We had an airport hotel booked in Zagreb, but as we got in at 3:30am, we didn't see any point in checking in.
So Guy and I trekked through the seediest city I've seen yet, in search of the train station.
We luckily managed to arrive 40 minutes before a train to Budapest, so after 7 hours on a dodgy Eastern European train we finally arrived in Hungary.
Someone must have felt sorry for us, because it was here we had the best 2 days of the trip.
Despite the hostel being up 5 flights of stairs, it was clean, the staff were super friendly and extremely helpful.
Sarah directed us to this little bistro for lunch, where I had a coffee and an amazing pepper crusted duck for under $10 Aussie. The first thing we learnt about Budapest is how cheap it is, such a relief for backpackers.
We thought we'd make the most of the afternoon by going to see some sites by the park, including a castle and the Thermal baths.
Which brought us to the evening's shenanigans. We were told to be ready at 8pm ON THE DOT and we were taken to a karaoke bar serving 2 euro cocktails until 9pm. Fun times all round.
With our limited time Guy and I decided we needed to smash a whole day of sightseeing, starting with a walking tour through the Pest side of the city (Buda and Pest are divided by the Danube) . Following that we walked along the river to find something called "Shoes". Basically, it is a line of lifelike shoe sculptures along the edge of the footpath next to the water. There are no signs or plaque, you just have to know the story, and thankfully I had Hitler nerd G-Rams with me. The shoes symbolise the possessions stolen from the Jews after they were shot into the Danube by the Nazi's. Seeing the tiny pair of children's really makes your heart melt.
To perk ourselves up, we hopped on the tram and headed to the Grand Central Market, a huge undercover market selling all kinds meat, fruit, veg and desserts with food stalls and souvenir shops upstairs. Guy frothed at the mouth buying a leather wallet for 13 euro.
Next, we revisited the Basilica, after passing it during the walking tour. It is without a doubt the most beautiful building I've ever seen, inside and out. I can't even explain to you how intricate the structure was, or how beautiful the paintings were inside. We made our way up to the balcony as well, to have a panoramic view of the city.
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| Ceiling of the Basilica |
Our final stop before dragging our tired asses back to the hostel was the Terror House. Located on one of the main streets, in previously served as headquarters for both the Nazis and Soviets. The exhibition they have in place explains how these eras effected Hungary and its people. Its such an odd thing to be excited about but it really was an amazing experience. The exhibition was put together so well, so much effort had been put in to explain the terrible history
As we had to get up at 4am, to make our train to get to prague we wisely chose to opt of the dress up/piss up going on at the hostel (even though I did get a little jelly seeing them all walk out, ridiculous dressed). Instead we walked to the Jewish quarter to a bar recommended by the hostel, Szimpla. It was incredible, just what Perth bars are trying to do - totally eclectic with random shit everywhere.
We're now in Prague, reunited with Trist. Hooray!
P.s. my laptop has finally died and won't let me on the net, so until I buy an android my blog posts won't be as regular! Sorry kids, I'll update as soon as I can.
P.p.s. If you know the band that relates to the title of this post, you get a prize. Or you'll understand why I chose it, either one.
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