‘Cukrászda’ of Budapest

So, the whole trip came as a surprise to me, where one morning I woke up to receive a message from a friend which said ‘check your mail’ and to my curiosity, I did as said and when I opened the mail, it read ‘flight booked to Budapest’. To my excitement I started jumping and dancing around the house and immediately called my friend to tell how delighted I was to know we’ll soon be visiting the capital of Hungary ‘Budapest’.
A lot of titles ran my mind for the blog but since this came as a sweet surprise to me, thought the best name that would suit this post would be ‘Cukrászda’ of Budapest, ‘Cukrászda’ is a hungarian word for confectionery. Where you’ll find traditional confectionery shops in the city which sell amazing pastries.

Some Tips:

• How to get here: Ryain air, one of the most reasonable ways to travel in Europe if you have booked the tickets in advance and less time consuming.
• Stay: Wombats city hostel, which is based in the prime location of the city.
• Best way to explore: Do take the free walking tour.
• Travelling inside the city: As the city is quite small you can reach any place by walk, the city also offers good public transport. Though we opted the ‘hop on hop off’ bus where you learn more about the city and its culture.
• Money Exchange : Do not exchange money at the airport. Exchange it at the certified offices in Budapest where you’ll get good value for euros to Hungarian forint.
• Other places to visit: Gellert Hill, Szechenyi Bath, Fisherman’s Bastion and Szimpla Kert.

Matthias Church

Besides enjoying the fact of being in Budapest, me and my friend planned to start the day by taking the ‘free walking tour’ apparently also suggested by most of our friends which really is a good way to know any city, its history and the main attractions. As we had already googled our way to reach the meeting point of the tour, we managed to reach there on time, met the enthusiast tour guide and the little group. Just as we walked along, we got to this huge Roman catholic church located on the Buda side of the city which is a magnificent building, built in Gothic style.There is something so serene about this church that the moment I entered it, the beautiful architecture just left me enchanted. The student ticket to enter the church costs 1000 HUF and is definitely worth seeing.

Heroes’ Square

When you get to this place it gives a feeling of peace and calmness. This square plays an important role in the Hungarian history which is also known as the ‘Tomb of the unknown soldier’. These are the memorial stones of the heroes who lost their lives for the freedom and independence. There is no ticket for this place as it is a open area where you can walk around freely and have a look at these monuments with a lot of time. However, hard to get a good picture of yourself as there are a lot of people, though am glad to get this clicked, ignoring the man with a funny pose behind. All thanks to my friend @Gaurika for such amazing clicks.

Parliament

For one thing that took my heart away was this alluring parliament building which is also the third largest parliament building in the world. Although I couldn’t get a perfect picture, this is one of the most attractive buildings in the city and I suggest everyone who’s visiting Budapest to see this during the day and in the evening when the entire building and the bridge is lit. Its simply captivating.
Sometimes, the beauty of some places is such that you just don’t want the moment to end and with no doubt this place did give me that feeling.

Panorama look-out tower

I could certainly bet on ‘this place’ being my favorite spot in the city. I remember taking the stairs to this place which was quite creepy as it got higher and higher. But once I reached the top, I totally forgot what it took me to be there. Panorama look-out tower is basically the terrace of St.Stephen’s Basilica church, which gives a 360 degree view of the entire city. When you take a walk around the terrace, for a moment you just enjoy the feeling of the wind blowing in your hair to just standing there and looking at the entire city like you’re looking at your dreams.
After a while, me and my friend literally ran around this place like kids having fun taking some funny pictures and making videos. Also, one of the best places to take beautiful pictures of yourself with a breath-taking view.
The student ticket to the tower is just 400 HUF and I suggest you don’t miss out on this one.

Langos and Chimney cake

Last but not the least is the culinary delights that Hungarian food has to offer. And yes, they say your trip is complete only when you have tried the local food and drinks and this place has amazing eat outs and cafes where you get all sorts of cuisines from through out the world at a very reasonable price. Out of all the delicacies we tried, two of my favorites that is also a popular Hungarian street snack is ‘langos’ which is a deep fried dough with sour cream and cheese and for sure is the best snack I’ve had till date and next is ‘chimney cake’ the most delicious dessert where the cone is coated with cinnamon and sugar that is soft from inside but crisp from outside, a perfect savory for the evening.I also suggest try ‘Goulash’ a local delight and ‘unicum’ a local Hungarian drink.