Day 11 & 12: By the time we made it to Budapest, I started getting really tired of traveling – tired of living out of tiny tank bags, not having a washer/dryer (laundromats don’t exist in Budapest), and not having a clue about the language. Plus the heat was bad, and my behind was tired of sitting on a motorcycle. It doesn’t help that our hotel’s street was under construction, not to mention they were remodeling the room next to ours. Sadly, it took a bit of effort for me to actually leave the hotel room and go wander the city.

DSC_5320

The Royal Palace across the Danube River

I sort of feel like I failed at Budapest. Other travelers say they really loved it, but there wasn’t a whole lot that I got excited about.  It felt like a normal big crowded city (with some really impressive buildings), but it also felt extremely busy and run down. I spent my first day at Margaret Island, a huge park in the middle of the Danube River. I should have rented a bicycle to ride around, but I just wandered by foot, checking out the ruins, climbing to the top of the tower, and resting by the musical fountain. It was a very relaxing, but hot day. On the second day, I went to the zoo. These probably are not the recommended sights in the city, but I needed something low-key.

DSC_9845

Baboon at the Budapest Zoo

My favorite part of Budapest was the food.  I forget the names of the dishes, but my favorites were catfish wrapped in bacon, pork in paprika cream with dumplings (also in Prague), and beef and mushroom cream stuffed in pancakes. Delicious!  The local sweet red and white wines were also fantastic.

I don’t mean to sound so down about Budapest.  I really needed a travel break, but the next area we visited on our EuroTour was amazing and wonderful…more to come soon.

Related posts:

  1. Austria, the happiest place on Earth
  2. Riding with Chris around German Bavaria
  3. Berlin
  4. Frankfurt, part 2