two years ago..."mum you must visit Budapest you and Dad will love it"

And finally we popped it into our 'places to visit ' list.  The reason it's taken sooooo long for us to visit Budapest is , well to be honest our gradual dislike for flying, no im not scared, it's all the hustle
and bustle of the airports, too many people rushing around, not a lot of calm, and as We've gotton  older Simplicity is key, for both Mr P and myself, it really resignated with us on our camper van trip, the simple life from start to finish of your journey.... but unfortunately if you want to visit somewhere quickly, flying is key.  So we thought we would try a smaller airport, and went for  Southend Airport
And we were not disappointed, it really was easy from check in to boarding, so if like me you get a little anxious when traveling go for a smaller airport.

                                               

      

Well  I digress , so I also decided to find our own accommodation as didn't want a hotel, and having used Airbnb a few times in the uk, I felt confident to book somewhere abroad, I highly recommend them, from the ease of the website, through to the contact with the accommodation owners. Once we settled on a place I always do lots of research, looking at most of the reviews, and doing a little  search on the Internet of the area, and surroundings. Then it's simple, book it and pay.  Something Mr  P & I noticed was how cheap everything is, our lovely modern apartment cost us £36 per night, which was amazing, and our flights were with Ryanair, costing £79 return, A bargain for a long weekend break.

We decided on our holiday home in an area not far from the station called
szondi utca it was very central to most attractions, which enabled us to walk .  Our taste is simplicity, scandi , modern, which upon arrival clearly ticked all our boxes.      


                                                             

      

   

 

We unpacked and made our way to a local supermarket to stock up on some essentials, we love doing our own thing so always get some brekkie bits and snacks to keep us going on our travels.
Then once we were really settled in...

                                           

       

     

Let the adventures begin....
Now we always buy a travel guide when we go on weekend breaks, one they are so informative and two they are lovely to keep, pop on your book case and reminisce about previous travels. We have got our little collection now and started with an Amsterdam guide from Eyewitness travel
Which my dad gave us. So we have continued to collect them. They always have a little pullout map  which is really useful.

So we went for a little walk into the main city centre on our first evening where we found a little restaurant, an all you can eat place for a set amount, which was lovely as it meant we could try some
Hungarian delights, and decide what we liked and disliked, well to be honest it was mainly like...we

are foodies after all. And Mr P throughly enjoyed this concept.
 

Our official day one, we decided to Go up into the hills, Budapest is split into two, Buda & Pest,
We caught a tram upto the Buda Hills, where we got the cable car right to the top, the views were
stunning, you can see miles and miles across Budapest city, it's simply stunning...we were so lucky as.   the weather was beautiful, especially for October, I highly recommend this time of year, or spring time when it's not too hot, for doing the whole touristy thing.
                                                     



                                             
We reached the destination at the top where there was a little cafe for tea cake and ice cream on a hot day.  We continued to the top where there is a beautiful old tower ruins, you can climb to the top and the views are spectacular...right across Budapest, we were so fortunate to have such gorgeous weather, you can see for miles.  




           

   

After taking loads of piccies we ventured down the steep and winding pathway, amidst lots of green woods.  The cable car was sitting and waiting for us, to venture down another scenic journey.


We decided to visit the lovely Margaret_Island which did not disappoint, it's a large oak with a dancing fountain, to music, I was totally mesmerised for ,which felt like ages.

So then the fun began, Mr P & I hired a canopy bike,well I'm not exactly sure what they are called to be honest but we simply laughed all the way round he park, think Mr P thought he was on a Grand Prix track.

   

   

We then decided to take a stroll around Budapest,simply walking and discovering little hidden gems, stopping for a cuppa and people watch, finding little book stalls, and even bumped into mr Columbo himself...

The Danube River runs through Budapest, with fabulous bridges connecting Buda & Pest.
We ended day one on the Ferris wheel where we once again saw magical views over this city we already fallen in love with. To top it all we were given the gift of the most perfect sunset whilst

travelling around on the wheel.

  

Walking back to our apartment we decided , seeing as we had walked, walked and walked we deserved a nighttime snack...soooooo

Well just look at them,
Street cakes

  

  

The next morning we decided to have a walk around the local area then make our way to somewhere that I was rather excited to see, our travel guide recommended it as did our daughter, we knew it would be our little treat as we're told it was fairly expensive.  When we arrived we also knew there would be a queue, it wasn't too bad to be honest, we both knew the wait would be worth it, and Wow,
it certainly was...


The New York Cafe is classed as the most beautiful cafe in the world...that's a huge statement, but to be honest I would totally agree.  From the moment we stepped inside the opulence of the architecture is so apparent. You instantly felt as though you were inside Disneys Beauty & The Beast.
We were served our afternoon with a side of Hungarian Goulash, absolutely taste heaven. And of course I had to have a glass of pink champagne, it would be rude not to.

 

 

After the extravagance of such an amazing place we decided to stroll around the city, where we took
in the stunning architecture and quirky buildings, with hidden church's & quaint shops.  We happened upon a rustic style building leading to a market, it was really lovely , kinda like a flea market in an abandon warehouse. With a theme, and can you believe it today's theme was ....Dogs, couldn't be more apt for us, so after a few poochie meetings, getting our fur baby cuddles in, we strolled back to our apartment, passing more amazing buildings.

We had already planned our last day, as we knew we had to vacate our fab apartment by 11am, and our flights were not till 8.30pm, so we had booked in to one of the various spas, a little tip do this before you travel, they get extremely busy months in advance.
So we chose the spa nearest our morning adventure

 Budapest Zoo & Botanical gardens
And were we in for a treat... I can't even explain how beautiful this zoo is, it's also full of glorious colour, with flowers and plants in abundanc. Then when you start to see the animals nestled in there homes, you realise that Budapest clearly love them.  Their homes were  architectural delights as in the city. And they don't seem to worry about health and safety , we got sooo close to the animals, it was incredible,we particularly loved the elephants, a family of Mum,Dad,and baby, being rather vocal for their audience. Such an incredible moment.

Then after lunch we made our way to the local spa. Now Hungarians take the whole spa experience rather serious, once again the  Szechenyi Baths didn't disappoint on the architecture department, its absolutely stunning, and to say we felt relaxed is an understatement, it was simply what was needed after a busy weekend of adventure.  The photos tell the story.

So then off to the airport we went.
To summarise our trip to Budapest will hopefully Not be our last. We made some incredible memories, met some lovely locals, eat lots of local delights, and walked, walked and walked around the glorious city.


Budapest We Love You thankyou 💋