The morning I’ve been waiting for had finally come – this hotel includes breakfast and so, with an enthusiasm that only food can bring, I bounded downstairs to our Michelin starred hotel restaurant. Not only was I able to choose what I wanted freshly prepared but I was also able to raid the breakfast buffet! For me French toast can be hit or miss – sometimes it’s just too sickly but today it was absolutely perfect and probably some of the nicest French toast I’ve ever had! Don’t even get me started on the buffet – were talking ham, cheese, fancy bread, that fancy Parma and Prosciutto ham that you only buy as a treat, apple and cinnamon muffins, individual pots of homemade yoghurt, muesli, cereals, a bunch of jams and more orange juice than even I could drink! We left the restaurant feeling totally satisfied and shamefully full.
We dashed off as quickly as our food ladies bodies would permit and made it to the parliament building just in time for our 9.45am tour. It was really informative and it was just nice to see inside a fancy building. You are even allowed to take pictures in every room bar the crown room which houses an ancient crown and is heavily guarded! My only gripe with the tour is the usual idiots who push and shove to see things and who ignore instructions. If the tour guide tells you to stay two meters away from the guard who routinely salutes using their insanely sharp swords, you might want to listen and adhere before another security guard removes you!
Thankfully Rory and I avoided impaling and set off in search of the chain bridge. The bridge took us across the Danube and to the Buda side of the city. We then set off in search of some steps that would lead us to the Fisherman’s Bastion. Naturally we got a little bit lost but eventually we made our way to the top of the hill for some seriously impressive views. Rory even had a cheeky beer and I enjoyed the opportunity to rest my tired feet!
When we’d fully explored the Bastion we entered the Matthias Church. The church also housed a museum but I was most impressed by the stained glass windows! They aren’t something I’ve ever given much thought to but the colours and patters that I have seen during this trip and especially in Budapest are just remarkable!
From here we took a scenic detour to the Buda castle area. Walking along cobbled streets that are lined with cherry blossoms in uninterrupted sunshine was absolute bliss. When we made it to the Castle we considered going in to the museum but to be honest, we were felling a bit museumed out so we decided to explore the gardens and eventually head back to the Pest side of the city and to our hotel.
It was here that we decided to go to the popular Hungarikum Bistro, unfortunately it was booked out so we went to Kispiac Bisztro where I had my usual steak and Rory went for pork knuckle – how very adventurous of him! When we got out change back after dinner the waiter gave us an extra 4000HUF. This is about £12 and would have been a nice addition to our holiday budget but we are nothing if not honest so we returned it to the very embarrassed waiter and headed back to the hotel.
As it's our last night in Budapest we decided to venture out when the sun went down. The city at night is, if possible, more beautiful than it is during the day! The buildings and bridges are beautifully lit and we decided to climb back up to the Buda castle area and the Fisherman’s Bastion to get the best possible view of the parliament building. I really cannot overemphasise how beautiful Budapest is. We haven’t been here long and I’m not sure what tomorrow will bring but I can hardly wait!
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