It's not Budapest, it's Buda and Pest.

Budapest split by the Danube

We arrived into Budapest early morning after a thankfully uneventful night train that had departed Brasov the previous evening. It was yet another sun soaked cloudless day that, as Brits, we had barely become accustomed to even after a fairly steady three weeks of it. We were to stay in Budapest for almost five days and, as we were meeting our friend Anthony 36 hours in, we rationed our time to avoid things deemed unmissable (of which there turned out to be quite a few). Fortunately, our hostel was located in the heart of Budapest's thriving city centre, so we utilised this to good effect and meandered through the old town admiring the beautiful buildings and relaxing by the edge of the enormous Danube river that divides the city into its two halves, Buda and Pest. On the Buda side, Gellert Hill and the city's castle district both reign majestically over the Danube and the flatter half, Pest; which is home to the tourists, administrative/ political areas and, our personal favourite, the Student bars and pubs!

Gellert Hill and Liberty Statue

We decided to climb at least a part of Gellert hill and, other than the beautiful view it offered, we witnessed a street hustler dispose of some American tourists a total of around $300! We were just as confident as they were that their choices were correct - only for us to leave feeling just as bewildered but with a thicker wallet and with our ego's intact.

Both of us on Gellert Hill

Then, later that day, we casually stumbled across the latest Die Hard movie set. The streets had been closed off and crowds had gathered to watch Hollywood at its finest; filming a car chase and smashing up polystyrene monuments with armoured army trucks! We even caught a glimpse of Bruce Willis.....'s body double! 

A Good Day to Die Hard

Our second day was hampered immediately by our weather karma, who'd obviously deemed that three fantastic weeks was the limit we'd pushed too far. The heavens opened and the rain was torrential. However, determined not to spend the whole day confined to our hostel we decided to go somewhere 'close' which, in retrospect, was a rather foolish thing to do. Soaked from head to toe within five minutes from leaving, with me literally pouring water out of my shoes, we took shelter in a secluded hidden church that had been crafted into the rock of Gellert hill (overlooking the river). The church was quite beautiful inside and interesting, as it was historically important to the city's relatively recent past; although by means of providing shelter from the storm its lasting impression maybe somewhat inflated. 

(L to R) Patrick, Gyula, Tom, Ant & Kieran 

Our first full day after Ant had joined us was also accompanied by two locals from Budapest, Gyula and Patrick. I had become friends with Gyula at University whilst he studied an Erasmus semester earlier this year in Leeds and, having kindly offered up a day to act as our tour guide, showed us round the city's spectacular landmarks and buildings. As Gyula lead us round the beautiful city streets, we gained a fascinating insight into the city's communist past, alongside how it is to live in Budapest currently and the struggles still faced by a democracy still in its relative infancy. 

The Castle district 

Our whistle stop tour had some truly stunning sights including; The Chain Bridge, The Castle District, Matthias Church and Fisherman's Bastion. However, their Houses of Parliament ranks clearly above the rest and must certainly be one of the most beautiful buildings in all of Europe, looking more like a Gothic cathedral than a place of politics. Its in a similar style and majesty to Britain's own, with its main difference being a stunning dome that is the centre point of the building's architecture which is then surrounded by numerous spires, all in complete symmetry with each other.

Houses of Parliament

At night, Budapest really came to life. There are a countless number of pubs, bars and restaurants all bustling with tourists and locals and creating a wonderfully friendly and cosmopolitan atmosphere. People were easy to talk with, service in restaurants was always friendly and polite, beer was tasty and cheap... all contributing factors to some fantastic evenings spent in the city. Budapest's student area was particularly fantastic as it was littered with 'ruin' pubs, places that look run down and abandoned, but go inside and there are many rooms and open spaces soaked in character and that were incredibly intriguing.

Chain Bridge

Our experience of Budapest is virtually second to none. The city itself is fascinating and beautiful, the locals are kind and welcoming, the weather was mostly spectacular and many friends were made on the way. We both say we'd go back in a heartbeat and I personally cannot recommend Budapest highly enough!