You don’t. Just kidding, basically just a lot of resting, trying to use the metro without paying and waiting until the sun goes down. Our first and only location without Emma for two days in a heat wave.
DAY 21: JULY 21- TRAVEL TO BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
Arriving In Hungary
Our last morning in Brussels, we woke up on the earlier side because we had a flight to catch. There was a place right by the train station called Oats Day Long where we ate breakfast. I got oatmeal with bananas, peanut butter, super seeds and peanuts. It was good. We took the train to the airport and made our way to Hungary. Our flight went smoothly and quickly. The woman next to me on the plane asked if I was Hungarian.
When we got there, we took a bus to the center and walked to our airbnb. We settled in and looked for dinner. We ate a restaurant that reminded me of a Fuddruckers. I got a veggie quesadilla. It was ok, nothing special. We stopped at a food truck right outside for chimney cakes. I got a cinnamon one. It was so fresh and good.
*Note: Chimney cakes are a must have when in Hungary
A Night In Hungary
After, we decided we were going out so we went back to our apartment to get ready. We tried going to a rooftop bar but there was a cash only cover. I had Hungarian money from when I went in 2015 but they wouldn’t accept that because they changed their currency/bills. We tried an ATM but it wasn’t working so we walked to a different bar.
This next bar was half inside half outside. It was so cool with tons of rooms. We hung out there for a while sitting, drinking and going into new rooms. The one room had a dj so we stayed there for a while. I was joking about requesting Taylor Swift because it totally wasn’t the vibe for that kind of music and a girl next to us heard me. She turned to us and was like, “Yeah, no you can’t play that here but I know a place that will.”
*Note: This bar was part of the ruin bars of budapest so it was a collection of bars in a beer garden.
Making Friends
The girl’s name was Georgia. We talked to her and her friends, who I don’t remember the names of, for the rest of the night. They were awesome. They were from all over the place. One was German, one was British and two of them were from Europe studying in California??? I honestly don’t really know lol. We all decided to leave that bar and go to a club called Instant. We waited in line there for a little, talking to strangers. Finally, we made it in and it was SICK. When we walked in, they were playing Dancing Queen. It was perfect. Peak happiness.
Since we only had one full day in Budapest, we just stayed at Instant for a few songs because we didn’t want to be exhausted. On our way home, we got pizza. I had to finish my laundry when we got back, which meant hanging my clothes all around the apartment because there are no dryers in Europe. I ate the rest of the chimney cake, showered and went to bed.
*Note: If you are traveling for a long time, make sure your Airbnb/accommodations have a washing machine. It was a life saver, we bought laundry detergent there.
DAY 22: JULY 22- FULL DAY IN BUDAPEST
Staying Cool
We woke up and got ready for the heat wave of the day and went to breakfast. We ate at BlueBird Cafe and got a cappuccino, spinach benedict, and sushi pancakes. It was the best breakfast I’ve ever had. I dream about the sushi pancakes. To burn it off, we walked around the area for a little while. There was a market with jewelry and art. I almost bought a ring but decided not to.
We took a tram to go to the Great Market Hall. It wasn’t a far walk but it was too hot. We weren’t sure if we had to buy a ticket or not so we just got on. Two stops in, these guys came up to us and asked for our ticket. Of course, we didn’t have one so Haley and I got a $20 fine. Juan was sitting across the way from us. They didn’t ask him so he didn’t get fined. They made us miss our stop so when we got off, we had to walk back over the bridge in the heat to the market. At that point, we could’ve just walked and avoided the whole thing. It was so annoying.
*Note: Transportation is not free
At the market, we walked around, got our pins and magnets and water. We were hot. Once we finished there, we did the correct thing and bought tram tickets to go see the Hungarian Parliament Building. We took some pictures and then walked to the St. Steven’s Basilica. We stopped in a gift shop for postcards and these cute bowls and then went back home to cool off.
*Note: Paprika is also a great gift/souvenir to bring home if visiting Hungary
Hungarian Classics
Haley and I went back to the market we were at that morning. I wanted to get the ring I almost got and she saw a yankees jacket she might want at a vintage store. However, the stand with the ring I wanted was packed up and gone and they didn’t have the jacket in the color she wanted so we were shot out of luck.
There was a pastry Emma wanted us to try called, kakós sciga, so we went on a hunt to find it. Haley and I walked 30 minutes to find it. It was at a cafe called, Vaj. We sat there to eat it, drink water, cool down and chat. Then, we walked back and got our things together before dinner. We walked to the same area we had breakfast for dinner and ate at a restaurant called Spiler. Our waiter was cool, he sat down with us while he took our order. I got shakshouka. It was soooo good. Then we walked back to where we got chimney cakes to the truck next to it for palacsintas. We all got nutella banana. They were so good and fresh. Then we walked home and got ready for bed and to leave.
*Note: Palacsintas are also a must have when in Hungary, they are basically like a crêpe but better.
