Three nights Budapest

Tuesday 9 May 2023 (41°C at Dubai - 19°C at Budapest )

This time we don't bother walking to the railway station with our luggage, we just book a taxi to the airport and we are ready for the next leg of our trip: Budapest.

Kevin looking up at the huge elevators taking us up to the departure gates.

Wednesday 10 May 2023 

In Budapest we are staying at hotel Ibis Budapest Castle Hill. Another of the Ibis hotels. Again not a 5 star hotel, but good enough for us. Great breakfast included again.

From our hotel, we walk to Castle Hill. This is the 'old town' Buda. Pest is on the other side of the river. Looking down through the arches of Fisherman's Bastion, you can see the Parliament buildings. The beautiful roof is that of the Matthias Church.

Matthias church

Looking at the government buildings across the river

Fisherman's Bastion

More impressions of Castle Hill

Hydrographic station showing the water level of the river

The water level is at 243 cm

The funicular station

Maria Magdolna Torony
or Buda Tower

View from the tower, which we climbed only halfway

Below a video of changing the guards at Buda Castle

Kevin 'in the picture'

Thursday 11 May 2023

This morning, we took the bus into town and let it take us all the way to City Park.

On the way back, we stopped at the oldest Metro station. It is still in use, but also unchanged from the time it was built. Not sure if this is true, but we were also told that it is the oldest one in Europe.

Still on Andrássy út (Andrássy Avenue), we stopped at a quaint little coffee shop. The owner didn't speak English but gestured that she was from Azerbaijan and 'asked' where we were from. Because of me gesturing at the menu, she told us that Turkey and Azerbaijan, although two separate countries, have lots in common, including language.

We loved the teacup lights! 😉

Photos of the Opera House, St. Steven's Basilica and a few other buildings. After this, we got tired from walking and hopped back on the bus for the last stretch.

Nearly back at the hotel, Kevin wanted to take a picture of it and discovered that his phone was gone!!! 😪 lastly used at the basilica, it may have been lost/stolen on the bus. Of course, we had to block his credit card and, depending on it to be found and handed in (yes, pigs may fly!), we may have to buy a new phone tomorrow.... It was not even 6 months old. (Edit: as it was we had to wait for our arrival in the Netherlands before we could buy a new one. In the meantime Kevin used my old spare phone for pictures.)

Unfortunately I forgot to take photos, but Wim and Tom arrived in Budapest today after their bike ride from Vienna. They came to our hotel where we had dinner together. For the three of them: Tom, Wim, and Kevin, the first meeting in real life! For me: seeing my brother again after four long years. ❤️

Of course, I needed a cache in Budapest (found the day before but forgotten to post):

# 2487 - Fisherman's Bastion/Halászbástya Virtual Reward3.0.

Statistics say I have now found caches in 22 countries! 🙂