EUROPE BLOG April 2nd, 2023 - BUDAPEST

 

4/2/23- Woke up around 11am. Sharece set the alarm for 10am but that wasn’t going to happen. I grab my pj's and the stand up fan tips over, knocking it into the lamp which falls onto the floor and shatters the light bulb. Yup, that’s how the morning started.

I look outside the window to see the sky clearing, and despite our weariness we knew we had to get our day started. So we get dressed, grab a granola bar, pop some Alieve and suck it up as we force our bodies out the door.

I’m so glad we did because what a beautiful day it has become. We walk to the Parliament building, just off the Danube River, and the skies are a perfect backdrop to this giant, gothic marvel. It was built around the turn of the 20^th century to celebrate the unification of Buda, Obuda and Pest. We spent over an hour just going from one side to the other and took a rest inside to check it out further. Our plan is to come back later this week for the inside tour, which should be very exciting, but for now we’d rather continue exploring the city further to get our bearings.

The river walk was a bit chilly and a bit industrial. I expected to see shops and restaurants but it was mainly a street running by it with a thin strip of a boardwalk. We did see what looked like an actual bus in the water, which throws us at first, but it appears to be amphibious (land and sea). We continue to the next bridge over for the views but the pedestrian walkway is closed for construction. It’s at this time that we can really feel our legs hampering and decide to head back towards our apartment.

But, not even a block up the road we run into the St. Stephen’s Basilica, which catches our full attention. It stands tall in the square, looming over us as we approach, and once at the top of the stairs I find that I need to go back to the street level to purchase tickets. Sharece happily waited and ten minutes later I was back with tickets in hand. I opted to get the panoramic view upgrade as it wasn’t much more and they had an elevator (which is good because we ain’t climbing no 500 steps right now).

The basilica is absolutely stunning from the inside. Similar style to St. Paul’s Cathedral we just saw in London, but on a smaller scale. Sunday service was going on so we tread quietly, enjoying the architecture and statues. After about a lap around we exit to find the lift that takes us to the top.

The small amount of stairs we had to take was a bit challenging as we had to push past those who were waiting to come back down the lift, but can’t complain as it definitely saved our legs, and once we got out into the open air the view made up for it. Wow! From ground level I wasn’t sure how much of a view this would have considering the tall surrounding buildings, but it stretches all over.

We grab a few pics while walking around the tower and that’s when the rain starts blowing in. Can’t believe how good that timing was as we were just ready to make our way out. We did go back inside the basilica to wait out the rain as service was ending. Our legs feel shredded and I don’t have an umbrella (Sharece did for her) but luckily it wasn’t pouring down. We’re able to make it back to our apartment in twenty minutes, but not before hitting up a nearby grocery store to gather food for the week.

 

That’s what this trip is about. Not just exploring new cities but living in the area while working from home. It’ll be very interesting to see how the time change is with my work schedule and still exploring during the week (that aren’t my typical off days).

*Regarding the grocery store. I saw they had lower prices for a club membership but when I asked to join, the guy behind the counter said he doesn’t know how to do the application and if he gave me a one-time discount he’d be fired. Sounds like he didn’t want to even attempt it, so I paid full price. Probably for locals anyhow.