Train or Bus?

Our Bratislava trip ended on a good note. We had a lovely Uber driver who knew very well to double check our departing station. He explained that there were two stations in totally different places, and one is for the trains and one is for buses. For the most part the train and bus stations have been in the same places or within walking distance. He told us many people make mistakes and end up in the wrong spot. Andre had entered our destination as the train station. I looked at him with my OCD face. I repeatedly have to check times and dates and locations of transport when I travel, but I haven’t been able to engage in this behaviour since Andre’s been doing all the bookings and the emails go to him. I asked, “Are you sure it’s a train and not a bus?” This actually happened to us in Antwerp. We got to the station and our train time wasn’t listed on the board… because we were meant to catch a bus. Lucky, in this case, the buses were right out front of the train station so it was all good. Andre pulled up our ticket and upon further inspection it was a bus. To be fair, the teeny little icon for train and bus don’t look all that different on an iPhone. Our guy rerouted us with a smile. After that our bus ended up being 45 minutes late, so even had we ended up at the wrong spot we would have made it with plenty of time.

I’m Sorry, I Didn’t Quite Hear you

We stayed in a tiny place in the old Jewish Quarter (District Vll) which was very lively. That’s code for loud. Our balcony faced an open common space which the locals really enjoy. We were six stories up but heard almost every conversation because people here LOVE to shout. It was like being at a Banks family reunion. We actually really enjoyed it. As we do a Banks family reunion. The people are passionate and if they have something to say you’re going to hear it. It was entertaining to watch and kept us smiling.

But it’s all fun and games until someone gets punched in the face, which almost happened one night a few blocks away as we were having dinner. Some completely sober gentlemen were having what I’m sure was some type of scholarly debate, and it went on for a very long time. To Andre’s irritation they were partially blocking the entrance of a liquor store he just had to go to. As we sat at our table waiting for dinner he decided to take a quick nip over to look for some Bailey’s for his coffee despite the intense conversation and posturing. Nothing stands between Andre and his breakfast coffee. He joyfully returned with bottle in hand.

Too Far?

I may have gotten a bit ambitious with my latest Google Maps Tour. I gave Andre fair warning that it would be about 13 kilometers and he agreed. We were staying on the Pest side. My tour started on the Buda side and worked its way back to Hero’s Square, which was close to our accommodation.

It was 32 degrees and by the time we crossed the Elizabeth Bridge to officially start the tour we had already walked over 3 kilometers. You get a beautiful view of the Freedom Statue as you cross the bridge and as you can see it’s a long way up.

I heard it was about a 30 minute walk. After climbing the steps to the top of the Gerard of Csanád Monument we exchanged a look that silently said there was no way in hell we were prepared to hike up to the Citadella. The next stops included the Castle Garden Bazaar, Fisherman’s Bastion, Parliament, crossing the Chain Bridge, Shoes on the Danube Bank, the hunt for mini sculptures, and a statue of Columbo. Yes, Columbo. I’ll get to that.

Fisherman’s Bastion is a beautiful lookout point but it was packed with tourists. Even though it is nearing the end of high season, it is clearly still high season. I snapped a few picks (you get a great view of the parliament building) and we got the heck out of there.

Since there were so many people out, it was a great opportunity to people watch. One of my favorites was an older gentleman with his dog that had obviously been around a number of years as well. I loved his bedazzled shawl (the dog’s not the man’s). This little pooch had a hard time walking and at one point just threw on the brakes. I swear to god that when the guy looked back at him that dog gave him the most deadly human glare I’ve seen. The look said, “You can dress me up in this bullshit Liberace ensemble, but I refuse to walk another step… and you will carry me.” The showdown was fantastic.

Shoes on the Danube Bank

This is a memorial to the hundreds of Jews who lost their lives as a result of the atrocities committed by Budapest’s Arrow Cross militiamen during the Second World War. Jews in Budapest were rounded up on the banks before being shot into the water which would then carry them away. They were regularly forced to remove their shoes as these were a valuable commodity during the war.

This memorial is one of the most moving I’ve ever seen. It is beautifully simplistic with just 16 pairs of iron shoes facing the river. It is incredible how looking at something as ordinary as shoes can elicit so much emotion. You can visualize the moment and I found it very overwhelming. It was interesting to see that most tourists did not read the information about the memorial and simply thought it was an art installation. Many took selfies, some putting their foot into a shoe. It’s unfortunate that they missed the opportunity to understand the meaning of this art and reflect on it. 

After this, we decided to take a short break and grab a drink. I was desperate for an Aperol Spritz! By this point I was feeling a bit spent but I wanted to find at least one of the mini sculptures that I read about which are hidden around the city. At the top of my list was one of Lisa Simpson. I needed this for my friend Carol. A short stroll from our pit stop and there she was. Tied to a poll. I have no explanation.

My tour concluded with a statue of Columbo. It is rumored that Peter Falk was related to the 19th-century Hungarian writer and political figure Miksa Falk, (although this has never been proven) so they decided to put up a statue of him. He is there with his dog and nearby is a dead rodent, gun in hand, as part of a murder mystery scenario?

In total we covered 14.5 kilometers and put in 23,000 steps. Andre accused me of trying to kill him.

St. Stephan’s Day

On our last day we decided to check out Hero’s Square since we cut it out of the formal tour. Something was happening and I’m not sure what. I couldn’t find any information but a massive section of this enormous park was blocked off and there was a ton of work being done. Things were being dug up and there were at least half a dozen cranes. It was a Monday, yet nobody was working on whatever this project was. As we strolled deeper into the park we heard music and eventually came upon a stage area with food and beverage stands and a mini carnival type area with rides and games. Turns out that it was part of the St. Stephan’s Day celebrations.

According to visitbudapest.travel, August 20th is the greatest national holiday for Hungarians, celebrated with day-long festivities followed by spectacular fireworks throughout the country. August 20th commemorates the foundation of the Hungarian state, it’s like Hungary’s 4th of July. Also called as St. Stephen’s Day, remembering Stephen I, the first king of Hungary and founder of the Kingdom of Hungary, who was canonized on August 20th, 1083 by Pope Gregory VII.

It was August 19th so I guess they celebrate over both days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buda vs. Pest

We chose to stay in Pest because we had read that this is the place where everything was happening. It certainly did seem that everything was happening, and without any public toilets in sight. Many streets in Pest smelled like a urinal. This is harsh, but it’s true. Pest was quite run down and you definitely notice that there is a serious poverty issue. When we walked through Hero’s Square we saw a little tent city and when we walked down the main streets we saw a lot of people who looked like they lived well below the poverty line. From what we saw of Buda, it was way more aesthetically pleasing. Although both sides have beautiful architecture Buda’s residential areas are generally much cleaner and well maintained and it is quieter in the evenings away from the main tourist areas. We spent our evenings close to home so I can’t say what the restaurants were like in Buda but in Pest they were very underwhelming. We went to dinner our last night at a place called Paprika. We had popped in the night before but couldn’t get in without a reservation. This was exciting because our food experience up to this point was terrible. The fact that this place was always busy must be a great sign, right? We went with the suggestions of the waiter, but alas the Hungarian cuisine was just okay. I was missing my Greek pita with fries inside! I’m excited to see what the food is like in Croatia.

46 days in…

Zagreb is up next.