Down By Budapest (and Sziget) #9

Budapest is a place of great wonders and unexpected surprises. Previously I had just spend three days in the magnificent city of Vienna in Austria. As enjoyable as it was this trip was also a bit pricey. I was looking forward to heading to a relatively cheaper country by Australian standards. I took the train from the Vienna main station and enjoyed a relatively short three hour train journey. The trip between the two countries was very scenic. After reading and taking a  short nap I made it to the Budapest Keleti railway station.

Getting to the hostel

I was brimming with excitement once the train stopped. I’ve never been anticipating going to Hungary for quite some time and couldn’t wait to get a feel of the city. Right before heading out of the station I decided to buy a bus ticket at one of the dispenser machines to get to my hostel: Hello Hostel Budapest.

As I’ve mentioned previously, I usually try my best to avoid all forms of public transport unless I really needed it. As I had talked about previously in my Austrian adventure I had walked for a few dozen kilometres in the last two days. I was definitely not keen to carry my trusty backpack all the way to my far-off hostel. The hostel itself is closer to the city centre than the train station. So it was still a good choice to commit to. Another thing worth noting is that while Hungary is part of the European Union it does not make use of the Euro. To get myself through the first few hours I decided to convert some notes at the train station. A tip when travelling around Europe and converting change (most of us already know this and it applies everywhere in the world), it would be better to convert your money in an establishment outside places like airports or train stations as they charge high commissions and often unappealing rates.

However, I would also recommend to avoid money lenders who simply come up to you and offer enticing rates with zero commission as there is an ever present risk that there would be some sleight of hand tricks to cheat you from some funds. In many cases these practices are illegal and may land you into trouble with the local authority, That wouldn’t be the most ideal situation to have to deal with on holidays.

Regardless, I converted enough money to pay for a night at my hostel, dinner and a bit of extra for tomorrow. Getting around isn’t too hard if you have an EU sim card. Since Hungary is part of the EU you are able to use internet and calling services without incurring any roaming charges within any EU member country. I had a sim card that I bought from Spain which has been serving me well throughout my Eurotrip.

I tapped in the name of my hostel on google maps and got the right public bus to drop me off a minutes walk away from my hostel. As the bus passed by many different streets and buildings I began to realise that this trip will be pretty enjoyable. Vienna had been crazy hectic with so much to see and very exquisite architect and structures built from the wealth of an empire. Budapest had its fair share of elegant buildings although it also had a more cozy feel as though you were home. These first impressions were well placed as it would match the feelings I would be experiencing for the next two days.

It was approaching dusk by the time I arrived to my hostel. The area looked a bit seedy and slightly dead (a couple of hours later it would be the opposite).Hello Hostel Budapest is a very affordable hostel located close to the centre of the city. To get to it you’d have to buzz in from one of the few buttons found before a complex door. You’d have to walk deep into the back and climb some steps until you reach the top floor. From there you’ll need to buzz the door. This would notify the receptionist who would open the door for you.

Happy Hostel Budapest

My first impressions upon entering the place was that it was very white and clean. At the time of my arrival it had not been too busy as most backpackers and travelers were out and about. The receptionist bloke is very polite. He showed me around the hostel and even suggested some great places to go to. He also recommended dinner in the restaurant found just outside the building on the street-level. The rooms were pretty small although the beds were large with curtains for your privacy. It was such a great relief sleeping here compared to my budget hostel experience in Vienna.

The hostel also provides you with secure safes to place any of your valuables in. You will have to bring your own padlock though. They also have a clean kitchen in the same area of the reception along with a dining table and lounge chairs. A perfect place to eat, drink and socialise. Later on there would be groups of people sharing pre drinks and shots in the reception area. The bathrooms and showers were pretty small although they were very clean. The hostel overall had been well taken care of even for its price.

After unpacking my stuff and storing any valuables in the secure lock, I decided to go downstairs to grab a meal. A bonus about this restaurant is that they also offer hookah (shishas).

Friendship Cafe 2 shisha bar

Friendship Cafe 2 shisha bar was the interestingly named place of the venue. By the time I had left the hostel it was late in the evening. Life had started to pick up on the streets with groups of people moving back and forth. I was glad to see that this area was a more popular area for locals with a minimum amount of tourists. It felt like being part of the usual city life. Not an outsider visiting to check out a few sites and enjoy a few cheap beers. So I decided to sit down outside and order a goulash (which is a pretty popular meat and vegetable based soup).

The night was relatively warm and I decided to relax so I could get an early start tomorrow morning. The visit to Vienna had truly drained me. I also ordered a shisha and enjoyed a phone call with my mate. The price of it all was pretty cheap and the staff were very friendly. If you find yourself in the area then I would recommend you check it out. After a couple of hours resting up and calling up a mate I then decided to call it a night. I left back upstairs and enjoyed a comfortable bed for the night.

Thermal baths

I woke up and left the hostel by around 9am. My main destination was the hot spring baths that are famed internationally. The walk was roughly thirty minutes to get to the Thermes Széchenyi. As I only had my small backpack on me for adventuring, I then decided to keep up with my minimum public transport’ rule. The reason for this is so as to see as much of a city as possible by walking down the streets and admiring the architecture. While there were a couple of construction projects on the way to the spa, I realised how polished and beautiful Budapest was. I wasn’t too sure what to expect as most people who talked about Budapest referred to their party scene alone. Although I was pleasantly surprised.

Along the way I saw many bakeries and decided to stop by a random one. There were so many different types of pastries I hadn’t experienced before. I was disappointed I couldn’t simply sit down all morning eating all the different offerings. I ended up settling for grabbing two pastries. An apple and a plum strudel. While they look small they are very thick with flavor and satisfaction. It punches way above its weight with flavour and only cost a couple of euros. It's also a bit messy to eat. The next couple of days of pastry eating made me realise how you feel less cheated eating here than many places you might visit. Ignoring the fantastic pricing, the portion size is pretty satisfying in Hungary.

Hősök tere 

After enjoying my breakfast I continued on my way to the hot baths. On the way there you will be faced with a treasure-trove of things to see. The most striking of them all is the Hősök tere (Heroes’ square). This square is pretty massive and it seemed like the starting points for many tours. Here you can see several groups of tourists posing against the background of the monuments in the area. The most impressive are the statues dedicated to the Seven Chieftains of the Magyars who were the main contributors to the creation of Hungarian society today. Here you can also find statues of other notable Hungarian soldiers and a ‘Tomb of the Unknown soldier’.

(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C5%91s%C3%B6k_tere)

The Heroes’ square is flanked by two large buildings, they are the Museum of Fine Arts and the Műcsarnok The latter is a contemporary art museum which showcases temporary exhibits. I decided to take a quick tour of the place and was impressed by the different showcases. I was also very interested by the fact that this museum does not contain art pieces of its own, rather it makes use of borrowed art that cycles between different museums. The exterior of the building is designed with a Greek-esque architectural style. This is by far my favourite type of architecture and one that I have the pleasure of constantly seeing in different major cities around Europe. This museum also has a Café that overlooks the whole square and provides a striking view of the area.

As it was pretty early in the morning I decided to also check out the Fine Arts museum to see what Budapest had to offer. You could do this on a budget as it costs roughly under six euros for the permanent exhibition. For students, we get a 50% discount so it cost me a little bit more than my brekkie. It was definitely worth it. There was so much to see but I didn't have the time. The museum map I had proudly stated that there are over 100,000 pieces to view. The museum itself is made up of six different sections. Unfortunately, I only had time to check out the Egyptian and ‘Old Master’ art. This museum also shared the Greek style architecture its counterpart contemporary art museum consists of. I would recommend checking these places out as they are strikingly beautiful and bring out the artistic nature of Budapest.

After my tour around the museums I continued my way up to the hot spas. On the way you’ll find a very scenic route with elegantly crafted landscape. Between the Heroes plaza and the hot spas you’ll have the Parc Városliget to cross. I will go into more detail about the place after the hot bath as initially beelined it straight to the place.

Thermal Széchenyi 

The Széchenyi thermal baths is worthy of a bit of background information. This thermal bath is known as the largest medicinal bath in Europe. The complex makes use of two hot baths to power up it's baths heat. The hot baths are famously known for helping with joint issues and many different maladies. I personally wasn’t suffering from too many maladies although I was keen for a relaxing and soothing experience in the warm waters of the thermal baths.

Ticket pricing range between fifteen to twenty five euros. Many of the options you pick will allow you to have access to a locker storage in the underground area. You’ll have to pass by security and show them your ticket upon arrival. One you’re let in you’ll have to head underground and choose between the male or female section depending on your gender. Once you get to your place of choice you will be given access to your locker which includes a locker which you are given a keycard to unlock. Expect to see a lot of skin as the shower room is located right next to the locker room. So if you’re squeamish about seeing your own gender’s nude body then avert your eyes.

I dropped off my passport,wallet and took a water bottle and my beach towel. At this point it had reached just after noon and the pool wasn’t too busy. I made my way upstairs and passed some elegantly engraved dark wooden doors and hallway. I eagerly made my way outside until it opened up to the pool area. The area was divided into two different pools. I stuck to the southern one for my stay there. The water moved about with a medium strength current. There were lounge chairs placed all over the place for you to place your stuff or soak in the sunlight. As previously mentioned, the pool was not too busy so I enjoyed floating about undisturbed. There some very elegant statues and the design of the surrounding complex was intrinsic with pillars supporting masterfully designed roofs.

(Source:https://welovebudapest.com/en/venue/szechenyi-bath-2)

I did a bit of reading while drying off and found out that it would be common for people to swim in these pools even when the surrounding lounge area was snowing. I ended up lounging about in the water for a couple of hours before  Many of my mates that went to Budapest would talk about how these pools would turn into water-filled rave parties on staruday which attracts youths and travelers from around. I decided to dry up and continue with my adventuring. I wasn’t too sure about the medicinal side of hot baths although my body felt like I was floating on clouds.

Gardens

I dried up, grabbed my stuff and decided to check out the surrounding part as I had glimpsed a few beautiful sites on the way in. I started walking around the park and realised that there was an elephant enclosure nearby. I didn’t manage to check it out for reasons I can’t recall. I kept walking and also spotted Budapest’s botanical garden. I personally love going into botanical gardens. I looked around the garden for about thirty minutes. It was a sight to enjoy. This botanical garden had many different types of plants and trees I had never seen before. Many were from eastern Europe and western Asia. I took quite a few photos of many of my favourites before I decided to keep on going.

Vajdahunyad Castle

Before I left to my next destination, I headed towards the Vajdahunyad Castle that was located within the garden area. If you have the time I highly recommend you spend an hour or so looking around this park and all it has to offer. The castle is situated in a very picturesque scene right next to a large pond.

The castle was built in the late 19th century and dedicated to the thousand year anniversary since the initial founding of what is to be known as Hungary. The history behind it is a bit funny. I read that initially it had been completely out of cardboard and wood but since it was so popular with the locals they decided to actually bring it to life in the form of a Romanesque and Gothic style building. A popular combination which I saw often enough in Vienna. I didn’t realise how much European architect I was going to learn about during this Eurotrip.

National museum of Hungary

The next stop of this trip was to the National museum of Hungary. I wanted to get to know a bit more about the region Hungary was situated in. This was one of the entrances to Western Europe by eastern tribes in the many centuries before. I had read up quite a bit about this region of Europe during the Roman period and wanted to augment my knowledge. I made my way to the museum. It was a long fifty minute walk although I noticed there were quite a few things to see along the way.

As I was on a budget, I decided to grab some niceties from one of the local supermarkets on the way.I grabbed a couple of different types of Hungarian sausages for lunch and some snacks for a spectacularly low price. I began to realise after meeting quite a few locals that the Hungarians have a decent grasp over the english language. I was glad to have this epiphany as the Hungarian language is known to be a very unique language and knowing other European languages won't provide much help.

Along the way I exchanged more euros for a rate much less cutthroat than the trainstation had been. The walk was very pleasant. I stopped along the way for a short break at one of the cafes. It's interesting to see life passing by on a regular friday early afternoon. There were shops strewn around selling different knick knacks of all sort. There were some nice looking restaurants and even a house of terror museum. After the long walk I finally made it to my destination museum. This massive museum is over three centuries old. It was, like many of the other Hungarian structures, built with a mostly Greek-esque style of architecture. The iconic pillars loomed high as you crossed them into the large complex inside. The museum focuses from prehistoric Hungarian history to beyond.

I recall soaking in the massive views and snapping a few photos to this large structure. It had several grassy gardens in front of it which several groups of people were lazing about in the mid afternoon. I made my way inside and found it to be pleasantly empty. Not too many people had decided to go to the museum on this day and at this hour. I found out that this museum also had seven permanent exhibitions to check out.

Upon entering I went straight to the receptionist to grab my ticket. Luck would have it that they had discounts. I gladly paid the reduced price. While paying for my ticket I casually started a conversation with the receptionist. We went back and forth about things to see in Hungary and Australia. He then mentioned about a festival going on this week. Perplexed, I decided to look it up as I said my farewells and made my way into the museum. My curiosity got the better of me and I decided to look up this festival just after entering the first exhibit. I found out that Sziget festival is one of the most popular and anticipated festivals in Europe. Apparently it went out for over a week. I looked up who were performing today and to my pleasure I found out Macklemore was performing.

Overjoyed, I decided to buy a ticket then and there. It had cost roughly seventy euros for a full day pass. It was late in the afternoon but I decided to go anyway. Luckily I didn’t need to print the ticket which would save me the trouble. He was performing in about four hours but I was keen to get to the festival as soon as possible. I was only wearing shorts and a sleeveless ACDC shirt but I reckon I was dressed perfectly for a hot day concert. Regardless, I decided to continue my history tour first. can’t let celebrations and decadence get in the way of learning. The tour overall was very enjoyable. There were many relics with some being a few thousand years old. I would highly recommend to check it out as there are many things to see. They also explain how Hungary became to be with the slow buildup of civilisation.

Sziget festival

After the slightly rushed tour I searched up how to get to Sziget. Apparently the festival takes place in an island just north of the city. It doesn’t look like I was going to walk those couple of hours to get all the way up there. So I broke my ‘no transport’ rule for a second time in one country and made my way to the nearest bus stop. It took a bus and a tram to get to the island. When I got to the tram it was swamped by many different festival goers. Everybody was dressed for a great party tonight. The excitement started to kick in. In my tram carriage alone there were people from many different walks of line looking to enjoy a night to different types of music. Some people fully dressed in punk outfits with hairstyles, piercings and all. Some crop tops and tight jeans that are the signature look for Hip Hoppers, some wearing what could be aptly defined as hippie clothing and many people dressed casually such as myself.

After a twenty minute ride I finally made it to the stop right outside the island. Unlike Lollapalooza I did not have to suffer from the long lines of people and tedious twenty minute walk just to get to the gate. Right before reaching the main security checkpoint we were offered red passport looking books that showcased where everything could be found and at what time. I was pleased to have this as it was the first time I was ever at Sziget and its useful for any beginners. It also makes a great souvenir. Soon after I made it to the gates and was allowed in after flashing my ticket in my phone. I was glad that this eurotrip was full of pleasant surprises. Earlier this month I had stumbled upon Switzerland during national day and was able to witness some spectacular firework displays.

For those who have never heard of Sziget (island) festival before, this week long festival always happens on ‘Old Buda Island’. This festival is one of Europe's largest music festivals that showcases genres of all types including rock, hip hop, rap, electronic reggae, synth pop, indie and many more genres I can’t even identify. It is similar to Europe’s Burning man but much smaller. Although small is an understatement as you can fit over 90,000 party goers into this venue. I read that the Sziget festival was a solution to raise funds after the dissolution of the USSR. It initially started in 1993. Most of thid information can be found in the little passports they gave out. Make sure to grab yours if you ever attend.

As logic dictates, you can decide whether to buy individual days, group days or for the full week long. If you decide to stay for an extended period of time you may want to think about pitching your tent. They allow the option of having your tent set up on one of the many designated grounds. Many people would stay awake late into the night until the crack of dawn where they would pass out for hours recovering from all the dancing and alcohol consumption. They would then wake up late in the morning or early in the afternoon and continue partying and attending concerts. Another benefit of having this tent is that you could always resupply in the city or nearby town for food and water and toss them into your tent.

Regardless, this wasn’t much of my concern as I was only there for the day. As I arrived in the late afternoon the majority of big events were not yet in full motion. There were several smaller bands performing here and there. The place was still pretty crowded when I got there. I walked up to a medium sized tent. Under this roof there was a stage with a large group of people listening to an Irish rock band. I can’t recall their name but they were pretty good. There was a lot of fist pumping, singing along and feet stamping. The air was electric with energy. Nearby there were two tents selling alcohol. Now, you would imagine that alcohol in a concert is particularly expensive. While some of what they offered was, there was some that was actually pretty cheap. I recall buying half litre pints for only a few euros. Monumentally cheaper than back home in Australia. The beer itself was also not too bad. These bar-tents offer different types of beers, spirits, cocktails and juices. Another interesting point about these bar-tents is that they offer tip service through debit cards. This is to say, that once you put your card in you will be presented with a locked down tablet that asks you whether you want to tip between 0%-30% of the total bill. I had never seen anything like it before.

After about forty minutes of fist-pumping I decided to further explore this island. I initially thought the Lollapalooza grounds was large, however, Sziget had so much going on and such a massive area that its all happening in that it felt like I was in a completely different world. As I kept walking around I could spot some tattoo parlours (best place to make drunk mistakes at a festival), many eateries and bars. At one point I saw massive human sized cockroaches crossing in the middle of the trail. Three large cockroaches (Basically three men crawling around) were marching in a line to wherever they were going. I soon realised that I’ll be seeing a lot more sights like this throughout the night.

I decided to head to the largest tent on the island. Inside I listened to a couple of different alternative and British rock bands performing. I saw quite a few families here enjoying their tunes. It was refreshing to see people both young and old enjoying what one of Europe’s largest music festivals have to offer.

The island has several tents, dance bars, dance floors, lounging areas and many different zones for you to enjoy. One of the largest stages on the Island, located opposite of the largest tent I had entered in, showcased all the big groups and artists. During this time Ariana Grande began performing for everybody. However, I am not really much of a fan of her type of music and decided to keep exploring the area. There were a couple of open roof bars that were playing some nice music. A great place to have a good dance or a drink.

After awhile, Macklemore went on. I was ecstatic. The man was a great performer and his music is binge-worthy to listen to. He expressed so much emotion and cheekiness it was all a great experience. I also got to meet a group of Hungarian friends. They were pretty chill and all spoke english. We chit chatted for a bit right before the concert. During the concert we were all to busy singing our lungs out and dancing our feet off.

After the goosebump inducing concert I decided to keep looking for new things to do. I said my goodbues and I ended up checking out a small open sky venue behind a gate with rock and heavy metal music being played on loud. You had Guns n Roses, Metallica and many greats playing to dancing metalheads and rock-enthusiasts. After about thirty minutes I decided to go grab dinner.

Food in Sziget

Sziget festival also offers many different types of eateries to choose from. You have pizzas, paninis, falafels, kebabs and many more. I ended up getting a falafel drowned in sauce and wrapped up into a large piece of peta bread. This eating area offered many places to sit down and relax. When you take a pause I would recommend considering if you want to buy any of your favourite group or band merchandise. Perhaps a souvenir of some sort. I personally did not need a souvenir as I had my ‘passport’ souvenir.

After enjoying my surprisingly large meal I then decided to relax for a bit. Digest and rest up after the long dancing periods. If you need to find some rest in Sziget, there are many areas with benches and tables to sit down and relax. You could also laze about in the grass. However, there are not that many free grassy areas at the edges of the festival as this area is predominantly taken up by tents of many kinds. It was strange to see the local of some of the tents. Some were literally placed between two different dance areas. It seemed impossible that the prices of location where the same. You definitely weren’t getting any sort of sleep without some knockout pills and high-grade earplugs.

(Source: http://www.luxuriousmagazine.com/2016/10/karoly-gerendai-founder-sziget-festival/)

At this point I decided to simply go to one of the bars near the main stage. This one had a large dance area and I basically spent the rest of the night dancing to electronic music and hip hop. From what I can tell from this experience is that you don’t really need to be in the biggest dancefloors with the most people. It's easy to have an amazing time in Sziget. After a few hours of dancing I decided to head home. Tomorrow is to be a long day of sightseeing and I wanted to feel my legs by the early afternoon. Luckily, there is public transport past midnight on a weekend. I'm not sure if its the same case on weekends. However, I managed to grab some transport which took me a street next to my hostel. The view was very scenic as we had to cross a bridge on the Danube. The area was lit up in lights, this included many magnificent structures and monuments. Definitely an unforgettable experience.

I groggily made my way to my hostel. As I had previously mentioned before, that at my hostel there is a 24/7 reception. I clicked my keycard into the lock, muttered a goodnight to the receptionist and went to pass out in my comfortable bed. The next day I woke up mid-morning and dragged my body out of bed. I usually have the unfortunate luck of always being on the top bunk bed which does not help my laziness after a long day. However, check out was a great motivator. I had booked another hostel for the night. You may think Im crazy, why would I go into the trouble of booking more than one hostel and dragging all my stuff to the other place. Is this not unnecessarily stressful? The answer is yes, but it's necessarily stressful. As I had mentioned before, I am doing a Eurotrip. My tip for travelling around by train is that you grab the earliest trains or latest ones as you do not want to waste any precious adventuring time train or bus bound. My next trip was early in the morning and my next hostel was located relatively nearby to a flixbus station.

Next day

I decided to walk all the way to my hostel. It was about a twenty five minute walk although it was very scenic as I had to walk along the tramline. I ended up in front of Budapest budget hostel. I wasn’t able to check in since most hostels won’t allow you to check in before 2pm-3pm. What's great about the location of this hostel is that there are quite a few bars and restaurants nearby. You also have a supermarket (which I would subsequently buy brekkie, lunch and snacks). It is a bit far from the monuments closer to the centre that I wanted to check out. However, I had the whole day to explore. They allowed me to store my things in their storage locker and I set out with a small backpack and a water bottle. I did my shopping and then headed off to the centre of the city.

My first destination was the parliament building next to the Danube river. This massive structure is the largest in Hungary and the highest building in all of Budapest. To be in front of it is something to be in awe of. The building’s exterior is breath-taking and follows a gothic style type of architecture. It is even more beautiful if you witnessed it from the otherside of the river. You’ll be able to take a landscape photo that would be the envy of all.

The interior of the parliament is equally as elegant. The inside makes you feel as though you were inside a castle or ready to be part of a great ball.  I spent quite a bit of time walking around and inspecting the area. You could find the holy crown of Hungary located within these walls. One thing I found particularly interested is the fact that there are two parliaments halls which I read were completely identical. I was only allowed to see one of them at the time. I was told that the other one was mainly used for politic related work. I highly recommend you make this one of your main destinations when sightseeing around Budapest as it is truly a marvel of human ingenuity Within walking distance you could also check out St. Stephen's Basilica. As i was tight for time I decided to give this one a miss. Don’t let this discourage you from checking it out.

Hospital in the Rock Nuclear Bunker

The next destination is in my favourite area of Budapest. There are spectacular views, great food and tasty ice-cream. It is also one filled to the brim with history which includes World War 2. I will go into more detail after my first and most interesting stop, ‘Hospital in the Rock Nuclear Bunker’.

This bunker is located on the side of a steep hill that leads to some spectacular views. I recalled making my way inside just in time to book the tour that was about to start (they had a tour once every hour). They provide seats in the small reception room where you are faced with souvenirs on shelves. Some of these souvenirs were pretty cool. There were gas masks and parts of military uniforms. After the wait, a small group of us were led into a small theatre room where the history of the bunker was explained to us.

The hospital itself was built into some caverns right under the Buda castle (we’ll refer to the castle later on). It was specifically built to prepare for the Second World War. At this point my excitement spiked. It's one of my passions learning about World War Two and the lesser known history stories we aren’t told in our history classes. The Hospital is definitely new territory for me to explore. Back to the point, the hospital was meant to act as a hospital of last resort of the main hospital suffered damage from bombings. It had to be reinforced against aerial attacks. As the second world war progressed, the tunnels and the hospital itself was expanded so as to be able to house more complex surgical facilities.

I won't go into too much detail of what the facility has to offer as it would be better to see it for yourself. What I could tell you is that the hospital was originally made for fifty people but ended up housing several hundred people. The situation worsened as supply lines were disrupted. The rooms would heat up incredibly as you had dozens of sick men in one room with illnesses and overheating with fevers which in turn heats up the room. Some single beds had to house three wounded or sick soldiers at a time.

Water and food became a scarcity and had to be rationed. Bandages ran out and they had to reuse them from the corpses of other soldiers that died in the hospital after sterilising them. This became an issue as diseases would spread. Although, it has to be noted these were desperate and stressed men and women doing everything in their power with the minimum amount of resources with the threat of death outside. Desperate measures had to be ensured to save as many as possible. Civilians were also accepted in the hospital for treatment.

There are a few more facts I feel I have to say to give more depth as to the importance of the work the doctors and nurses did here. One statistic stuck to me throughout the tour. “Thousands of civilian and soldiers’ lives were saved by the doctors in this hospital”.

At the end of the tour, they have an exhibit dedicated to the threat of the atomic bomb after the second World War. They will showcase the horrors and the somber nature of how the world will be effected and to what extent the damage will be if different types of atomic and hydrogen bombs were used. The last room is what you would say is a ray of light. It even includes a gift from Barack Obama in dedication for the fight against nuclear weapons of mass destruction. The waxwork you’ll find throughout the tour will give a more human face to the history you’ll be witnessing.

While the tour was sombering it is also one of hope and optimism towards the future. I believe if you’re doing a historical tour of Hungary in Budapest then I urge you to check this out. Your historic trip will not be complete without this. From the museum you could reach the next views and spectacular monuments by walking about a hundred meters in front of the museum. On your left you’ll see a long staircase that will lead you to the area above.

Castle hill

Once you reach the top area you will be faced with a very polished and pretty town. Behind you there will be a spectacular view of the surrounding countryside. The other side is even better. As you make your way further down the road you will find yourself in the Castle District. An area of spectacular views and monuments. You will want to make your way to the Matthias Church which is found only five minutes into the centre. On the way you will pass many elegant restaurants selling local cuisines, some pizzerias and many different bars. At this point you’re entering a heavily touristic area.

The first thing you’ll spot is the majestic Matthias Church displayed proudly in the heart of the Buda castle area. This was a roman catholic church built in the late 14th century. It sports a very gothic architecture style with a high rising tower overlooking the whole area. My Eurotrip taught me to love the Gothic style due to its elegance and the probability that whatever building it is will probably be centuries old. Right next to the church there will also be the Trinity Column. This is a very beautiful piece with steps that allow you to sit around and bask in the beauty of the area.

(Source: http://budacastlebudapest.com/opening-hours-matthias-church-2017/)

I noticed that this area got full pretty quickly. Thirty minutes into my trip here busloads of people were dropped several meters away from the church. However, I don’t usually allow that to impede my enjoyment of the area. After admiring the view I walked past the church and made my way to the spectacular view ahead.

In the area ahead you can check out the Fisherman's Bastion with its bleach white walls and spires. Although at the time my focus was on the terrace. This deceptively crumbled and ancient stone looking  walls easily supports many people to have a spectacular view of the area. From here you can see the Danube river and most of the Eastern part of the city. This view is definitely in one of my top fives in Europe. Unfortunately, as it was quite busy I couldn’t stay for long as people impatiently waited to have their turn on the terrace to enjoy their view. After snapping a few more photos and soaking in the last glances of the view,

I then decided to grab some ice-cream to cool down in the heat. You can find a very luxurious looking ice-cream shop priced reasonably for a tourist area close to the initial entrance to this area which I passed earlier. So if you check out the museum and need an Ice-cream break, you can’t miss it. I was still feeling peckish so I decided to eat in one of the random restaurants located in this area. I just recalled an amazing snack you must try out. I had to look up the name, it's called Túró Rudi. Its a sweet cheese filled chocolate bar. I was binge eating these for two days straight. They’re kept refrigerated in supermarkets and cost less than peanuts. It packs a punch in the flavour department.

Back to my late lunch. There’s a Jamie's Italian restaurant located right next to the ice-cream store. I decided to skip as I was on a budget and took a couple of corners before I ended up in a small Hungarian restaurant. I had to pick something at random as the menu was in Hungarian. All I knew was that it was a potato dish. After waiting for a short while in the near empty restaurant my meal came in. It was a potato, egg, cheese and sausage casserole. It was covered in some cream which I reckon is might be sour cream although I wasn’t too sure until I looked up the dish. Apparently I had a ‘Rakott Krumpli’. I do recommend trying it out as its quite filling and very delicious. My stomach at this point was empty except for ice-cream. This made it the perfect rich meal to enjoy. I enjoyed my meal and relaxed for thirty minutes while reading my book.

On the way out

It’s always good to have a period where you can simply relax and look back at what you’ve been up to for the past two days. At this point it was getting slightly dark and I decided to head to one of the local souvenir shops. While most souvenir shops sell the same things other countries sell except with their own flag slapped on it, the two shops I checked were pretty unique. There were quite a few nice knick knacks to pick from. I ended up getting a hollow engraved shell in the shape of an egg. I try to make sure to grab at least one souvenir per country I visit.

At that point I decided to head back to the hostel. I needed to wake up relatively early to catch my Flixbus. For those travelling with the interrail pass, I would recommend using your pass for the long haul trips and take very affordable buses for short trips. I rewarded all my walking with a bus ticket and made my way back to my hostel.

I finally ended up checking in as it was past three. At the reception you can find many different types of tours and events on offer for you to pick. Strangely enough, this hostel provides a brochure for going to a shooting range. I reckon it must’ve been the first time I saw something like that in a hostel. Then again I rarely look at the Brochures. The beds in the Budget Budapest hostel are a tad larger than a regular single bed and are pretty comfortable. The showers are pretty clean and they offer you a locker to put your valuables in. However, you will need to bring your own lock. They also have a kitchen where you can cook up all your meals. The staff are also very friendly so if you need any advice on where to go or what to eat then feel free to ask these mates.

Early the next morning I woke up and packed my things. If you need to grab a budget breakfast then make your way to the supermarket I previously mentioned, Its located between the hostel and the tramline. It's almost impossible to miss. The relatively cheap prices allow for more bang for your buck. They also have a baked goods section where you can find many popular Hungarian pastries to choose from. I grabbed a cinnamon covered pastry along with the sweet cheese chocolate bar I talked about earlier and a sandwich.

I then made my way to the tram line and took it all the way to the bus station located in the eastern part of the city. From there you would be able to grab your Flixbus or any other bus companies you decided to ride with. You’ll have to use the electronic board inside to find out which stop your bus will be in. I found my bus and to my pleasure I realised I was riding a double decker Flixbus. I had never been in one of these from Flixbus. By the end of the trip my body and soul felt pretty satisfied. The Hot Baths, history, foods and Sziget for a not too expensive price convinced me to visit Budapest again. Although, I was very excited to check out the next destination of my trip: Belgrade, Serbia.

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