Budapest, Hungary, 2013 – Remembering the Old Times

2013 was a year when we visited Budapest a lot of times. However, there is one trip to the Hungarian capital that we value more than the others. The trip took place in the beginning of April and it was the first weekend trip we did together, just the two of us. In other words, it was the first trip of a lot to come and we went to one city that is one of our favorites – Budapest.

It is always nice to spend some time remembering the old times when we were living in Bratislava. Well, it’s not so long ago, but it all occurred when living in another country and so much has since changed. Bratislava has been replaced with Stockholm. Instead of girlfriend and boyfriend, we are now wife and husband as well as much more. The trip to Budapest in spring 2013 really is something we like to remember.

Arriving in Budapest

We took the bus a Friday evening after work from the bus station in Bratislava to the Népliget bus station in Budapest. As we arrived quite late, we directly headed towards our accommodation for the weekend. We had booked a room at the Lavender Circus Hostel, in the museum quarter. The hostel is one of those that has left a mark in our memories, mostly due to its oddness. Upon arrival, we were at once offered a shot of the hostel’s own pálinka and a glass of wine while waiting for the staff member to finish the paperwork. Pálinka is a traditional fruit brandy, I think the one we had was made of apricot. And it was surprisingly tasty! The decorations were a mishmash of things bolted on the walls and we can just state that it had a very special character.

A Long Walk

How to spend a day in Budapest? Wherever we go, we tend to take long walks to enjoy the view. This time was no exception and we started off by walking across the Danube towards Gellért hill where the Liberty Statue stands looking over the city. After passing the Gellért Thermal Bath we finally started to climb the hill to finally reach the Citadella on the top. This hill really is a great place for taking photos over the Danube river and the landmarks along its shores. From the Citadella we continued to the next hill where the Buda Castle is located. Who can complain about having a walk among sights like these?

Thermal Bath – Rudas Gyógyfürdő

In the evening it was time to visit one of the things that Budapest is so famous for – the thermal baths. Our choice was the Rudas Thermal Bath on the Buda side of the Danube river. This is one of the smaller baths, but it was within walking distance from our hostel. It turned out to be really cozy and we didn’t need to worry about it being crowded. Actually, this bath is really old. It was established as early as the 16th century, during the time of the Turkish occupation. It was at the same time a bit cheaper than the more famous baths such as Gellért.

Back to Bratislava

After a nice weekend, Sunday arrived and we had to leave Budapest for this time. We had quite some time before our bus left, so after enjoying the center for a short walk, it was time for a longer walk. With the help of a map, we started to walk towards the Népliget bus station. We had hoped to be able to see something along the road. Sadly, it was mostly residential buildings and nothing much to see. Well, now we know.