Austrian Bike Ride

I'll have to remember to check out this trail the next time I'm in Austria...

Apparently, this place is Ötschergräben (+47° 50' 33.57", +15° 14' 14.76").

Good Night Budapest

Just like Vienna, Budapest illuminates its famous buildings to provide a refreshing look of the city at night. If you're planning on taking photos of the city at sunset, Castle Hill is the place to go.
 

 

While snapping photos atop Castle Hill, I was surprised that there weren't many people taking advantage of the warm autumn evening to stroll around Castle Hill so quite honestly, I was a bit worried about the thought of walking back down the pathway through the dark, forested hill by myself. But no worries, I came back safely without any hassles, not even seeing a single person along the pathway, and am able to present these evening photos of Budapest.

 

Now I must admit that I was disappointed that the Parliament Building was not lit to its full potential so Budapest folks, I hope you're listening, light it up!

There's a lot more I did in Budapest but since time is limited, I'll just summarize by saying that Budapest is a worthwhile visit for a couple of days on your next European trip. In my opinion, the hype surrounding Budapest is a bit over done, as this city is still struggling to find its true identity in its post-Communist era, both physically and emotionally, as it tries to play catch up to the capitalistic world we live in today. The city could also be cleaner as there were several instances in which I wondered how such filthy conditions could be tolerated by its residents.  That being said, I would be interested in going back to Budapest in about ten years' time (or another major economic boom cycle) to see if the rise of Hungary's new generation has made any difference in the city's culture and stature as Budapest can definitely regain its prominence as a world-class tourist city with the right attitude and financial support.

Chillin' in Budapest

I read that Budapest has a number of large modern shopping malls so since it was so close to my hostel and was attached to the nearest subway, I decided to check out the West End City Center. It was a very large mall and so were the prices.  Back at the hostel, the Americans mentioned that prices were amazingly cheap in Budapest.  Well, I don't know about that.  Compared to prices back in Canada, the mall's prices were roughly equivalent to those found in Canada but as you hit the touristy areas of town, prices skyrocketed to three or four times the prices found in Canada. Food at grocery stores was also pretty much the same as those found in Canada so I never did find those amazing deals and unfortunately, did not have a chance to ask the Americans as they were around the next night.

When it comes to food, there is no better place to go in Budapest than the Központi Vásárcsarnok (Central Market).  From fresh fruits and vegetables to tender meats to dried mushrooms and peppers to prepared foods, this place has it all and it's huge!

 

And what would be a visit to Budapest without visiting one of its renowned thermal baths like the Széchenyi Baths...

With a multitude of pools to choose from, inside and out, with a variety of temperatures from frigid cold to super hot and the dry and steam saunas to the "river current" whirlpool, you can easily spend an entire day here.

The Pest in Budapest

Just as in Buda, Pest has its fair share of buildings in ruins but I must say that there appears to be a concrete effort in restoring some of them to their former glory.  Case in point,  is this church near the shores of the Danube.

As you can see, the exterior could use a little bit of tendering love...

but don't worry, there's A guy working on it

and he's doing a good job!

There were also numerous newly restored buildings available for lease on top of the "h  andyman specials" on sale.  Hopefully, the economic downturn hasn't curtailed too much of the investment in restoring historical past.

But enough about that, a visit to Pest wouldn't be complete without a walk around the Hungarian Parliament Buildings 

or St. Stephen's Basilica, which plays a prominent role in Pest's skyline. 

Here's a video of what you'll see inside...

and if you climb up the staircase,

and walk your way past the wine cafe and up some more stairs,

you'll have a great view of Budapest.

Buda

As you may already know, Budapest is actually two cities: Buda and Pest.  Buda is on the western (hilly) side of Budapest and is separated from Pest by the Danube River.

Nestled atop the hill overlooking the Danube, Castle Hill is the prominent tourist attraction in Buda, where you can find a number of lookouts, museums, and a palace. 
As you cross the majestic Chain Bridge into Buda, you are greeted by a traffic circle and the option of traversing through a tunnel through Castle Hill. Unless you are travelling by vehicle, I would not suggest taking the tunnel route as ventilation isn't ideal and you'lll be inhaling a lot of exhaust fumes. What I do recommend though is hopping over the barbed wire fence and taking in the cityscape from the ledge above the tunnel.

Fishermen's Bastion is the most impressive lookout structure at Castle Hill.  

I'm not sure the admission fee to the second level is worth it because it appears as though the view would basically be the same as from the free, lower level. Nevertheless, there was a steady flow of tourists heading up there. In my opinion, sitting back and enjoying a drink in the Bastion's cafe would be a wiser bet.

Mátyás Church is another prominent feature on the Hill. I didn't spend too much time here as by this point, my appreciation of church architecture was becoming blurred by this point due to overexposure, but here's a sneak peak inside in case you're curious:

I also did not visit any museums or galleries in Buda or Pest due to time constraints and quite frankly, the lack of interest as I preferred enjoying the very pleasant and warm, autumn sunshine, and hanging out in the backyard of the Office of the President of the Republic of Hungary but let's not get into that...

I'm not sure why but perhaps it was the walled city or the narrow, cobble streets, but Castle Hill reminded me a lot of Quebec City.

Other unique attractions in Buda include the Cave Church, which not surpisingly is a church in a cave,

and the Gellert Baths, one of the famous thermal baths in Budapest, despite the apparent spelling mistake...

Now one would think that considering the number of tourists visiting this area of Buda, there would be a sense of pride and obligation to keep at least this section of the city, clean and very presentable to outsiders, but there were numerous instances I came across in which this does not seem to be the case...

  

I was also surprised to see a major historical Castle Hill structure in plain sight to tourists boarded up and simply rotting away

That being said, I understand that restoration costs money but I would have thought there would be a little more civic pride in at least cleaning up historical monuments to entice tourists to stay in Budapest even longer to support the financial costs of maintaining these impressive monuments.  Nevertheless, this apparent ignorance to the city's historical past, adds to the unique character of the Budapest.

The Danube at Budapest

From what I could gather, Budapest's major attractions are primarily located on the shores of the Danube River and from a distance, the Danube definitely adds to the city's popular appeal

but upon closer inspection, one quickly discovers that the Danube might not be the cleaniest of rivers...

That being said, these waters have already travelled quite a bit through Europe so this wasn't a major surprise. But what grabbed my attention, was the stench that whiffed through the air at certain points along and above the river, particularly near the spot shown in the photos below.  

Now, I'm hoping that is a small natural tributary but it looked and smelled more like raw sewage.  Aghhh, the smell was horrendous!  Luckily, I had very little to eat that day because I was very close to throwing up on several occasions.  Nevertheless, it seems to be a popular fishing spot!

I don't know how they do it nor can I believe that the nearby river cruise ships (and their guests) tolerate such odours.

Since this is a blog after all, I'll just step onto my tiny soapbox and say that I was deeply disappointed in the state of the Danube River and its apparent disregard by its stakeholders, especially consider the great economic benefits the river provides  Although easier said than done, considerable efforts should be made to clean up the river, its shoreline, and watershed as this gem of a river deserves better.

Aventura Hostel Review

Just a few minutes from Budapest's Nyugati Train and Subway Station, the affordable Aventura Hostel definitely does not look like much from the street (and can very easily be overlooked thanks to its tiny sign on the right hand side of the building entrance)

but once you get buzzed in to walk past the locked door, up the stairs, and alongside the view of the interior courtyard,

you are greeted by a friendly staff member and quickly shown around this pleasant boutique hostel.

There are no bunk beds here; just an assortment of uniquely decorated lofts ready to offer you a comfortable, restful stay. There are four rooms: the private "Indian" room, the double "Japan" room, the 5-bed "Space" shared room, and the 8-bed "Africa" room. I stayed in the "Africa" room, which as you can see from the photos below, is a split level room with 4 beds on each level.

 

And here's how it looks from the second level:

You might be wondering if sleeping by that huge hole would be safe but with those strategically placed ropes, I would say that you're safer sleeping in that bed than in your typical top bunk. 


The beds were comfortable by hostel standards and there was plenty of space to store your belongings. That being said, if you had anything super valuable, I would question leaving it behind in the locked bed drawers, as they were not meant to be that secure.  Nevertheless, I did not feel unsecure in leaving my stuff behind for the day. I'm pretty sure the hostel staff would be able to offer you safer storage space if you asked.

The washrooms were clean and well-maintained.

With its big rooms and huge windows, thanks in part to the extremely high ceilings, I would definitely look for a place like this former apartment, if I were in the market for a loft in Budapest.


The hostel also offers a large, well-equipped kitchen where you can make your own meals and share your travel experiences with other guests and staff at the dining table.  Breakfast is also available for a nominal charge but considering I am not a fan of pâté and how I wished to sample life as an ordinary Budapest resident, I passed on the light breakfast offering, and practiced my very limited Hungarian speaking skills at nearby grocery stores and bakeries.

Here's what the street looks like...

Reliable, free wireless internet and computer access is also available.

On top of the superb hostel facilities, the 24/7 hostel staff are top-notch, friendly people.  And flexible too. Considering I was only leaving Budapest in the late afternoon of my third day and not wanting to lug my backpack all day long through the streets of Budapest, they had no issues with me leaving my rucksack at the hostel until I was ready to leave for good.  They also provided directions to the best place to exchange money on my first day. Not only was it nearby but it also offered the best rates that I saw in all my time in Budapest.


So to summarize, Aventura Hostel was the first boutique hostel I stayed at and I would, without any hesitation, recommend staying here for as long as you need a peaceful, relaxing, and friendly place to dine and sleep in Budapest.  Based on my experiences at Aventura, I will be closely looking for other boutique hostels during my future travels.


If you found this unbiased review and photos helpful, please click on one of the interesting Google advertising links on this blog to help me out. Thanks.

First Impressions of Budapest

As I walked towards the train station exit, I was thoroughly impressed by the architecture of the station but I was soon surrounded by locals trying to rent me an apartment room or perform foreign currency transactions (which supposedly isn't very legal in Hungary).  From old ladies trying to convince me to stay in their apartments to shady looking characters offering me the best prices for Hungarian Forints, I made sure I kept on moving forward to avoid being surrounded and even more susceptible to pickpockets.


The subway entrance is located just outside the train station.  It should be noted that the ticket office and machines at this subway station only accept cash (Hungarian Forints).  I actually tried getting my hands on some forints back in Vienna but the bank strongly recommended that I exchange my money once I reached Hungary.  The bank teller said the rates would be much better there than anything I could find in Vienna.  I was impressed by the fact that a bank went out of its way to not take my money so I thanked him for his honesty and went about my business in Vienna.  Well, it's too bad that I took his advice because the exchange rates at the train station foreign currency exchange booths were simply ridiculous (about 30% profits as I found out afterwards).  I also discovered on my departure a few days later that the Wasteels ticket office on the other side of the train station offered much fairer foreign exchange rates so be sure to check it out before exchanging any funds at the station.

Before my trip, I read that Budapest has a very complex public transit ticketing system and considering the number of ticket inspectors checking every single passenger, I wasn't going to risk inadvertently buying the wrong ticket and ending up in who knows how much trouble, so I bought the multi-day pass that provided me with unlimited (and more importantly, stress-free) access to Budapest's public transit.

Here are a few pics of Budapest's underground:

 

I reached Nyugati Station and evenutally found my way back above ground to see the sunshine again.  Let's just say that Hungarians don't believe in good signage!


Next stop is Aventura Boutique Hostel, my home for the next two nights...