Budapest, Hungary
Car. Uber. Fast Train. Bus. Slow Train. Taxi.
The train ended up being one hour late. We arrived to our stop and it seemed like everyone was asleep. We kind of hesitated and the doors were shut so Paige pushed the open and if closed. I said push again. We got off and our NZ blokes did not. The one by the open door almost jumped. He had a horrified look on his face. We jumped into a taxi and the driver assured us that it was the first of three Budapest stops so they weren’t stuck and we hope that we run into them while we are here.
We arrived by taxi to our hotel by midnight on and woke up to a very bustling and very crowded fantastic spread of a breakfast. Paige enjoyed the liver pate and I tried a fresh paprika pepper. I never knew lol. We turned into WiFi zombies after being deprived for over 24 hours. I know, pretty sad eh?
Here we are in beautiful Budapest first timers. I sent our old soccer friends, Gail and Laszlo Halmi, a message asking for food suggestions. Laszlo is from Budapest. (Nicky played soccer with their son Conner back in the day).
Laszlo was a wealth of knowledge and information.
Since I am a slow leaner I research history after the fact and rely on Google and chat GPT (Chachi).
According to Chachi, Budapest is actually a unification of three historic cities: Buda, Pest, and Óbuda, which officially merged in 1873. Here’s a chronological overview:
Ancient and Roman Times
• Celtic tribes were the earliest known inhabitants around 1st century BC.
• The Romans conquered the region around 89 AD, establishing a city called Aquincum (in today’s Óbuda).
• Aquincum became the capital of the Roman province Pannonia Inferior and was a significant military and administrative center.
Medieval Period
• After the fall of Rome, the area was invaded by various tribes, including Huns and Avars.
• 896 AD: The Magyars (Hungarians), led by Árpád, settled in the Carpathian Basin.
• In 1000 AD, King Stephen I was crowned, and Hungary became a Christian kingdom.
• Buda became a royal residence during the 13th century after Mongol invasions devastated earlier centers.
Habsburg and Austro-Hungarian Period
• Following Ottoman defeat, Habsburg rule began.
• The 18th and 19th centuries brought urban development and growing national identity.
• 1848–49: Hungary’s failed revolution against Habsburg rule was crushed by Austrian and Russian forces.
• In 1867, Hungary gained more autonomy through the Austro-Hungarian Compromise.
• 1873: Buda, Pest, and Óbuda were unified to form Budapest, which then rapidly industrialized and modernized.
20th Century
• World War I: The Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed in 1918; Hungary became an independent republic.
• World War II: Budapest suffered heavy bombing and street battles; the Nazis occupied the city in 1944, and the Soviet Red Army took it in 1945.
• 1949–1989: Hungary became a Communist state under Soviet influence.
• 1956: A nationwide revolution began in Budapest but was crushed by Soviet tanks.
• Post-1989: Peaceful transition from Communism to democracy and a market economy.
Modern Era
• Hungary joined the European Union in 2004.
• Budapest today is a vibrant cultural and economic hub, known for its stunning architecture, thermal baths, and Danube riverfront.
I apologize if this is too much info.
We decided to take it easy today and chillax some. We were in desperate need of a washing machine.
Who has fun at a laundromat in Budapest? We do. We met Maria from Dallas whose parents escaped Croatia during the war. We met another girl from Romania (I will call her RG) and sadly we didn’t get her name or her photo. We learned from them and the learned from us. It was a nice way to spend 90 mins doing laundry. RG told us to try Langos at Retro Langos. RG also suggested an evening Danube River cruise.
I asked Chachi to plan a small itinerary on the way to the laundromat. We walked to the Basilica of St Stephen but we didn’t go inside. We then strolled through Liberty Square. The monument is controversial with the WWII and Jewish genocide. It is filled with heart breaking photos and stories regarding the genocide.
Per the Google:
“The Liberty Square controversy in Budapest revolves around the Memorial for Victims of the German Occupation, also known as the monument commemorating Hungary’s time under Nazi occupation. The monument has been criticized for potentially downplaying Hungarian collaboration with Nazi Germany and Hungary’s role in the Holocaust. A counter-monument, the Living Memorial, has emerged as a response, aiming to acknowledge the suffering of Hungarian Jews during the Holocaust”
After our small wardrobe was super clean and smelling wonderful, we dropped it off and headed to Retro Lángos and we shared a super delish Langos.
“Lángos (pronounced LANG-gosh) is Hungary’s ultimate deep-fried comfort food. It is essentially a plate-sized piece of dough that’s been deep-fried to perfection and slathered with cheese, cream and dairy products.”
Next up, we walked to Laszlo’s favorite gelato place in the inner city. We passed by many churches (I counted about 6 form one street intersection) We stopped in the Church of St Anne which was beautiful.
Per Gail’s advice we checked out the Shoes on the Danube. Read about it here. Another very touching memorial and sad part of the Hungarian history.
https://www.yadvashem.org/articles/general/shoes-on-the-danube-promenade.html
We checked out the Parliament building before we headed back to our room to re charge. It was pretty hot outside.
Our evening Danube cruise started at 8:20 pm. The lit up buildings were simply gorgeous in both Pest and Buda. Many lit up beautiful bridges, which all had to be reconstructed after they were all bombed in WWII, connected the two regions. The Parliament Building looked totally different at night. The cruise had a historical guide that we listened to.
We grabbed some food on the way home and hope to check out Buda tomorrow before we eat lunch at Laszlo’s favorite restaurant.
