Budapest February 2013

Home » Helen Rose Hillwalking Diary » Budapest February 2013

Budapest February 2013

Helen Rose Hill Diary

Budapest has long been on my list of European cities to visit. This winter, I spent a long weekend there and had the good fortune to stay at the Gellert Hotel. The Gellert is one of the oldest, traditional spa hotels and is located overlooking the River Danube on the Buda side of Budapest. Buda and Pest are two cities on either side of the Danube. Being winter, we had limited daylight hours but made the most of them.

On arriving in the early evening on a flight via Amsterdam, we made our way to the Rudas Turkish Baths, a short walk from the hotel. The Rudas Thermal Bath was established as early as the 16^th century, during the time of the Turkish occupation. There is an octagonal pool covered by a dome. It was lovely to relax in the warm water rich in minerals after the journey and we felt glowing as we walked in below freezing temperatures to the hotel. Budapest has a fairly unique quality, being among the very few large cities in the world that is rich in thermal water – so it also called the city of spas.

The following days we used the tour bus to hop on and off visiting the various architectural delights. The hotel was located adjacent to the bridge crossing over to the market hall. From our balcony we could watch the trams crossing the bridge and we walked in the evening over the bridge to dine at the Greek and Italian restaurants overlooking the river. We walked up to the Cave Church which was fascinating as it maintains a steady temperature of 20c throughout the year from the heat in the rocks.

On the tour, we saw the main buildings of Pest including the ornate Parliament and the Cathedral. Cafes were an important part of Budapest life and we visited the noted Central Cafe and also the New York Cafe, both famous for cakes and piano music. The food was unusual and for the first time, I had venison broth in a loaf. Very unusual! We rounded off the first day with a visit to the Gellert Art Nouveau Baths, stark contrast to the Rudas but with the same invigorating, warm spa water.

The following day we visited the Castle Hill and the Citadel in Buda. Most of Buda is hilly and is the area most expensive to reside in. We managed more cafes and rounded of the day with a boat trip on the Danube. By the way, the Danube is not blue and visitors are disappointed as the river is associated with the music for the Blue Danube. We also had a walking tour of the Old Jewish Quarter in Pest. A very sad past but still a lively community.

On the last day, we ventured on the trams and the Metro. This turned out to be a gruelling experience as I had my purse stolen on the Metro after some confusion with a bogus ticket inspector trying to fine me for not having my ticket stamped prior to the journey. My companion managed a visit to the open air spa baths in the park adjacent to Heroes Square, impressive in January temperatures! My overall impression of Budapest is a beautiful city but it still has the feel of the former Communist State. On the upside, the spa baths were wonderful. I particularly enjoyed staying at the Gellert Hotel with its somewhat faded grandeur but the comfort, hospitality and location more than made up for this.