BUDAPEST, HUNGARY

Our September 4-day weekend brought us to Budapest and Bratislava. The first stop was to Budapest [sounds like Budapesh]. We arrived by plane and took a taxi to our hotel, Hotel Central Basilica, which is located on the Pest side of the city. Our hotel was right next to the basilica and right across from the Jewish Quarter, which is a great area to eat and go out.

We arrived in the afternoon, and after grabbing a quick bite to eat we headed out to meet our tour guide for our pub tour [to visit the well known ruin pubs]. We found Budapest Free Walking Tours. They do pub tours and city tours. We met in Vorosmarty square and headed on our way. The tour brought us by the hotel where Michael Jackson stayed when he was in town and to a few other sights. Then we headed to our first pub.

We visited about 5 pubs. The first was Wichmann Kocsma. It was a great local pub, but it was small and filled up fast. We tasted their traditional fruit brandy, palinka, and then headed to the next pub.

From there we stopped at several ruin pubs. These are Hungarian bars that opened in abandoned factory buildings, garages, or homes. Most are in the Jewish District [district VII]. We stopped at Ellato Kert, Fogashaz, Szimpla Kert, and a few others. It was a great tour, especially because we wouldn't have found some of them on our own. Our guide was also a lot of fun!

The next morning we got up and headed to the other walking tour that the same Free Walking Tour company provided. The tour brought us all around the city, both on the Buda side and the Pest side. It was a nice and informative tour, but there was still a lot left to see! I had been to Budapest several years ago, so after the tour I took PJ to a few other places that I thought were worth seeing. We didn't have too much time, as we were off to Bratislava next.

St. Stephen's Basilica

Budapest Eye

Budapest Eye

Rub the knees for luck!

Erzsébet tér

Market stalls

Matthias Church

Matthias Church

Fisherman's Bastion

Széchenyi Chain Bridge

Széchenyi Chain Bridge

Danube Jewish Memorial

Danube Jewish Memorial

Kossuth Square massacre memorial

parliament building - changing of the guards

Ronald Reagan Statue

Communist Monument

House of Terror

House of Terror - one of my favorite museums!

Dohány Utcai Zsinagóga

Comfy on the train

From the train

If I ever get back there I am going to add a visit to the baths. We didn't have enough time on this trip, but I think it is a must do. 
- Szechenyi Bath, Gellert Bath, Lukacs Bath, Kiraly Turkish Bath, Rudas Turkish Bath.

Also, we learned not to say "thank you" in a bar or restaurant before getting your change back. If you do it means "keep the change".