Europe Tour 2024 (Series Part 6)

(Part 6 of a Series)

Day 6 of the Tour
From being LSS'd with Scotty doesn't know! Scotty doesn't know! in Bratislava, we're scheduled to go to Budapest, Hungary!

Based on the planned itinerary, there's a lot to see and places to go to. We're also scheduled to have a Danube River cruise!

Today's an exciting day!

Landmark: Fisherman's Bastion
I didn't know anything about Fisherman's Bastion before arriving. From what DK told me, it's within the castle district and it has a church and a plaza. I remember it was drizzly and sad for us, we didn't bring an umbrella for this trip--or rather, we left the umbrella we bought from Frankfurt in our luggage. Bad choice on our part.

Reaching the Castle district requires quite a climb, but upon entering the Castle District we reach the Church of our Lady of Buda. It was also a Sunday so there's mass ongoing, we didn't go in the Church since there's very limited time and being touristy and taking pictures would be disrespectful. We were able to see the facade of the church. The door was elegant. After taking some photos from the front, we climbed up the Fisherman's Bastion and I took a photo of DK with the church in the background

The view of the Danube river is very different from what I saw in other countries.

But it's so cool to be able to see so far into the horizon, without any obstructions. Or tall buildings. Or billboards.

I really soaked in the view. Plus we were kinda soaked because it rained again. DK checked the nearby Starbucks if there's a city mug available for sale. Apparently this Starbucks doesn't sell them. They just sell coffee and food, no souvenirs.

And speaking of souvenirs, we didn't buy any. I can't recall exactly why but we found that we're looking at the same souvenirs everywhere we go: magnets, keychains, snow globes... Small trinkets that end up either: (a) unused; or (b) bulking up our luggage; or (c) getting damaged. Plus, the more unique souvenirs are those that take up too much space--or are too expensive. Or end up without a place to put in our home.

Either way, souvenirs or not, I'm glad we're able to take photos. And I'm happy I'm able to see Budapest.

We have very limited time so Sebastian (our tour guide) suggested to have lunch at Pest-Buda (yes, that's the name and there's a photo). I had chicken soup and a dish which I forgot what it's called but it has parmesan cheese and chicken and a lot of vegetables in it, cooked in some sort of tomato base.

I have very weak memory when it comes to names. Maybe it's because I don't pay much attention to names or what things are called unless they really spark my interest. Just like this dish. I remember how it tastes like, and I liked it, but for the life of me I can't even recall what it's called.

But I do remember that service in Pest-Buda was quick and excellent. The serving was generous and I'm actually thinking if each dish can be shared by two people. In this trip we always end up with leftovers. I feel guilty about the amount of leftover food I had on this trip.

Landmark: Heldenplatz

After the Castle District and Fisherman's Bastion, we made our way to Heldenplatz -- the Heroes' Square. It's dedicated to Hungary's heroes. It's a wide, open space with the heroes's monuments and statues. It was really clean, too.

A lot of tourists were in the area even when it was drizzling. Good thing that the rain stopped, too. Otherwise it would have been really hard to see since everywhere around the square was open space.

Danube River Cruise

After braving the wet and cold, we made our way to our hotel. We were given a few minutes to settle down, freshen up, and rest for a bit before we'll make our way to the river cruise and dinner.

We boarded a boat and there's a buffet. We were told that the buffet was specialized to our tour group because they prepared rice (finally!) in addition to the usual Hungarian dishes. The highlight dish is the goulash, which I can describe as a soupy stew of beef and vegetable in a tomato-based stock.

This cruise dinner was kind of a welcome break for us since we've been craving for rice even when it hasn't even been a week. I ate a lot on this dinner.

Also, it was raining, so we were made to spend most of the time indoors onboard the boat. They just told us to be careful if we want to risk going outside because it's raining, cold, wet, and dark.

I braved the rain, endured the cold, and faced the dark... So I can get the money shot of the Parliament Building, right here:

I was trying to take more photos but after a while it got really cold because I got wet so I had to go back in.

I capped the night with a serving of a fruit-based dessert. When the boat docked and we got off, we went straight to the bus and got back to the hotel.

It was an exciting day, indeed. It was rainy but I saw a lot of sights, learned a lot of things, too. One of them was that Magyar, one of the Hungarian languages, is one of the hardest languages to learn. Another trivia is that Budapest is the merging of Buda and Pest, which are two ancient cities divided by the river.

Other than that, I really felt the cold when I stood in the rain waiting to take a photo. Being wet and cold really hits different, especially since it's the first time I experienced it. Either way, I consider it a good experience.

And finally, I'll be able to say "This is just like Budapest all over again!"