I didn’t realize it, but a friend from high school spent almost a year in Budapest and gave me a lot of suggestions on places to go and things to see in and around the city. So today was basically “do everything Ben told you to do but you haven’t done” day. I spent the day basically walking all around the city. I first saw the 2nd largest synagogue in the world which is in the heart of the city.
After that I saw a couple walking areas and stopped at the vegetarian restaurant “Hummus Bar” for lunch. I have no idea what they do to their food, but I think it might have been literally the best food I have ever had. I had a plate that had falafel, beans, hummus and came with pita and the seasoning was just incredible. These Hungarians really know how to work the paprika.
From lunch, I walked to Margaret Island, an area in the middle of the Danube that houses a large park and other activities. It was a beautiful day (although it was fairly cold), so I enjoyed taking pictures of the many leaves that covered the sidewalks as I walked through the park and the amazing views from the bridges. I can only imagine how amazing this park would be in the summer months when one could rent a bicycle and waste the day away riding around the island.
The Buda side of the city was my next destination, and I walked along the bank of the river stopping to see a pretty church and take pictures of the Parliament building as the sun set.
I spent my last evening in Hungary hiking up the hill on the Buda side of the city with some hostel friends to a Lady Liberty monument which is a reminder of the country’s Communist past; it was erected in the Communist era and faces Russia. As I learned on my walking tour, there was a vote to see if the statue should be removed because of its less than positive roots, but the city decided to keep the statue because it was such an icon. It was perfect to end my time in the country with breathtaking views of Budapest at night!
