Bumpin' Through Budapest, Hungary

Friday, November 7: Travel to Budapest

With Katie and I both working regular workdays before our 5:45 pm flight out of Sevilla, it took some clandestine operations for me to sneak out the back door before the close of business to make our flight on time.

Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport: Budapest Liszt Ferenc Nemzetközi Repülőtér

Following a two-hour layover in Milan, we landed in Budapest just shortly after midnight. I'll take these late-night arrivals over the overnight layovers, sleeping on a restaurant booth any day of the week.

Vagabond Grand'Or

We made it to our "apartment" around 12:45 am, and I must say I was very impressed with the location and the size! This was arguably one of the largest places we've stayed and wasn't even close to being one of the most expensive! I have to give a shoutout to Katie for always finding us great accommodations, but she definitely killed it with this one.

Saturday, November 8: Walking Tour & Night Cruise

Blue Bird Roastery

With our walking tour scheduled at 11 am, it allowed Katie and I the opportunity to sleep in a bit before searching for caffeine and sustenance. At Blue Bird Roastery, we shared a bacon, egg, and avocado bagel and shakshuka.

St. Stephen's Basilica: Szent István Bazilika

At 11 am, we met our tour guide, Robert, for our two-hour free walking tour of Budapest. It was a bit hectic at our first stop, St. Stephen's Basilica, because the city of Budapest is gearing up for its Christmas markets to open very soon! There was construction all over the place as numerous teams were constructing and preparing market stalls all around the city. It's almost the most wonderful time of the year!

We learned that St. Stephen's Basilica is named after Stephen I, the first king of Hungary from 1000-1038. Stephen is known for uniting the seven tribes of Hungary and converting them to Christianity (this is his miracle, which led to his canonization).

Construction for the basilica began in 1851 and was eventually completed in 1905; the basilica is the resting place of the mummified hand of St. Stephen, as well as Ferenc Puskás, a world-renowned Hungarian soccer player. The Puskás Award is given annually to the person who scored the most spectacular goal in the world.

Soviet War Memorial: Szovjet hősi emlékmű

Our next stop was the Soviet War Memorial, the only remaining monument left standing from the Communist Era, memorializing the Soviet soldiers who lost their lives "liberating" Hungary from fascism. Funnily, the largest and only standing Soviet monument left in Budapest is right in front of the US Embassy.

Hungarian Parliament Building: Országház

Built in 1902, the Hungarian Parliament Building is easily the most recognizable monument in downtown Budapest. Lying on the east bank of the Danube River, the parliament building is the national seat of government for Hungary.

Citizens' Holocaust Memorial

One of the most infamous monuments is the Citizens' Holocaust Memorial, displaying a Black Eagle (representing the Nazis) swooping in and stealing the apple from the hand of Archangel Gabriel (representing the "innocent" Hungarians).

The reason this memorial is so disliked amongst Hungarians is that it represents a lie. The Hungarians allied themselves with Hitler, had their own fascist party (known as the Arrow Cross Party), and were incredibly anti-semitic, committing their own atrocities against Jews, Romani, and other marginalized groups.

The Hungarian people were largely offended by this monument and even held protests here to voice their outrage. Since then, the fencing around the monument has been adorned with photos, articles, and personal belongings of Jewish families who suffered at the hands of the Hungarian Nazy party as a way to tell the "true story" of Hungary's involvement in WWII.

Shoes on the Danube Bank: Cipők a Duna-parton

The last stop of the tour was the Shoes on the Danube Bank. These 60 pairs of iron shoes represent the lives of the thousands of Jews who were murdered in the winter of 1945. As the war was ending, fascist Hungarians would tie up large groups of Jews on the edge of the riverbank, and shoot one, with the dead weight dragging everyone else into the freezing river to drown.

Retro Lángos Budapest Vécsey 3

After a wonderful guided tour of the city, Katie and I stopped for a late lunch of langos at Retro Langos. With a line outside the door, we knew that Robert's recommendation was a hit. Langos is a traditional Hungarian deep-fried dough, covered in a variety of toppings; I likened it to a savory funnel cake. Katie and I split a chicken paprikash langos (more traditional) and a Mexican langos (covered in chili con carne and cheese, clearly less traditional).

Libri Nyugati tér Könyvesbolt

Before our evening river cruise at 6 pm, we decided to get our Hungarian copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

PIVO söröző és sörbolt

With the cruise pier in a more residential part of town, our options were a bit limited, so we stopped at a local bar for a beer beforehand.

Portum Lines

At 6:20 pm, we boarded our boat for an hour-long cruise along the Danube River. I must say, this city is arguably one of the most beautiful I've seen in Europe, and getting to have some of the best vantage points of its most iconic landmarks made it that much more amazing.

Bors Gastro Bar

As we disembarked our cruise, Katie and I were quite hungry, so we grabbed some sandwiches and a bomb cream corn soup for a late-night dinner in our apartment.

Sunday, November 9: Szentendre & Vampire Buda Castle Tour

Blueberry Brunch

The following morning, we let the brunch vibes continue with some killer avocado toast and blueberry pancakes. If there's one thing I can say about Hungary, it's that their brunch scene is on point!

Széchenyi Chain Bridge: Széchenyi Lánchíd

After brunch, we made our way across to the Buda side of Budapest via the most famous and beautiful bridge in the city. Budapest is actually a combination of two old towns- Buda (where we are headed) and Pest, where we spent all day yesterday. These two cities were "combined" in 1873 to form the new capital city of Hungary, thus Budapest!

Szentendre

When planning the trip, Katie discovered a small, artsy village just a short train ride north of Budapest. Since we had plenty of time on our four-day weekend, we figured it would be worth the 45-minute, $2.71 trip to Szentendre.

Marzipan Museum and Café: Szamos Marcipán Múzeum és Cukrászda

When we made it to the city, we quickly grabbed a Christmas Punch and a berry tea to share. The village was quite small, but had plenty of nice ceramics and gift shops. Not the most exciting place to visit while in Budapest, so I'd probably say you could skip this one if you're planning to visit Hungary, but it was a cute stop and a great way to escape the big city vibes for a few hours.

Pizzeria Bella Napoli Budapest

We made it back to Budapest around 5:00 pm, and Katie and I were both quite hungry (you're welcome for not hammering home the terrible Hungary pun). We enjoyed some good pizza at Bella Napoli before our evening ghost tour.

Zero Kilometre Stone: 0 kilométerkő

At 7:45 pm, we met our tour guide at the Zero Kilometer Stone, the stone on which all highway distance signs are based in the country. Our guide, appropriately dressed in all black with a top hat and an oil lantern, led us up the hill to the Buda Castle complex.

Buda Castle: Budavári Palota

The Church of Our Lady of Buda Castle: Budavári Nagyboldogasszony-templom

On the historic castle grounds, our guide shared stories of the bloody Ottoman occupation, folk tales of witches and ghosts, and of mysterious murders. The most intriguing story was of Vlad the Impaler, commonly known in pop culture as the inspiration behind Dracula. Vlad fled his lands and settled in Budapest for many years after the Ottomans conquered now modern-day Romania. Eventually, Vlad did return to Romania, but it is cool to say we have visited the two places where this famous vampire once lived!

Following our tour, Katie and I marveled at the beautiful illuminated sites with absolutely no crowds.

Monday, November 10: Hospital in the Rock Museum & Evening Food Tour

Cafe Brunch Budapest - Bazilika

Keeping with the trend of having a great brunch every day in Budapest, we had a killer apple French toast and bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich from Cafe Brunch Budapest.

Following brunch, we made the 30-minute walk back across the river to the Buda Castle grounds; the views in the daytime were just as spectacular, but the crowds were exponentially worse than the evening before.

Hospital in the Rock: Sziklakórház Atombunker Múzeum

Our first attraction of the day was the Hospital in the Rock, a former healthcare complex built in the naturally formed limestone caves underneath the Buda Castle. Construction of the hospital began in 1939 at the beginning of WWII and became fully operational in 1944. The height of the hospital's capability was in late 1944, during the Siege of Budapest.

The hospital was designed to treat approximately 60 patients at one time, but during the siege, it was caring for nearly 600 wounded soldiers. We weren't allowed to take photos during the tour, but the hospital was equipped with two operating rooms, an autoclave (for sterilizing surgical instruments), an X-Ray room, and a 50-bed surgical ward. And remember, this was all built into some ancient cave systems running under the castle- quite impressive!

During the Soviet occupation of Hungary, additions were made to the hospital to convert it into a nuclear bunker. Numerous exhibits within the bunker discussed atomic bombs tested during the Cold War, and predominantly talked about the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the bombings of August 1945. Overall, this museum was a must-visit for healthcare workers (and lovely wives willing to explore alongside them!)

Beer Brothers

After we toured the hospital, Katie and I had some time to kill before our 5 pm food tour, so we enjoyed a few cold ones at Beer Brothers. They had an apple cinnamon stout that was arguably one of the best beers I've ever had!

Belvárosi Disznótoros - Károlyi utca

At 5 pm, we met up with our group for our evening tipsy food tour. Funnily, our group of eight consisted of five people hailing from North Carolina (one from Rocky Mount and two from Mount Airy). What are the chances?!

Our first stop of the tour was Belvárosi Disznótoros, where we enjoyed three different types of Hungarian sausages and beer.

Pesti Sörcsarnok

For the second stop of the tour, we enjoyed a savory pancake (imagine a crepe with chicken and gravy) at Pesti Sörcsarnok.

Krumplis Lángos

The third stop of the night was our second time having lángos on the trip; how can you say no to multiple savory funnel cakes?

HunGarikum Chimney Cake & Ice Cream

A bit of an odd order, but before our final stop of the evening, we stopped for a traditional Hungarian chimney cake (baked bread covered in cinnamon sugar). If you have ever visited a Christmas Market (even those in the states), then chances are you have seen these breaded treats!

Grinzingi Borozó

At the final stop of the tour, we had Hungarian goulash and got to drink white, red, and rosé Hungarian wines. The food tour was amazing and the new friends we met made the experience that much better!

Tuesday, November 11: Return to Rota

Our last day of the long weekend came early, with a 4:30 am wake-up. We jetted back to Sevilla at 7:20 am and made it back home before 1:00 pm!

It wouldn't be a Johnson adventure if it didn't include pictures of our beautiful children! Jessi kept us updated with great headshots of the pups while we were gone!

Thanks for tuning in! Cheers!

Bryan