autumn in budapest - day 4 in pictures [2]

autumn in budapest - day 4 in pictures [1]

autumn in budapest - day 3

the third day wasn't that much about running around the city and ticking the most important monuments or buildings. our legs and feet were screaming for mercy so we decided on a more relaxed pace. we intended to start with a local food market next to the moszkva ter, but ended up in the biggest commercial centre (arkadia-style) called mammut. it wasn't too inviting as - like in most shops around - it lacked good air conditioning, so when we spotted a nice-looking kilimanjaro bar in the centre's distant and quiet corner, we stayed there for more than one refreshing drink (the number of mojitos exceeded our initial plans as we decided to cover the extra zero in tip amount typed into the credit card terminal with drinks).

when we left the mojito bar it was impossible to find the market, so we wandered around the moszkva ter, spotted a cultural centre similar to fabryka trzciny and eventually took the metro to the pest side. there we went for lunch to a pretty bourgeois restaurant just next to the parliament house called biarritz, serving incredibly delicious, imaginative and abundant food. when we left, happy with the food and a bottle of tokay for two, we decided to return to the castle hill on the buda side. after dawn it's wonderfully lit with lights that emphasize the rich architecture and hilly landscape. we sat for a coffee in miro bar and then took a walk to the halaszbastya. there, next to an anti-government political gathering, kamil surprised me with the most beautiful gift, asking me to be his forever and offering me a lovely ring (obviously accepted!). no doubt, it was the top moment of the evening (if not the whole trip) so afterwards, without investigating too much into the manifestation, we just walked down the hill and took the train back to our hotel.

autumn in budapest - day 2

our second day in budapest was a hardcore tourist one. equipped with two book guides, three maps and blessed with fantastic weather we started from visiting the buda old town. having climbed our way up the hill (the funiculare is under conservation works), we visited a small market, bought a cherry-peppers necklace there and stopped in a stylish empire-style ruszwurm cukraszdak for an exquisite pie and cafe (and beer). in total awe, i kept shooting almost every wall and entrace door (some of which will soon appear on the blog) of the beautiful old town as well as the reflections of st. matthias church in the hilton hotel's windows. the old town looked almost abadoned, as you would expect crazy crowds in such a pretty area. but instead there were only some moderate groups of german octogenarians and a few american students - charms of the low season.

for dinner we went down the castle hill to a pancake bar and then crossed the duna river along the szechenyi lanchid (chain bridge) to the pest side. pest - from the river banks to the monumental architecture, original cafes and pretty avenues - indeed resembles paris. obviously it's less glamorous and artsy but also not so expensive and perhaps slightly more open to foreigners who won't even bother twisting their tongues on the local language. actually, i've only once had the courage to say 'koszonom' instead of 'thanks' and yet wasn't understood, so it really helps that most people in shops or cafes know some english.

in the afternoon, after a dinner in a very nice local low-key bar in the jewish district and two stops in pubs, we went to see what the protests in front of the parliament look like. there actually was a crowd of people with small hungarian flags wrapped around their arms, singing what could have been the national anthem and placing candles and flowers on the barriers separating them from the parliament building, panels commemorating year 1956 and a row of policemen. the policemen probably twice outnumbered the protestants. as we later saw on tv the crowd was eventually forced to leave the lajos kossuth square since they didn't have the permission to gather there.

we walked back home along the margit bridge and to the city train that took us to the hotel. after a few minutes of staring at the tv screen (some local news, some vh1 and bbc prime plus a totally amazing local soft-porn programme) i was fast asleep.

autumn in budapest - day 2 in pictures [4]

autumn in budapest - day 2 in pictures [3]

autumn in budapest - day 2 in pictures [2]

autumn in budapest - day 2 in pictures [1]

autumn in budapest - day 1

we arrived in budapest on 26.10. but since the flight was over 2 hours delayed and the budapest airport couldn't possibly have been more remote from the hotel we booked for our stay, before we got to our room and could start feeling that the holiday has begun, it was already dark and late, so all we did was take a shower and numb ourselves to sleep zapping through local tv channels. first impressions? the city transport may be quite dense but adding names of the stops in some visible places could be of help. the lack of it added some extra hour to our trip from the airport, not to mention a few angry words. fortunately the hotel is nice, clean and cosy and once you fall asleep (and remeber to turn off the extreme heating) you sleep like a log and wake up fresh. tbc.

...

♪

yesterday my grandma died. peacefully and without much pain. when i visited her at 3 p.m. i still hoped to see her with my brother the next day, but 3 hours later she was gone forever. she was a kind, strong and loving person. i will always love her.

dry

scanned from a contact print
model: clanah