COLOURFULWORLD

Wednesday 16 May 2018

From Lisbon to Budapest I - Day 12 and 13

The day after the weddingMonday 9th of April, it rained the whole day and we opted to stay home, pack our bags, put the airbnb apartment in order and spend a few hours with the family, take a couple more photos and have dinner together ... 
We would be flying to Budapest very early the following day.



With my parents and sisters


Since I found a black and white photo a few years ago, from 1972 with my sisters and I, we thought we would take a similar photo every time we happen to be together...which is not often since we live in 3 different continents and can't always be present at all the important family events.  We've managed a photo in 2013, then 2017 and now 2018.

The 3 sisters - left 1972 and 2013, and right 2017 and 2018






                                                            The family had a lovely dinner together, we said our goodbyes and had an early night.

Tuesday 10th April, we had to wake up early to get on the road at 7.30 am as we would be encountering a lot of traffic to Lisbon with people on their way to work. 
Because of the rainy morning it took us 1,30h to travel the 37km from Cascais to Lisbon! 
At the airport my husband dropped us at the Departures terminal and quickly went to the other end of the airport to drop the rented car. We did our check-in as both my daughter and I had a bag to dispatch, and anxiously waited for my husband to arrive as we didn't have much time left, with check in closing at 9.25, but he made it!

Because I didn't even have a chance to eat a delicious custard tart while on holidays, I bought a box of 6 tarts and the 4 of us shared them.
The Air Portugal flight departed at 10.55 under some rain and 3.30h later we landed in Budapest, Hungary.

Lisbon airport, sitting on the plain with the rain coming down, flying over Lisbon, Portuguese custard tarts

Just outside the airport we lined up at the very organized taxi ordering booth - they ask your name, how many people, how many bags, the address to be taken to, calculate an approximate fee and give you a paper with the taxi number plate which soon comes along.
Ours was a small van for the 4 of us plus 2 big suitcases and 2 onboard bags, and about 40 minutes later we were deposited in front of our accomodation - Avantegarde apartments, on Kazinczy u. 9 (Kazinczy street), right in the center of the  VII district or Jewish Quarter, which was very central to walk around the city.

Just before landing in Budapest and the Hungary sign outside the airport


Avantegarde Apartments - our accommodation in the Jewish Quarter, District VII

 My daughter Karina had rented 3 apartments - one for her, Thomas and his brother, one for Thomas's parents, who along with his brother would be arriving from Marseille about 3 hours after our arrival, and one for us on the ground floor, which faced the back of the building. After unpacking, we went into our little patio and alas, I spotted 3 giant murals on the walls of buildings next to an empty block.  Had we gone to the other 1 bedroom apartment that faced the interior garden I would have missed it.


We then joined Karina and Thomas and went for a quick bite at the Karavan food
market across the street, right next to the Szimpla Kert Ruin Bar, the most famous Ruin Bar in Budapest.
The popular Karavan market stood in an empty piece of land, with caravans on either side and tables and benches in the middle. Simple food and drinks but very popular. 

I just had sweet potato chips with a dipping sauce and they were great, but my always hungry "son in law" and my husband ordered a goulash dish served in a round bread.
Generally I found Hungarian food to be a bit heavy on meat, potatoes and bread, but we also had nice food in restaurants.

Just like in Portugal every Cafe, Restaurant or even an outdoor eating area like this market has free wi-fi, and the password is usually written on the menus. Apart from the free wi-fi everywhere, in both countries the internet is also heaps faster than in Australia.

One downside was the currency, I knew Hungary had joined the European Union in 2004 but I wasn't aware they didn't use the Euro and I had taken euro notes that I hadn't spent in Portugal. 
Their currency is the Forint, so it was confusing always trying to work out the prices in Euros or Australian Dollars just to see if things were cheap or expensive. In some larger restaurants, hotels and shops they will accept Euros, but from the conversions the prices always seemed to be a bit higher than in Forints.


Karavan food market - food trucks with simple food, desserts and drinks, the free wi-fi sign

Budapest, Hungary's capital is divided by the Danube river with various bridges connecting the hilly Buda district where you find the cobblestone streets, the castle, the Baths, to the flat modern and busy Pest district. Until 1873, they were two cities which were then joined with the name of Budapest.
We still had some time before Thomas's parents and brother arrived, so we took a walk down to the river to cross one of it's dozen bridges.

The Liberty or Freedom Bridge, originally named Franz Joseph Bridge, is the shortest bridge in Budapest's centre, built between 1894 and 1896 with mythological sculptures and the country's coat of arms adorning its side. After World War II the bridge was rebuilt due to heavy damage.
The bridge is crossed by trams and cars, but there are plans to make it a pedestrian only bridge.


Liberty Bridge - bottom left is the Great Market Hall, the coat of arms on top and sides of the bridge




On the other side of the bridge is the Gellért Hill with the Liberty Statue or Freedom statue on the top, a statue that commemorates those who sacrificed their lives for the independence, freedom and prosperity of Hungary.

The Danube River with the Elizabeth bridge in the distance and the Liberty Statue atop the Gellert Hill





































After reaching the end of the bridge we returned to the hotel, admiring the monuments and statues along the way.

Statues, a church and a Museum

Interesting architecture, a bicycle in front of a shop window, a "man-statue" hanging from a shop's sign











At dinner time, the now family of 7 got together in the lobby to walk together the 800mt to the Anker Club restaurant, at Anker köz 1-3 for dinner. Thomas's Mom is celiac so she has to be extra careful with what she eats and this restaurant had a lot of gluten-free choices.
The food was nice, prices were reasonable and service was good.

Anker Club Restaurant - my salmon and two of the desserts










After dinner we walked to the end of the street to Erzsébet Square park where the  Budapest Eye is located. This 65mt high Ferris wheel, opened in March 2017 and is the largest in Europe.  Here people (not me!) can enjoy views over the city, with only the Basilica being higher.
We enjoyed a walk around the brightly lit monuments, even thought it was a week day the town was full of people enjoying the balmy night.

The Basilica, the Budapest Eye, a fountain sculpture at the Jewish Museum, Hello Hungary sign at the park


The Basilica (left), The Jewish Museum towers and a statue of a fountain at the Jewish Museum






























Back in our street we stopped for a short while at the popular Karavan food market as the men wanted a coffee, and then it was time to go and rest.

Karavan food trucks at night


43 comments:

  1. WOW, Budapest is beautiful. And YOU have the best luck finding murals, too. Of course, you also find the best places to stay, too.

    I love seeing you and your sisters all together. It's fun to see the updated photos of the three of you.

    How odd about monetary conversions. I always get those confused, which I am ashamed to admit, since I was a math major in a previous life.

    I enjoyed your photos of the architecture, the statues, the beautiful city, and the food. So glad you shared these experiences with us.

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    1. Thanks Elizabeth. In Hungary we could be "millionaires" with a few thousand dollars, lol.

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  2. Another fabulous post Sami. I can see why you lost all that weight, so much exploring :) What a brilliant idea taking a photo of the three of you when you do manage to catch up, all three of you don't seem to be aging at all!

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    1. Thanks Grace, we did a lot of walking for sure!

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  3. We loved Budapest, partly because we met bloggers Lance and Jane Hattat who were very hospitable. I know many of the places you speak of, but the Budapest Eye was not there when we were. I must find out where it exactly is. No, I know where it is, the park in the river off Elizabeth Bridge. The Jewish Quarter is terrific and did you not have a tram ride?

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    1. How exciting Andrew, I don't know any Hungarian bloggers at the moment.
      The Eye has only been there since end of 2017, it's in a park near the Chain bridge. We really enjoyed the Jewish quarter, so much to do and see. We didn't ride a tram or underground at all, we rode a bus once, a tuk-tuk once, otherwise we walked all over.

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  4. Oh yes, great timeline photos of you and your sisters.

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  5. Gostei bastante de ver as fotografias desta agradável viagem e é sempre bom o encontro com os nossos familiares.
    Um abraço e continuação de uma boa semana.

    Andarilhar
    Dedais de Francisco e Idalisa
    O prazer dos livros

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    1. Obrigada Francisco, sempre bom ver a familia.

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  6. So funny those sisters photos of the three of you!. A busy trip to fly all over Europe, but a lot to see.

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    1. Yes, we did a lot in a very short time, we got fit with so much walking, lol.

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  7. I agree with Bieb. Very funny

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  8. Que viagem!! E que post tão bem elaborado!
    Obrigada por partilhar connosco os momentos com a família e as viagens. A tradição de tirarem fotos as 3 é muito gira. : )

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    1. Obrigada Catarina, espero que a tradicao continue por muitos anos.

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  9. Wonderful shots! I would love to see Budapest someday.

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    1. Thanks William. Most European cities are worth visiting for their beautiful monuments and history.

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  10. I love the photo of you and your sister and than recreated. Budapest is such a fantastic city.

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    1. Thanks for your visit and comment Kelleyn

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  11. I'm enjoying following your trip to Europe. I have not been to Budapest so it's really nice to see these photos.

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    1. Thank you Sharon, glad you're enjoying the armchair trip.

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  12. Oh my gosh, I wish I was a little bird on your shoulder seeing the world with you! You have some awesome pics here. Thanks for sharing.

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  13. Budapeste pede uma visita.
    Vamos ver se a situação política estabiliza para ir lá visitar a cidade.

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    1. Gostei imenso, pois tambem dos problemas aquando das eleicoes recentes.

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  14. Your family looks so young, it´s amazing!
    And this is such a cute idea with the sister-pictures!
    1,30 hours for such a short route, oh, frustrating.

    A Jewish quarter. Sounds a bit strange with the "situation" here, where Jews get attacked in the streets again.

    Free wifi should be normal (but isn´t over here, either).

    Sounds like pre-Euro-times, was always stupid to calculate all the time! Didn´t know Hungary has it´s own currency!

    The bridge is very beautiful.
    Beautiful night-captures, too.

    You do so much travel, thanks for sharing! :-)

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    1. Strangely enough, the Jewish people there are the Orthodox ones with the long hair, beard and hats. They seemed to go about their lives quite peacefully.
      I hadn't investigated the currency either and just assumed it was Euro, even drew some Euro at the automated teller the day before flying so we would have cash on hand... Silly me!
      The highway between Cascais and Lisbon can get very congested early in the morning and early evening when people go to work or return home.

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  15. I love how you take the same photo whenever you are together. It's fun to see the change!

    Hungary looks like a fascinating place. And I, too, didn't realize about the currency!

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  16. To answer your question about the Nifty Nut House, they sell nuts, hard and soft candy, fudge (made on the premises), turtles, and other sweets. It's tempting to want to buy something while you are there. The first time I went I bought 1/8 lb of fudge and it cost me $3.00 (USD).

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    1. Thanks Elizabeth, they obviously sell a lot to have such a big warehouse.

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  17. A beautiful picture of your family and how good is it to all be together for a while. Not nice weather on your last day. You sure are having an eventful trip with relatives.

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    1. Thank you Diane. It was a very wet April.

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  18. Belas imagens Sami desse vosso passeio. É muito bom a família reunir e conviver. Bom fim-de-semana.

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    1. Obrigada Sandra, sim muito bom podermos reunir ainda que muito esporadicament. Bom fim de semana para si tambem.

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  19. Wonderful to see your photographs.

    All the best Jan

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  20. Dearest Sami,
    Oh, that is the dreaded heavy stress load at times of travel. When all is tight, also the weather and the traffic works against us... Good that you had some Portuguese custard tarts to get it over with!
    Surprised that Hungary still uses the Forint and it is exactly like in the 80s when we were at a Congress, where Pieter lectured. They accepted German DM and also US $ but compared to the Forint, the pricing was like 1-2-3 with the US $ being highest! If you did not speak the language and if you did not have local currency, you over paid!
    It is one of our most favorite cities and we went back there on a tour in the 90s also. Love the wonderful architecture; so much history and the food is indeed heavy on meat. Right now not good for me with my gout and CKD problems.
    Sending you hugs,
    Mariette

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    1. I was surprised they hadn't adopted the Euro already, but some places had their prices in both currencies and some even accepted Euros but at a bit of a loss if we converted it.
      Most people now spoke English quite well, I suppose because of the tourism industry, although the taxi driver that took us to the airport didn't speak a word!

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    2. We always have the advantage of having still our Dutch Rabo Bank card and with that you can pay inside of Europe with ease, or pin for cash if needed. We got by also with German on both trips but maybe the younger generation no longer uses that. Our Campbell colleagues had a taxi driver that could not converse with them and ended up paying about triple what we paid... The downfall of travel. 💗

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