The Budapest Break Down (and a hint of Lienz)

KBudapest. A city neither of us knew too much about, a city we weren't too sure what to make of, but a city that slowly crept into our hearts and found it's own special place.

The train from Vienna to Budapest was (once again) a breeze. We'd reserved our tickets the day before to ensure we got seats, and after an altercation with an old man who we're pretty sure didn't believe we had the reservations, we were settled in for the three hour journey south to Hungary. Three hours seemed like no time at all after what we'd had so far, and soon we had made it into the station which looked run down from the outside, but had the most beautiful facade. All I know about Budapest is from what I've been taught in history, which is more the old political side, and so I knew nothing about the actual city. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but what we found sure wasn't it.

The street we found ourselves on was lined with old buildings, many of which looked derelict and rundown. We felt a little apprehensive. Budapest was by far the biggest cultural shock we'd experienced so far, and not knowing the city or having a physical map didn't help. But we soldiered on (with the help of google maps) and soon came across our hostel in the Jewish area of Budapest. The street our hostel was on was probably the nicest we'd come across so far, and the hostel was no disappointment. We'd thought the Hostel Ruthensteiner was nice, but the Maverick City Lodge in Budapest looked more like a hotel than a hostel (and it was our cheapest!) We were two happy bunnies as we mounted the stairs to our double room, and this happiness only increased with the discovery of air conditioning and the knowledge that there was a wine tasting the next night! After spending some time chilling in the room and looking at a map, we set out with the intention of finding the shopping mall, and the thermal baths.

Well, we did find the shopping mall! And yes, maybe we have a problem, but we had a legitimate excuse this time. If we were going to go to the baths, I needed to get a swimming costume as I'd handily left mine at home. After perusing various shops and dismissing them as too expensive, we eventually hit Pull&Bear where I managed to pick up a bikini for about 4000 forint (£9!) in the sale. Honestly, it shouldn't have surprised me it was so cheap, as I was essentially just paying for two strips of fabric. Great! After a quick Starbucks stop, we decided to get sandwiches and snacks from the Tesco Express and make our way back home, as my beautiful glittery sandals had munched up the sides of my feet and I was limping along like Quasimodo. The evening was spent (as per usual) lounging, eating, and watching youtube videos.

The second day dawned overcast and grey. But as proper travellers, we didn't let this spoil our fun, and after dressing and a quick breakfast it was off out into Budapest with a lot of sightseeing planned. As we explored the city further, we found ourselves conflicted and confused. So much of the city seemed poor and rundown, and then suddenly we'd come across a grand street filled with designer shops and posh cars. It was a real whirlwind. But walking across the bridge to Buda, we were struck with how majestic and awe inspiring the city really was, filled as it was with grand historical buildings in a variety of designs. After getting a good look at the skyline from up high, we explored Buda Castle (and went up an escalator to the top, which was genius), before walking back across the Chain Bridge, which gave us even more beautiful views of the city.

After walking back across to Pest, we wandered further down and came across the imposing parliament building, which obviously called for a photo session. I managed to get the most beautiful photo of Emily after she thought I'd already taken the photo! By this time we were both getting very peckish, so it was time to hunt and gather (or, well, search for the nearest food place). After looking at and dismissing several restaurants, we found ourselves in McDonalds. It was very cultural! After our hunger had been sated, we decided to explore the little island, before walking back through a rather rundown area of Pest to find the Szechenyi Baths, which ended up being in the most beautiful park. I had to drag Emily away from the lake side restaurant, which did look absolutely gorgeous! The baths themselves turned out to be amazing, beyond what either of us were expecting. Surrounded by gorgeous architecture, perfectly warm, with a lazy river in the middle, we were in our element (after taking pictures, of course!). Alas, the serenity of the baths could not last, and after an hour it began to rain. Fearing for our towels, we exited and got redressed, before hiking back through Budapest (with a quick trip to Starbucks on the way), taking in sights like the House of Terror and some beautiful buildings.

Our stay in Budapest concluded with noodles, a trip to the supermarket for supplies for the train the next day, and a wine tasting! It was free, how could we say no? The wine tasting was essentially just drinking glasses of wine and mingling, which was so lovely. But unfortunately, we soon had to go back to our room and tidy up as it was (obviously) a complete mess, and we had to be up at 6:00 the next day. I know, disgusting.

6:00AM. The beginning of what we dubbed 'hell day'. After Budapest, we wanted to go to Venice, but doing it all in one would be far too much. So instead, we decided to stop off in the beautiful mountain town of Lienz. But to get here meant ten hours of travelling, including three trains and around three hours of waiting at stations. But hell day went off without a hitch, and we'd soon made it to Lienz, with the journey turning out to be the most beautiful trip through the Austrian mountains. I am so, so in love. In fact, the only parts that turned out to be hell were when I realised I'd lost my cash card (which a quick call back to dad soon fixed), and when we had to trek half way up the mountain to our apartment. So, so worth it. We not only have a beautiful apartment complete with kitchen, living room, and bath, but we also have a terrace! And not just any terrace, but a terrace with a hammock! Of course, we made proper and efficient use of the hammock. And i fell out. Well, someone had to.

Tomorrow it is time for Italy, and we are so, so excited. Happy halfway!