EUROPE BLOG April 8th, 2023 - BUDAPEST

 

4/8/23- Nothing to wake up early for as our time is winding down in Budapest, so we use this time to change our itinerary. My job informed me the other day that security measures don’t allow me to work outside of the US, despite them having a work from anywhere policy for a period of time. So now all of my days have freed up to completely do whatever we want.

Our food supply is running low, so we walk a few blocks to the local market to pick some up for tomorrow morning before our bus leaves at 7am. The rain is sprinkling but not so bad, and I’m able to use the remainder of our Hungarian cash.

Back at the apartment, we continue our itinerary changes, which quite frankly have put us in euphoria. The places we can go to now are limitless, and since we’ve seen nothing but rain forecasted in our area for the next week or so, we decide to completely rearrange almost everything. This trip just got so much better!

We spend the afternoon cancelling plans for refunds and rebooking until we’re satisfied enough with the more immediate issues, and around 9pm I head out for night shots. Sharece stays back to continue resting while I take a BOLT across the river to see Parliament straight on. The view is absolutely breathtaking as my camera can’t get enough. I walk down the boardwalk for different angles and feel a few rain drops hit me. Please, please, please wait just a little bit longer.

Next stop for me is Fisherman’s Bastion. I see it’s only 8 minutes away but I didn’t realize how much of a hike it’ll be. I think there are 250+ steps, and that doesn’t include the incline in the road I take, but my persistence pays off when I finally reach the top. There are some people out but just light enough to get a few clean shots. I even help an elder lady up the steps with her large bag. I mean what was I suppose to do? Watch!

Finally it’s time to head back, but not before checking out Parliament up close. I get in a BOLT and all seems well until he asks if he can make a phone call not even a minute into the ride. Of course I say yes and not a moment later a girl’s voice is heard. They’re speaking Hungarian but I can clearly make out “Parliament” and “photography” in their sentences. Now I’m wondering if he’s setting me up for something weird, so I pay extra close attention to the map on my phone.

Half way through the ride he asks if it’s okay to drop me off “close” to Parliament because he may not be able to get his car around there. Piqued, I ask “How close?” and he says down the road. “Sure” I say back, even more apprehensive than before. Then, like any kidnapping movie… ever… he asks me where I’m from? Dude! I’m two seconds from jumping out the back of this car, but I manage to hold my sh—together and ride it out. A few minutes later, I see Parliament in front of me and I quickly say, “Right here’s fine” and get out. I’m not about to be nobody’s hostage… not in Eastern Europe.

As my heart reclaims its normal pace, I take my photos and walk the 18 minutes back to the apartment for the night.

What a week. There’s been some crazy news filtering our way both back home and abroad, and we’ve taken it all in stride. So far, it’s been a success, and quite interesting to stay in one place for an entire week. It’s allowed us to have down time here and there to recharge and not always feel like we’re on the go. Budapest is a walk-able city for the most part yet there’s so much to explore. The people have been friendly, except for a few pushy locals that feel the need to stand in line right up against our backs. It’s also not too expensive as all of our rides combined this week probably cost us less than $50 US each. Overall, I think we’ve done a great job tackling the city through sunshine and rain, and highly recommend it.