Things I have learnt about Budapest

1. Bolt means shop and is not the name of the Usain Bolt's less famous brother

2. There is a disappointing number of shops that can be found in the UK. Tesco Expressz was predictable but I wasn't expecting a Vision Express.

3. Pick up a basket in shops as otherwise the steely- eyed security card is not a happy bunny
4. There are a lot of homeless as the economic recession bits
5. There are a lot of posts to avoid people ending up in the road but there are just at wrist height
6. The abbreviation for florint is either HUF or FLT and there are 330 to the pound (ish)
7. Most of the architecture is lovely but there are a few communist building which leave a lot to be desired
8. Hungarians love spas and there are specific about temperature. The hotel had two pools one just above body temperature and one just below. There are pools with different levels of chlorine.
9. There are lots of different types of trams which run smoothly, the trolley buses look like they have not been modernised since the 1950s.
10. Ferencvaros means Francis' town and their have one of the most successful football clubs in Hungary.

Budapest - Picture of the Day - 14th April

This was the day that we had to leave. After a trip to a chemist (the Hungarian for Strepsil is Stepsil) we ended up in the city, had some lunch and then headed home via, the not as a bad as it sounds, Whizz Air. We sent time around St Stephen's Basilica but didn't take many pictures so the very exciting photo of the day is of a crane. I usually visit cities when they are being renovated and avoiding cranes in photos becomes an interesting challenge.

Budapest - Pictures of the Day - 13th April

We went to Budapest's green lungs. Margaret's Island is a green oasis in the middle of the river with a few hidden surprises. There is an animal park with giant rabbits, storks, horses who only come over when you have food and peacocks. There is a spa and pool complex, a water tower, there are ancient ruins, there is a communist style hotel in the brutalist style and there is a hotel in the Victorian style. After leaving the island we visited the Parliament and made it to Gresham's Palace in time to catch the moonlit river cruise with questionable string trio and lovely food. The end of the day had both of us sitting arm in arm as we saw the sights from the bow of boat in one of the most romantic cities on one of the most romantic rivers in the moonlight.   

 

Budapest - Picture of the Day - 12th April

We visited Buda on this day although unfortunately A was not very well and was half towed and half dragged around the sights. A kept telling that she did not want to miss out but really should have been n bed. At various points she had to have naps and hot chocolate to build her strength and cough sweets to provide medication. In Buda is the Royal Museum, President's Palace, Matthias Church and Fisherman's Bastion. It has a number of quaint streets and tree-lined streets that give it a restful air and the funicular railway means that you can let the train take the strain. One piece of advice is not to try to the use the toilets in the National Museum for free as they get a bit arsey. From the Fisherman's Bastion you get a great view across the whole of the city and if you go at dusk you can see it in daylight and at night.

Budapest Parliament from the Fisherman's Bastion

Budapest - Picture of the Day - 11th April

There is only one place to start when visiting Budapest and that is the River Danube. It cuts the city in half with Buda on one side and Pest on the other (we were staying in Pest). It was not until 1849 that the first bridge over the Danube was finished and the two parts of the city were properly joined. The vast majority of the buildings can be seen from the river bank and as with most cities that expanded through the Victorian era they liked to show off. As a capital in the Austro-Hungarian empire it has a parliament building and royal palace as well as a number of churches and cathedrals and an opera house. On the first whole day we had a very relaxing time down by the river in the bright sunshine admiring the architecture. 



Chain Bridge with the President's Palace (white building behind)

Budapest - Picture of the Day - 10th April

When you go to a hotel after you have just got married tell them you are married, now it is hard to raise face to face so email them in advance. The hotel decided that we would be the guests of the day and that meant that we could have a upgraded room with two bathrooms, a sitting room, a lovely big bed, chocolates and a free bottle of champagne. It made a beautiful hotel into an even more special experience and made the whole trip memorable.

The Corinthia Hotel, Budapest

What I am watching

Game of Thrones: I have read the books, I know what is going to happen and it is still fab. Peter Dinklage acts everyone of the screen.

Homeland: Which side is Brody on? Top acting from Damian Lewis and Clare Danes' bi-polar scenes were so convincing.

Law and Order SUV: Always a twist somewhere that you don't see coming (unless you have seen it before on one of the 6 million channels that it is on.)

Criminal Minds: Another week, another serial killer that is tracked down and sorted out.

Pointless: As quiz shows go it asks you to find the most obscure, most difficult answers rather than wasting time with easy questions.

Britain's got Talent: Now we have got away from the cringe-worthy auditions it might be worth watching.

Casualty: Loving Doctor Keogh in a "House-lite" role



On the box: Smash, Once upon a Time and Planet Earth Live.
Recommended Grimm and Awake (I wasn't so I can't comment)