Nanda & Nathan The Travellers: Valentine's in Budapest, Hungary

February 13-15,2015 ---- Eastern Europe has been my favorite since I went to Prague and Vienna. In my opinion, there is more to see in the historically preserved cities than in western European countries. Budapest was my choice to celebrate our 11th Valentine's with my sweetheart. We were much delighted with this beautiful, charming and well-preserved city.

Day 1

We took an early train from Munich running straight to Budapest. The ride was 7.5 hours and we were in the middle of Budapest around 3 p.m. The train station was small compared to those in other European countries, but it made getting out quite simple. As soon as we arrived, we bought the 48-hour Budapest Card for our transportation and some attractions. The card would be very worthwhile if you actually join in some walking tours and visit many museums; otherwise, don't bother buying it.

We stayed at Agape Aparthotel which was very specious and equipped with everything we needed. It was also close to the train station, metro M2, and many trams and buses. After we settled in our apartment-hotel, we went straight out for sightseeing.

The first place we visited was St. Stephen's Basilica, a Roman Catholic basilica named in honor of the first king of Hungary. It is a fairly new church, but many tourists came to see "The Holy Right Hand" or the hand of King Stephen who died on August 15, 1038. The hand was moved to many countries before returning to Budapest in 1945.

Then we walked along Andrássy Avenue, a street known for shops, cafes, restaurant and theater. We walked just until we reached the Hungarian State Opera House and decided to take the metro M1 to Heroes' Square. The Hungarian State Opera House is a neo-Renaissance opera house built in the late 19th century. There were daily guided tours of the building at 3 and 4 p.m. Heroes' Square is the most famous landmark of Hungary and it has hosted many political events. In the area there were two major museums: the Museum of Fine Arts and Hall of Art. At the center of the square was a column and statues, and in the back of the monument were colonnades housing many statues of Hungarian heroes. Right behind the Heroes' Square was a big ice-skating link where locals and tourists alike come for a fun evening skating around the slippery icy floor.

A trip to Budapest without a visit to a thermal or medicinal bath doesn't count as a trip. Nathan and I walked from Heroes' Square toward Széchenyi Thermal Bath for our evening relaxation. Széchenyi Thermal Bath is the largest medicinal bath in Europe. Its water comes from two thermal springs and consists of many minerals. The highest temperature pool is 40 degree Celsius, and there are both indoor and outdoor pools. Nathan and I got an evening ticket for the the thermal bath and a cabin. The cabin wasn't much of anything other than a tiny changing room where we could privately change our clothes and store our stuff. We both got an electronic wrist band to enter our cabin and the bath area. The indoor thermal/medicinal pools closed at 7 p.m., so we made a point of getting in there first and later enjoyed ourselves in the outdoor pools. It was freezing cold outside, but the 38 degree Celsius water kept us warm. It was fun and relaxing and I highly recommend this place for a thermal bath. You need to bring sandles or slippers though...

St. Stephen's Basilica (Szent István Bazilika)

Andrássy Avenue (Andrássy út)

Hungarian State Opera House (Magyar Állami Operaház)

Heroes' Square (Hősök tere)

Széchenyi Thermal Bath (Széchenyi Gyógyfürdő)

Day 2

Happy Valentine's Day! Our second day in Budapest was full of sightseeing. First we took a tram and then metro M4 to the Central Market Hall. It is my thing whenever visiting other countries to go see what locals actually eat, and the best place to find out is their markets. The Central Market Hall is the largest and oldest indoor market in Budapest, and it was built in the late 19th century. There were all kinds of fruits and vegetables, meat, spices and even souvenirs for sale here. Nathan and I bought "Rétes" or strudel for our later snack after sightseeing. Nathan got apple-cinnamon filling and I got curd cheese filling and they were both DELICIOUS!

Then we took tram#2 running along the Danube River to the Széchenyi Chain Bridge and hopped on bus # 16 up the hill to Matthias Church. I have visited so many churches in many countries, but Matthias Church is very unique. This Roman Catholic church was originally built in 1015 by King Stephen. It was later destroyed, rebuilt and restored a few times, and its current name was after King Matthias. There was a museum on the upper level of the church, which is included in the entrance fee.

The Fisherman's Bastion is right next to Matthias Church. It was built in the late 19th century to serve as a lookout tower. Here we got a really good panoramic view of the Pest side, and the stunning Parliament building just right across the river.

The Buda Castle is just a 10-minute walk or a 2-minute bus ride from the Fisherman's Bastion. It was a castle and palace complex of the Hungarian kings and now it is listed on UNESCO World Heritage Site. This royal residence was destroyed and rebuilt many times in Hungarian history, and after WWII the big project of reconstructing the castle started. Nowadays the castle houses a few museums and a library. Nathan and I visited the Budapest History Museum located in the southern wing of the Buda Castle and the Hungarian National Gallery. Both museums are worth visiting, and I felt like Hungary has an interesting history because the country was occupied by so many ethnic groups before the Hungarians actually came to settle in the land.

Nathan and I made an appointment to visit the Hungarian Parliament Building at 3 p.m., so we left Castle Hill as soon as we finished our visit at the National Gallery. The Hungarian Parliament Building was built in 1885 and wasn't finished till almost 20 years later. The only way to visit the Parliament is by a daily guided tour, and you can book the tour and pay the fee ahead of time online at http://www.parlament.hu/

The tour of the Parliament was 45 minutes, but the actual tour was just 20 minutes because we had to go through a security check and climb so many steps up to where the tour started. We saw some part of the building and were allowed to take photos except at the Dome where the "Holy Crown of Hungary" is kept. The decoration of the building, both interior and exterior, is elegant, and I am not surprised why it has become a popular tourist destination in Budapest.

After the tour of the Parliament, we both were tired and were debating on whether to go to the Hungarian National Museum or the thermal bath place where we could get a free entrance with Budapest Card. Well, in the end we didn't go anywhere and just took a short nap in our comfy hotel room...

A few days before the trip I had made a reservation for a special Valentine's Day Dinner Cruise on the Danube River to surprise Nathan and celebrate our 11th Valentine's together. We went to the meeting point in the evening and walked to the boat with the group as soon as we got the tickets. The boat was beautifully decorated with candlelit tables, and we all got a glass of champagne as we got in and picked our seats. The boat sailed back and forth in the Danube River, passing the stunning Parliament and the Buda Castle on the hill. The traditional Hungarian food was served in a buffet style, and it was all delicious. There was a band playing strings in the background. It was very romantic and we had a wonderful time. :-)

After dinner we took a walk on the Széchenyi Chain Bridge. This suspension bridge was built in 1840 and linked the Buda and the Pest sides. From the bridge we could see the Buda Castle and the Parliament Building both lit up beautifully. We had a great Valentine's Day. :-)

The Central Market Hall (Nagycsarnok)

Matthias Church (Mátyás-templom)

Fisherman's Bastion (Halászbástya)

The view from Fisherman's Bastion

Buda Castle (Budavári Palota)

Budapest History Museum (Budapesti Toreneti Muzeum)

The Hungarian National Gallery (Magyar Nemzeti Galéria)

The view from Buda Castle

The Hungarian Parliament Building (Országház)

Danube River Dinner Cruise

The Széchenyi Chain Bridge

Day 3

After checking out at the hotel, we stored our bags there before doing our last sightseeing. Our train was scheduled to leave at 3:10 p.m., so we had quite many hours to see the city. We first went to the Hungarian National Museum to learn more about Hungary. We spent about an hour and a half there because it wasn't as big as we thought, and I have to say that I felt regret for going there first because later we didn't have enough time to visit the Great Synagogue. It was a good museum though, but I didn't realize the synagogue would have a long waiting line. If I could have done things differently, I would have gone to the synagogue first thing in the morning when the line wasn't long and then visited the museum in the afternoon.

Since we didn't want to skip lunch and stay in line to get in the synagogue, we went to have lunch at the Columbus Restaurant and Pub. It was a boat restaurant where we could get 20% discount with our Budapest Cards. The food was very good but a little pricey.

Then we strolled along the Danube River. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and Budapest was just gorgeous! Nathan said it was his favorite city in Eastern Europe, and I agreed and thought that it was worth visiting this city for our Valentine's Day. Budapest, Prague, and Vienna are all cities that should be on everyone's "must-see" list!