Did you know that Empress Elisabeth of Austria loved travelling to Budapest? Did you know, that she was quite sporty? She loved working out most of the day. And when she went for a walk her abigails had to be replaced during the walk beacause they couldn't keep up with the empress. Sisi loved slogs. We didn't know that such a slog was in store for us when we left the hotel for the Hungarian Parliament Building the next morning.
Hungarian Parliament Building
The parliament is a very busy sight and can only be visited by joining a guided tour. Therefore you should book a tour in advance. We were lucky and got the last tickets for a tour starting half an hour after our arrival. So we didn't have to come back.
Hungarian Parliament Building
The huge building is located right next to the Danube shore. At first sight it seems like someone wanted to put the Palace of Westminster into Venice and dropped it on the way in Budapest. Good job. The Hungarian Parliament Building turned out to be marvelous.
Hungarian Parliament Building
After taking the informative tour we went all the way to the other side of Pest to check out the market hall. There you can find all kinds of Hungarian specialties. Don't miss the food court on the first floor. I couldn't find the one thing I wanted to taste, though. Chimney Cake!
Market hall
Thank heavens we didn't have to search for too long. A sweet and soft dough formed into a chimney. Sprinkled with sugar, cinnamon, cocoa or coconut. Filled or just plain to pull apart. After my first bite I knew that we wouldn't spend enough days in Budapest to satisfy the craving that had just been created. You can find Chimney Cake all over Budapest. We had our first Chimney Cake moment at 'Hoppácska'.
Chimney Cake, Hoppácska
Sadly our next stop was not accessible, but seriously cult. The Millenium Underground Museum. was created with the aim of presenting the history of the Millennium Underground and the Budapest metro in an authentic setting. That is why it is located inside a metro station that is only accessible via stairs...like lots of metro stations in Budapest.
Millenium Underground Museum
So more walking for us. The sun burned brightly and we were a little exhausted. To relax we did a boat tour on the Danube with a stop at Margaret Island. We disembarked and explored the green island, which a lot of Hungarians like to spend their spare time on. If you want to go for a run this is the perfect place to do so in Budapest. Unhappily we missed to last boat and had to walk back to the city via a bridge. Yeah, even more exercise...
Danube
Thanks to its delicious Hungarian-Jewish food 'Spinoza Restaurant' in the heart of the Jewish Quarter reconciled us with beautiful Budapest in the end. LeChaim! Continue here.
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