Today is our last transition day: Slovakia to Hungary. It would be a pretty short drive – around 2 hours – so we were in no real hurry. Breakfast, shower, pack, leave around 10.00. (We’re getting pretty good at this!) In fact, we remembered to purchase our Hungarian road tax as we crossed the border. Yay internet!
We decided to make a quick stop along the way so we could see something of Hungary besides Budapest. About halfway there is the regional capital of Györ which seemed to fit the bill. We found a parking spot right along the water of a branch of the Danube (“bastard branch” according to a translation of the Hungarian Wikipedia page!) and headed for the tallest building in town: the Basilica. Not much stained glass here but a beautiful Baroque interior. Then it was a chance to wander around the old town. We love the rabbit warrens of old cities – mostly pedestrian walkways with shops and cafes and other interesting things.
It was already hot with clear blue skies and a brutal sun. No clouds for respite today. But the intrepid travelers mosied on (we found a new walking speed on this trip!) and found a completely gluten free bakery! So I got to start my Hungarian adventure with a local treat: Lángos. Fried bread covered with sour cream and cheese. So yummy! A little more wandering to burn off some of the carbs and then it was time to hit the big city: Budapest!
More Googling reminded us that the city is actually two parts: Buda and Pest. Together they are the 9th largest city in the EU and second largest on the Danube; Vienna is the largest. We’re staying on the Pest side in what turns out to be a very Jewish neighborhood – a giant synagogue is down the street and many orthodox outfits to be seen on the street. But that isn’t the fun part: Frank got to navigate yet another old city with narrow streets and angry drivers. Our AirBnb has garage space but apparently it isn’t in the same location as the flat. So we met our host at the garage and took the CAR ELEVATOR up one floor to our parking spot. (So many new things!) The flat is right around the corner in a very old building but the apartment itself has been completely redone with new furniture, appliances, and AC. (Yay!)
After getting the groceries put away and settling in, it was time to see the city. We purchased 3 day transport passes – no way we’re taking the car out while we are here! And headed out to see some sights. At 31C, it was pretty hot with all the concrete and marble around us so we took frequent stops – like our brief sojourn at the Beer Brothers brewpub where I had a yummy GF IPA named Gummy Octopus and Frank had an IPA called Liquid Cocaine (!). Then to the bus stop that would take us over the river to Castle Hill. We would be visiting things properly tomorrow so this was really just a reconnaissance visit. We did some more strolling then decided to grab a different bus back to Pest and find some dinner.
A local restaurant across the street from the flat had been recommended by our host so we decided to try that. I had latkes (yup, Jewish neighborhood) and Frank had goose. Goose! There were several goose dishes on the menu, something we don’t generally see in the UK. A bottle of Hungarian rosé and dinner was complete. Thus refreshed, we explored our neighborhood and discovered entire alleyways of bars and restaurants at our doorstep. We also found great street art in the surrounding area so we declared the transition day to be a success.
Data for today:
- Steps: 14,989
- Countries license plates: 14 (added TR but didn’t see LT, GB, or F)
- Kilometers driven: ~200
- River cruises docked: 12+
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