August 27 – Day 44
Today we got the train from Brasov to Budapest, which took up most of the day. When we arrived, we needed to get a trolley bus to our hostel. The driver didn’t speak any English, and it didn’t seem like you could buy tickets from him. He eventually told us to just get on, and we made it to our stop without being checked for tickets. It was a long, uneventful day.
August 28 – Day 45
Simone was feeling sick today, so I just explored Pest a bit, but didn’t go in to anything. I walked to the basilica, then on to the centre of town. Next I saw the Synagogue, and kept walking until I reached the Danube. From the Pest side, there are great views of the Castle District and Gellert Hill (both of which are on the Buda side). I went back to the hostel to see how Simone was going, and she felt up to a hungarian lunch, so we went to a local restaurant. I had a delicious meal – Chicken with Spinach and Ewes cheese. In the afternoon I wandered a little bit more, exploring the streets. Budapest (Pest, at least) is a great city to explore on foot. There are lots of beautiful old buildings, particularly on and around Andrassy Ut.
August 29 – Day 46
Simone felt a bit better today, so we started the day with a city tour. The bus was packed and the audio didn’t really work, so we got off at the castle district stop for a break and a look around. The most impressive feature of the castle district is The Fisherman’s Bastion, which looks like a limestone castle. It’s a real shame about the Hilton hotel on Castle Hill – it is very ugly, and really stands out. The huge panels of gold reflective glass don’t really fit with the rest of the architecture of the area. Next we went and had a look at the palace, which is also in the castle district, and had some more of the delicious spiral bread we had in Bran. Castle hill offers great views over the Pest side of the city, including the Parliament building, my favourite piece of architecture in the city. Next we headed to Gellert Hill, which is next to Castle Hill, also overlooking the city. The weather was turning bad pretty quickly, so we headed into the Citadel, and found the waxworks museum. There wasn’t much to see in the waxworks, but the museum is located in a WWII bunker, which was in spookily original and seemingly untouched condition. After looking at some very graphic photos in the cells of the bunker, we were ready for some fresh air. The Citadel also offers some great views over the city, but it is not really worth paying to go in (in my opinion). We headed back into the middle of town, and found out that Budapest dies at midday on Saturday. Everything was closed or closing, including the City Market, which we were hoping to see. Luckily, we were able to find a place where we could make our train reservations. Simone wasn’t feeling too good, so we spent the rest of the day at the hostel, then drinks and dinner.
August 30 – Day 47
Simone felt sick again today, and is now on antibiotics fighting a sinus infection. I left her sleeping (after adequate care was given), and explored the rest of Andrassy Ut. It is a great street to walk along, it is lined with trees, and has lots of interesting things to see. I had a quick look at the Opera House, before heading to the House of Terror, which I had heard was a must see. It is now a museum, but was the HQ of the Hungarian Nazis, followed by the communist terror organisations, the AVO and the AVH. Walking into the exhibition, there is a tank on display, with a huge wall of faces behind it. The faces are of victims of the various occupiers of the building – this sent shivers down my spine. You start on the top floor, and work your way through the exhibition to the cellar, which was very spooky. Seeing the torture rooms and the tiny punishment cell, in the gloomy light was horrible, but nothing compared to what it would have been like. Towards the end of the exhibition is The Hall of Tears, a large dark room full of crosses, with the names of victims on the walls. It was very moving, and although I know very little of Hungary’s history, or involvement in war, I could only stay for a minute before moving on. The final hallway, towards the exit, is covered in names and faces of the victimisers, many of whom are still alive. For me, the House of Terror was the highlight in Budapest. I am not normally one for museums, but it is so well presented, and so horrific that it should be missed. After the House of Terror, I kept walking to the city park, and Hosok Tere, where the tomb of the unknown soldier is. After looking around the square, I headed back along Andrassy Ut, towards the hostel. On the way back I got some supplies for the train, then we packed and went to bed in preparation for our 4:30am start.