Arrival
Our Czech Airlines flight arrives in Budapest around 2:45 PM, 30 minutes late. There is no passport control so we get our luggage and exit into the terminal. We find an ATM to buy Hungarian currency (HUF) and i think I have selected the correct amount on the machine but end up with almost $500 worth of HUF. It turns out to be a cash trip in Budapest (LOL). Going through terminal, there are lots of guys offering rides but we exit the terminal and find the taxi kiosk. After a short wait in line, I tell the lady “K&K Hotel Opera” and she gives me a piece of paper with an estimate of the cost and the cab number. We find the cab and take the 30 minute trip to the hotel. The price ends up a few 100 HUF larger than the estimate but as this is only a dollar or two, no big deal.
Hotel
We are staying at the K&K Hotel Opera which is a Rick Steves recommendation. It is centrally located and is what I would call European modern in styling. We are about a 5 minute walk from Deak Forenc metro station which is where the yellow, red, and blue metro lines meet. We have booked a standard room which is equally modern in styling and of adequate size. Breakfast is included with the room (more about that later). So the hotel is clean and efficient, but not spectacular.
Day 5 – wednesday PM
After check-in, we go to the room, unpack a little and then decide to head out to the Great Market Hall. We walk down from our hotel about 5 minutes to a major metro hub (Deak Forenc) and we purchase a 24 hour metro pass. We are here over three days but the 24 hour pass should cover us until late in the afternoon on our second day and we will buy day passes if needed. We board and changing trams once, we arrive at the metro stop right outside of the Great Market Hall.
The first floor is the major produce/meat shopping and upstairs are the places to eat. As it is later in the afternoon, we head up to find a place to eat. These aren’t sit down type restaurants. By chance, we find a place suggested by Rick Steves (starts with an ‘L’). Margi orders goulash and a coke lite and I get a kielbasa like sausage and a beer. We find a table to stand at along the railing overlooking the first floor and then when someone next to us leaves, we move to seats. Food is good for what is basically street food. When finished, we dispose of our trash (many don’t) and proceed to walk through the second floor. In addition to places to eat, there are many stalls selling hand made goods, like fine embroidery, etc. We look but don’t buy.
We then go to the first floor and walk through all the food and meat vendors, which is really the standard European model. As it is later in the afternoon, the place has people but is not packed. After a full walk through, we go back to the metro, one change of lines, and we are back at Deak Forenc stop, about a 5 minute walk to our hotel. We find a Starbucks near the metro station and Margi buys a Budapest mug for her collection. Back to the hotel and then we rested.
Later, Margi is not hungry so I go down to the hotel restaurant and have steak tartar and a couple of red wines. Back to the room and sleep.
Day 6 – thursday
We are up at about 8 AM and down to for breakfast at about 8:30. The breakfast is disappointing. The place is packed and getting coffee requires a special request of the maitre’d. Eggs are bad and oddly, this is the first place we have been that does not have the little glass jars of jellies and marmalades, just bowls of bulk jelly that you need to scoop onto your plate.
At 9 am, we meet our guide, Orsi, in the hotel lobby. She is a former actress and speaks excellent English. (See General Info page for details on how to contact her.) We like her relaxed manner and it fits our somewhat laid back touring style. We quickly agree upon an itinerary and set out. We first head to Hero’s Square where Orsi provides us with a review of Budapest’s history. Pics of Hero’s Square.
We next go to the City Park with a lake, Vajdahunyad Castle, and the Anonymous Statue. Pic of City Park area.
We then use the metro, via a very old station, to go to St Stephen’s Basilica. In addition to a beautiful interior, the Basilica houses the Holy Right Hand of St Stephen, which is kinda gross!! Pics of St Stephen’s Basilica
It is then onto the Parliment and great views of the city of Budapest. Pics around Parliment.
We then went to see Mathias Church. I am interested in this church because of the spelling of the name, which as shown on the sign to the left, is exactly how my mother’s maiden name was spelled (Matyas). This and the fact that my mother went to visit the home town of my grandfather (her father) in a place just north of Bratislava in what was then Czechoslovakia. And this is just 2 hours drive from Budapest. I have always associated with my Slovak background, but I am wondering if I am more Hungarian. Given the fluidity of borders in eastern Europe, it is food for thought.
We walk through the Church as Orsi provides so many details. Pics of Matthias Church.
We end our 4 hour tour with Orsi at the Matthias Church and the nearby Fisherman’s Bastion. We have thoroughly enjoyed our tour with Orsi and highly recommend her to others visiting Budapest.
We decide to have lunch near the Matthias Church at the Pest-Buda Bistro. Margi has goulash and I have steak tartar. We both have wine. Then we take bus back to Deak Forenc station which is the end of the line. We walk back to hotel and take a little rest.
After our rest, we go to the out for a drink and then dinner in Franz Liszt Square. Back to the hotel to pack as this is our last night in Budapest.
Day 7 – friday AM
We have a noon time train so we are up fairly early and down to the crappy hotel breakfast. We decide to take a walk down a shopping street that is close to our hotel. We just stroll and enjoy the lovely weather.
We return to the hotel, get our bags from the room, and go to the front desk to settle up. From the almost $500 I accidentally got from the ATM at the airport, I have about $80 in remaining HUF so I use them for the bill and put the rest on a credit card.
We have an 11:40 AM train and the front desk has said we can leave at 11 and make the train, but we are cautious and leave at 10:50. It is good that we did this because we had to go to the information office to find our train track (#9) because while we are bound for Vienna, the train is listed as a Munich train on the overhead information boards.
We buy some soda/water and then find our train and car 26. There is a large group of US college students with backpacks who board the train and then get off again. Odd. We find our seats and then have to convince a Spanish couple that they are sitting in our seats. With that resolved, we stow our luggage in the overhead racks and sit down. We are a bit early which is good because the overhead racks fill so that the last people on can’t find places for their luggage. The train leaves on time and we strike up a conversation with two US college students from Westchester (NY) who have been traveling through Europe since May 17 using a Eurail pass. They have to borrow a pen to fill out some required forms for their Eurail pass.
Press back button and then select Vienna