If you saw my October roster post, you might have noticed that I was rostered a trip to Zagreb. Well, last minute (the night before!) I got a roster change, and due to a change in the aircraft configuration I ended up going to Budapest instead!
Certainly not a bad change, and although I was very much looking forward to Zagreb, it had been quite a few years since I visited Budapest (I cycled from Vienna to Budapest with my parents!) so I was excited to see the city again.
Obviously with such a last minute change, I didn’t have a chance to plan anything, so once we landed, headed out into the city for a stroll with a couple of the girls from the flight.
I had a beautiful view of the river from my room.
For our first stop, we decided to visit the New York Café, inside the New York Palace hotel. It is a stunning café, full of history and beautifully decorated inside.
We sat down for some very rich and decadent hot chocolates, before heading back out for a walk through the city.
The weather was beautiful, a crisp autumn day but still warm and sunny enough for bare legs.
After dinner at a local restaurant, the three of us slowly made our way back to the hotel, passing by the river to watch the sun go down.
The next morning, I was up bright and early to visit the Fisherman’s Bastion. I decided to get up far earlier than I normally would on a layover, and go for sunrise, as I knew the chances of having the place to myself would be much higher! Somehow I even managed to rope in one of the other girls to come with me.
We jumped in a cab for the quick drive, as we didn’t want to miss any of the sunrise. We were greeted by the most incredible red glow, lighting up the whole Fisherman’s Bastion.
There is an upper terrace which you have to pay for after 9am, but since we were there so early the barriers were left open for anyone to enter.
We were almost completely alone, apart from a few others out early to take pictures and enjoy the sunrise!
The whole place is full of fairytale-like turrets, and windows just made to be sat in. There’s really not much to say about this place – I think the photos speak for themselves!
We continued walking along, admiring the view and the peace and quiet.
The sun was out and despite the early start, it warmed up pretty quickly!
After having gotten our fair share of photos, we stopped off for a quick breakfast nearby, before walking down towards the river to check out the Hungarian Parliament Building.
Another incredible work of architecture, and I’m sure just as beautiful on the inside, although we didn’t go in this time.
We slowly made our way back towards the hotel, crossing over the bridge which separates the two sides of the city.
What a beautiful morning out! It really was so worth it getting up early for those incredible views, and having the place almost totally to ourselves. Thank you Budapest!
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