hungary: budapest and vac

A return to Budapest wasn't originally on my plan for the summer, but when I looked at how to get to where I did plan to go, the cheapest way was with a layover in Budapest. I decided to extend that layover by two days and spend time in a city I've long enjoyed.

My flight left Kyiv at 0715, which was plenty early. The only advantage to departing so early is an early landing time. I didn't lose any of the day to traveling, yay! I used public transport to get from the airport to my accomodation, which isn't exactly fast, but is cheap.

Since I walked into my accomodation at 0930 I wasn't able to check in, but I was able to leave my bag, get sorted, and start walking.

Everytime I come to Budapest I like to return to St Stephens basilica. (Or is it a cathedral? I don't know.) It is one of the churches that continues to amaze me, no matter how many times I walk in. The ceiling is amazing, especially the cupola; I'm always trying to capture the beauty with a camera, but I don't think I've ever truly succeeded.

If you want, you can walk to a room tucked behind the altar and pay for a box to light up. Inside the box is the mummified hand of St Stephen. I find it a bit creepy, but that's just me.

After leaving the church I walked to my next sight, a new one for me in Budapest.

I went to a cave with a name I can't pronounce, and don't even want to try. Szemlohegyibarlang. (There are a bunch of symbols over some of the letters as well.) There is a fee for this one, 1300ft, about $5USD. To see the cave you join a tour, I got 'lucky' when my tour group included a large school group. Kids are loud.

This cave has been developed enough that there is little to no challenge physically during the tour. There is a cement walkway to follow, and the open areas are plenty wide. There are stairs toward the end of the walking path, taking you to the deepest point of the tour; there is lighting throughout the cave, you can always see where you're going. The only possibly discomfort during the tour is the likelihood that you'll be dripped on by water coming from the ceiling.

This cave has some interesting rock formations, the one I noticed most looks like a bunch of cauliflower. These formations are all over the cave.

The cave has a natural air purification system, so you never smell or 'feel' all the people that come through the cave. Sadly, there is some mold growing on some of the formations, the guide told me it had something to do with the lights. He said they try to keep it clean, but obviously they can't get it all.

The cave is a steady, cool temperature, which felt amazing after sweating to get to the cave. I think a few of the schoolkids were cold, they hadn't thought to bring an extra jacket for the tour.

After the tour it felt good to step back out into the sun. Since this walk started out downhill then got flat I wasn't sweating nearly as much as before.

I walked back to my hotel and officially checked in, easy to do. I changed clothes, grabbed a few things for an extra bag, and headed to my next sight.

When I realized I'd be coming back to Budapest I made it a goal to try another of the big thermal baths that are all over the city. This time I chose Rudas baths, which is close to the river. Even though each is different, once you've been to one of these baths you know the general way they work. The difference is mostly in how each facility is set up.

I changed into a bikini and put everything else into a locker. From there I walked around the entire facility, figuring out where everything was and where I wanted to spend time. I found the sundeck and the pool on the roof. I found the saunas and the cold pool. I found the swimming pool, the only place where you have to wear a swim cap to get in the water.

After figuring things out I went back to my locker and grabbed a towel, sunnies, cap, etc... I spent time on the sundeck, because I love being in the sun. Then time in the rooftop pool. Then switching among the various saunas. There are a few drinking fountains around the facility, which I appreciated.

Sauna, drink, sauna, drink, sauna, drink. My favourite was spending about ten minutes in the Finnish sauna (90-100C,) then stepping into the cold pool (12C.)

I was in Rudas baths for over four hours, and walked out feeling amazing. Note to self: bring body lotion after spending so much time in water.

As I walked back to my hotel I stopped for dinner. Nothing exciting, but I needed food. I slept well that night. If I lived in Budapest I'd probably end up spending a good portion of a paycheck on visits to baths each month.

The next morning I intended to get up early, but of course that didn't happen. Oh well. I walked out around 1100, and made my way to the Hungarian State Opera. The day before I'd seen a sign saying that tours were available each day in the afternoon. I signed up for one of them, including a photo fee. I skipped the option for a mini concert, as I've attended opera performances before.

After paying for my ticket, I got back on the street and walked to another thermal bath. This one is one I've been to before, a couple times. Szechenyi baths are quite big, especially the outdoor area. I changed into my bikini again, stowed most of my stuff in my locker, and went out to the pool area.

Since this was a weekend, the place was packed with people; I noticed a few groups that looked like they were having a hens do. For the next few hours I spent time in the pools, and spent time soaking up sun. Life is good.

After leaving the baths I walked back to my room and changed again. I also hung up my malong (kinda like a towel, but made of cloth,) and bikini to dry. Then I walked back to the opera house, just in time to start the tour.

The Hungarian State Opera is pretty fantastic. The building itself was mostly paid for by King ........, when he was king of the Austro-Hungarian empire. Budapest was one of the capitals of the empire, but this opera house is smaller than the one in Vienna. The rules stipulated that everything had to be made with materials found in Ukraine. This was mostly followed, the guide told us there are just four places in the building where the materials used did not come from Hungary.

It's gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. The royal box is on one of the balconies, right in the middle, so the view of the show is fantastic. The king only came once, for the first ever performance in the building, and didn't even stay for the whole show! How rude! The box is not used for seating during performances now, and the guide told us not to sit in the chair when we were there.

The queen's box is on the end of a balcony, pretty much on the side of the stage. It offers a terrible view. Everyone in the theater can look into the queen's box to see who is there, what they're wearing, etc... When the opera opened, and even to some degree now, going to the opera is a social activity, more than a musical activity. It was all about being seen.

We saw the royal stairway, again used for just one person. How awful would it have been if a regular person had stepped in the same place as a royal? At least, that was the thinking back in the day.

We saw the bar area originally built for the upper class folks who came to the opera. Again, the thinking back then was that it would be awful if normal people mingled with the upper class folks.

I went for a walk, into one of the city center areas. I walked along a pedestrian street, and found a magnet I liked. Since I've been to Budapest previously I decided to skip buying postcards.

I didn't have a proper dinner that night. Instead, I had dessert :)

The next morning I was up early again and actually got moving. I showered and packed up, and left my bag in the same place I'd left it when I arrived in Budapest.

I walked to the train station and caught the next commuter train to a small town called Vac.

Vac is on the eastern bank of the Danube River. It is old, and quiet. The heyday of the city was long ago, but the city center is still very pretty.

The street from the front of the train station to the city center was straight. The city center is a pedestrian zone, and since I arrived at 0820, everything was still really quiet. I wandered around the first platz I came to, enjoying the quiet.

I stepped into a church and found it in the middle of a service, so I didn't go any further in. I found a war memorial for World War I, and saw the outside of several museums.

I followed various streets, one of which brought me to another church in the middle of another service. Again, I didn't go in any further. Across the street from this church was another statue. My photo would've been better if not for the cars parked all around.

Continuing down this street brought me to yet another church. This one is HUGE, with a big platz in front. It has columns in front, I didn't recognize it as a church at first. Since I was there early enough, I was able to set up my camera for a photo without too many others in the frame. Yay.

I stepped inside this church and was excited to find it mostly empty. There was no service, at least not yet. I took advantage of the lack of people to take a photo of the lovely cupola, and the altar in front. The pipe organ in back wasn't too shabby either.

More walking brought me to a building labeled collegium, but it looked to be in awful shape. I sincerely hope there are no classes taking place in there. There was a statue of a guy on a horse in front of the building, which means it is an official city. (I have a long running joke with a friend that a city isn't official if there is no statue of a guy with/on a horse.)

I continued down the street and found another church. This one is on the land that used to be a castle. The sign in front mentioned the Gothic wooden altar, which was lovely. As seemed to be my luck for the day, there was another service taking place, so I didn't go in further than the entry door.

I walked around the back of the church, and found the ruins of the castle. Nothing exciting, as the ruins haven't been fully excavated, and there is a fence preventing visitor access to the area. I wonder if the gate is ever opened?

I circled around, getting back to the street I'd been walking earlier. I walked back to the city center platz and continued along the street, eventually getting to another sight in the city. This was the Independence Arch, like the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. This one was smaller, but impressive considering the size of the town. There was so little traffic that I was able to take a time delayed photo with my camera. Yay.

I wanted to see one more sight, but after starting to make my way there I realized I wasn't going to have enough time. Darnit. I wanted to see an old bridge, with carved statues on the sides, but it was too far away. Next time.

When I realized I wasn't going to have enough time, I turned around and walked back to the city center. I bought slices of pizza so I'd have food for later. From there I walked to the train station and bought my ticket for the next train back to Budapest.

An hour later I was back in the big city. I went back to my hotel, changed clothes and grabbed my bag, and walked back to the train/metro station. I rode the metro and took a bus to the airport, where everything went smoothly. I boarded my flight to my next destination, the flight was easy and on time.

Hungary: Budapest, the end of an amazing summer

This visit to Budapest wasn't a proper visit, (I was there less than 24 hours, it was just a layover on the way back to Kyiv,) but I did go for a walk while I was there. 

I flew from Belgrade to Budapest, then took public transport into the city to my airbnb accommodation. I've done this four or five times now, I've gotten to know the system pretty well. I'm sure some people care what side of the river they stay on (Buda or Pest,) but it really doesn't matter to me. Every time I've visited this city I've stayed in a different place, and they've all been pretty good.

After relaxing for a while, (too long, but I never get going as soon as I think I will,) I started walking. My first stop was St Stephen's church, one of the showpieces of the city. It's one of few churches that continue to amaze me, no matter how often or how many times I see it.  The exterior catches your eye because of where it is located, and the plaza in front kindof makes you notice the church; the interior is just plain stunning.

Unfortunately, it was closed to the public when I arrived, due to a concert taking place. If I'd gotten moving out of my accomodation earlier like I'd planned I would've been able to go inside. Argh. If I'd had an hour to wait around, it was going to open up again, but I didn't have that time. Argh. I took a photo of the front door, which is always closed. (Visitors enter through a side door.) The door is impressive too, if you take the time to look at it. 

From there I headed straight up the street to the river, and followed the river to one of budapest's many bridges. (I don't remember which bridge.) I think all the bridges have pedestrian areas, which is awesome. Locals walk across the bridges, so do tourists. Though if you want, there is also public transport going just about anywhere you want to go. As long as it isn't raining, I prefer to walk.

On the other side of the bridge I arrived at Gellert Baths. 

Gellert Baths is one of the thermal bathing complexes for which Budapest is famous. There are a bunch of them around the city, (I don't know the exact number, does anyone? I'd love to try them all.) I was excited to try a different one from what I've experienced previously. 

Gellert Baths was built in the early 20th century (1912-1918) and everything about it is really grand. You feel a sense of awe as soon as you walk in. I'm sure I'm not the only tourist who walks into the entry gallery and immediately pulls out a camera and clicks away. A really high ceiling, with glass that lets in natural light. A statue at one end. Whoeva designed this area was amazing.

There is a hotel attached, and sometimes you remember that people used to come to Budapest just to stay in a hotel like this one and spend days in the baths. I'm pretty sure there are still plenty of people who do this, just because they can.

I figured out where to buy my entrance ticket, and found my way to the locker room. I bought just a locker ticket, I didn't feel the need to get a whole changing cabin to myself. They give you a special armband to use with your locker, which is convenient once you figure out how to use it. 

I changed into my bikini, grabbed a towel, put on my jandals (flip flops, thongs, etc... Depending on what version of English you speak) and went exploring. As with all these complexes, it isn't easy to find your way around during your first visit. Since this is one of the more touristy baths, most of the signs are in Hungarian and English, with pictures to help anyone who doesn't speak either of those languages.

I ended up on the roof at first. (There is even a separate entry ticket for people who only want to spend time in the pools on the roof.) There is a wave pool up there!! There is also an area filled with lounge chairs, another warm pool, a sauna, and a huge barrel filled with cold water. I spent time floating around all of them, just because I could. I took photos too :)

Next I went back into the building, eventually finding my way to the indoor swimming pool. I'm not sure why, but this is the only pool in the entire complex where you are required to wear a swim cap. There are no lane lines, and I didn't see people actually swimming up and down, but oh well. There was a lifeguard though. I heard another guest ask him a question, and he answered that he was still very new to the job so he didn't know where everything is located. It is another grand looking and feeling area. The ceiling is actually a window, so the natural light is awesome. Does that mean it gets really dark in there in the middle of winter? Hmmm...Maybe I should go back to find out?

From there I found my way to several thermal pools and a steam room. The steam room was interesting, if only because neon lights made everything a bit creepy-ish. Neon green lights in a room almost completely filled with steam means you don't see very much. I stayed in there just a few minutes, and didn't realize there was someone else in there as well until just before I left!!
 The showers in that area were tiled mosaic. Whoa.

I went back and forth in these thermal pools, feeling the temperature differences and watching people. You see all kinds of body types and personalities in these baths. 

After I was well and truly pickled, I went back to the locker room, showered and dressed. 

I had dinner, then stopped at a supermarket for breakfast food, and got back to my accommodation easily. I love how walkable Budapest is. 

The next morning I was up early to catch a metro train to a bus, and the bus to the airport, then a flight back to kyiv.

What a great summer. 

hungary: budapest

Before and after my days in Burgas, Bulgaria, I spent a day in Budapest. Budapest has recently become a favorite of mine, so a day layover makes me happy.
As usual I took a wizzair flight from kyiv, so I landed around 0720...by this point I knew how to get into town using public transport, it was easy.
I found my hotel, but my room wasn't ready for checkin (it was only 0900 or so) so I dropped my pack and went out walking.
I saw at Stephens basilica again, I ate a giant ice cream again. I people watched again. I walked up stairs to the second floor of the central market so I could take a better photo.
I walked up castle hill and over to the back side, to find the hospital in the rock. It has been a hospital for a while, but is no longer active. The original health facility was created in naturally occurring caves in the hill. 

Over the years, people extended the caves into tunnels. The entire area is actually pretty extensive. The only way to see the hospital is on an overpriced tour, during which you don't get to take any photos. There are dioramas/wax figures/authentic objects in each room, and our guide did a good job. She explained different periods of the hospitals history, who was served at the hospital, how everything functioned. Toward the very end we got to sound the alarm that would've sounded had there ever been a nuclear attack. Thank goodness that never happened.
After the hospital I walked to the buildings on the hill that house a couple good museums. I visited one of these museums with Katie a year ago, but I hadn't been able to see the exterior of the buildings back then. Very very pretty. Not too many people around, yay for photos!

The day I spent in Budapest after Burgas was very low key. My flight landed around 1000, my hotel had my room clean when I arrived just before noon. After resting up for a short while, I changed into my bikini (with a long dress over) and started walking. I walked straight to szeschenyi baths, the same place I visited earlier in the summer.
I spent over four hours at the baths. Awesome. Totally awesome. I stayed in every pool for a while, and lived every minute of it. Sooo relaxing. I was very pickled by the time I left, I can't wait to go back again. At the end of the visit I went back through the whole thing with my camera.
Is it bad that I had a giant ice cream for dinner?
The next morning I had another early morning flight back to kyiv. I was sad to see the end of my summer travels, and of course I've already started planning next summer :)

hungary: budapest again

I really like Budapest. i love that i can walk all over the city. i love that it's always possible to find another sight to see.  i love that there are so many cafes with so much wonderful food. i love that the language of hungary is completely unrelated to the languages of the surrounding countries. i love all the ways i can use public transport.  i love that there are outdoor and indoor sights. Amazing city, i'm surprised it isn't more well known? I rediscovered the city in August 2014, though that visit was only 2 days. I was thrilled when I realized I could visit again this summer, and for a longer period of time.

My flight departed kyiv at 0620, then landed in Budapest at 0700. Not much in the budapest airport was open at that hour. I was able to use triposo to figure out a public transport way to get into the city. Not particularly fast, but at that hour, who cares. plus it was a lot cheaper to use public transport than to use the shuttle service.  a LOT cheaper.
i found my hostel, and though i was early, i was able to check in and drop my bag. it turned out that this hostel was mostly student housing during the school year, so there were interesting aspects to the hostel...there was a library!! of course, all the books were in hungarian, and i have no idea what the topics were, but THERE WAS A LIBRARY!!

my room was considered a double room, but it actually had six beds...three of the beds were lofted, 3 on the floor...i had my choice of any of them...each bed had a couple plugs nearby...there was also a large table that would've been good for studying if i was a student...im curious how much students pay for housing each semester, and how long the semesters last...
after resting up for a while, i went out in the city...i walked toward a sight close to my hostel, the tomb of gul baba...on the way to the tomb i walked past millenium park...it was small, filled with flowers, very pretty...
to get to the tomb, i went up some stairs...i was huffing and puffing when i got to the top, but there was a sense of silence that i loved...definitely a good place for contemplation...

after seeing the tomb, i walked down the hill toward the river running through the city...i walked across st margarets bridge, over the whole river...in the middle of the river, touched at one end by the bridge is st margarets island...on the island are places for various sports, as well as a fountain, and nice park...the fountain often plays in time with music...really fun to watch for a few minutes...
after crossing the entire river, i walked along for a while with no particular aim in mind...as i walked past one cafe i saw a giant piece of cake covered in cream...a GIANT piece of cake...even though it was only the middle of the morning, i figured hey, why not?

it was good, and very rich...so rich that i couldn't finish it...if you know me, you know that means it was really big, and really rich...i gave it my best effort, but failed :)
i found a church with open front doors, but the inner doors weren't open, so i couldn't really go in...i felt like i was peering in, doing something wrong...when are churches actually open for me to wander?
i figured out that i wanted to see heroes square, as i hadn't seen it last summer...on my way there, i walked through a rather long tunnel under train tracks, covered by graffiti the whole way...despite its length, it smelled normal, not like people relieving themselves...awesome!

i came to heroes square, and loved it...it's a big area, with a tall column in the middle...around the bottom of the column are some statues, they're probably telling a historical story...on the back side of the square (which isn't really a square) is a series of columns/gates...the ground has nice decor, almost like mosaics...if only i could've taken photos of the entire place without other people...
behind heroes square is a palace...i don't remember the name...in the palace complex was a small church, that didn't have an entrance fee but did request donations...not very impressive, but i'm glad i looked around...the best part of the palace area was the park surrounding the entire area...

it didn't look as though the entire thing was built at one time, as i could see different architecture in different parts...or i could be totally wrong...
after the palace, i walked on a major street called andrassy utca, back to the city centter...this street is a unesco sight, though i'm not entirely sure why...on one street corner is a place called house of terror...
the house of terror is a museum and commemorative place that shows different aspects of life under the soviets, and life under the nazis...it's the same type of place i've seen in other places that used to be part of the east bloc, and it's just as disturbing each time i see the evidence....

there were photos of people who disappeared during these years, there were photos of people who were tortured...(thank goodness there weren't picture of people after torture)...there were displays of what people had in their homes...it's a very intense place, you walk out feeling a sense of exhaustion; and relief that it didn't happen to you...
my next stop was the area around parliament...parliament is a gorgeous building, always stunning...it's the kind of place that always catches your attention, no matter how many times you see it...the museum of ethnography is across the street on the backside of parliament...i didn't go in this museum, but took a few moments to appreciate the architectural beauty from the outside...

not far from parliament on the river side is a permanent exhibition katie and i didn't get to see last summer...it's called shoes on the danube...very moving, heartbreaking...
my next sight was supposed to be the glass house, but i ended up getting there about 15 minutes after it closed...argh...
eventually i started making my way back to my hostel...it wasn't very late, but it had been a long-ish day of walking, on top of me waking up super early to catch my plane...
as i walked up the other side of the river, i passed the entrance gates to one of the many thermal baths in the city...absolutely gorgeous...if i get to come back to budapest a few more times i hope to spend time in each of the baths, to figure out which is my favorite...

as i got close to my hostel, i realized i was walking along the river at the same place where the stalls had been set up for st stephens day when katie and i visited the summer before...only this time, these sidewalks were under repair...i'm assuming everything was supposed to be finished in time for the holiday later in the summer?
the next day, after returning from esztergom, i went back to a place katie and i had visited last summer...a cafe called gerbaud...maybe it was because i visited by myself, or maybe there is another reason, but it wasn't nearly as awesome this time...the inside is still gorgeous, and the presentation of my apple studel was still lovely, but it just wasn't as nice...the service took longer, and seemed less than concerned with my experience...

i left the cafe and walked toward st stephens basilica...no matter how many times i see this place, i'm always stunned...the outside is nice, but the inside is awesome...this time, when i walked in i realized a service was taking place...the front section of seats was reserved for people attending the service, the back area was the only place for tourists during the service...
after the church i walked along a pedestrian zone and chose one of the many thai massage places...i wanted a foot massage...i ended up with an hour long foot massage, though it wasn't what i wanted...i wanted a 90 minute foot massage, and it was listed on their menu...

the manager guy first tried to get me to go for a full body massage, and when i said no, he tried to charge me more for the foot massage than what was on their menu! argh...eventually he said a 90 minute massage wasn't going to happen, even though it was on the menu and they had three massage therapists sitting around...
i walked home along a street called fo utca...lonely planet tells me it's a street with nice stores, but i didn't see much of note...i stopped at a spar market to pick up water for the next day, and of course spent more time in there than expected...i always get 'lost' in supermarkets :)

the next day, after returning from visegrad and szentendre, i made my way to a cafe in the city center called anna...i chose it because the previous day i'd seen someone eating a giant ice cream sundae...i ordered the same thing...it was huge...served in a glass that was taller than my guidebook!! four scoops of ice cream, plus whip cream and sauces...yum...not terribly good for my teeth, or waistline, but i didn't care :)
the next morning my first sight was the citadel...it's on top of a hill on one side of the river...it was hot and sunny, and humid, so i was sweating like mad when i got to the top...there were plenty of bugs too, i felt as though i was swatting them away nearly constantly...

there isn't one main way up the hill, just a bunch of paths that constantly branch off...if you constantly aim up, you'll get to the top...
the guidebook says the citadel is open 24 hours, but the doors were closed when i got up there...i don't know if i was too early, or it was monday, or what...oh well...i still enjoyed the views over the entire city...awesome...plus, there is a giant statue on one side...
i followed a path down the other side of the hill, equally lovely...it wasn't as covered, so there were fewer bugs, and more views...the bottom of this side brought me to the entrance to gellert baths, another of the city's baths...

i crossed the bridge over the river, taking me straight to the central market...when katie and i were here last summer, we walked by the market on the holiday, so it was closed...this time i was able to go in, which was nice...i was there pretty early in the morning, so there weren't too many others wandering around...
the central market is in a giant hall; it's filled with stalls selling produce, bread, meat, products made from red peppers, etc...i bought 620 grams of raspberries...YUM...my favourite fruit :)
the raspberries were my breakfast, and i ate them as i walked...i love raspberries so much that they were all gone in about 30 minutes...soooo good...

i walked, and walked and walked and walked...i think i walked at least 10km to get to a place called momento park...it's on the edge of the city, and it turned out to be a lot further out than i expected when i started walking...
momento park is full of soviet realist statues...they're really big...some of them were originally in this park, others were moved here over the years...it's not a big park, but there are plenty of statues to look at...the historical aspect of this park is awesome...totally awesome...i saw lenin, and other leaders well known during communist times...after i took photos of every statue, made my way out of the park...

the entry clerk told me the once daily tourist bus back to the city center was already full, even though it wasn't supposed to come for another hour...argh...fortunately, she told me where to catch a public bus back into the city, it wasn't far from the park entrance...
when i got on that public bus, i tried to pay for a ticket...but the bus driver wasn't selling tickets, he said i had to have a ticket already, or have a city pass...needless to say, i didn't have one of those...and there was no place at the stop to buy a ticket...how is that supposed to work? fortunately, the driver let me ride for free, he saw it wasn't my fault i couldn't get a ticket...

as i got back into the city i chose another cafe, tried another piece of chocolate cake...it wasn't nearly as good as what i'd had a couple days earlier...oh well, they cant all be amazing...
i went back to my hostel, stopping for a quesadilla along the way...after relaxing for a couple hours, i walked to szechenyi (sp?) baths...this is probably the most photographed of the thermal baths in the city, located kinda close to heroes square...
i chose the cheapest entrance fee, which got me a locker key...you can also choose a cabin, but that seemed ridiculous...i changed into a bikini, figured out the locker system, and locked everything else...

the outside area has three pools...the middle pool is a lap pool, you have to wear a swim cap to go in there...on either end are heated pools, one warmer than the other...one side pool is heated to 30-34C, the other to 37-38C...amazing to hang out in the pools...you can sit on the stairs, halfway in, which is what i chose to do...i went back and forth between these two pools for over an hour...
then i decided to explore the inside baths...there were saunas, as well as more baths...people wandering among all the pools...each pool had a different temperature, anywhere from the upper 20s to 38C...i was quite pickled and dehydrated when i finally left, but it was awesome...

the baths were full of tourists, but who cares...they're still totally awesome...i loved hearing all the languages, watching all the people...
is it bad that i had another giant sundae from anna's cafe on the way home? yum...
the next day, after returning from godollo, the first thing i did was get off the metro at the wrong stop...fortunately i'd gotten to know the city well enough by this point to know where i was, and not be worried about the additional walking...
i walked my way to a park with a jewish memorial to the holocaust/WW2 at one end...very moving, it probably always will be...
the glass house wasn't very easy to find, it wasn't at all what i expected...the glass house is called that because it used to be a glass factory...the owner sheltered many jews during the rough years of WW2...it's no longer a factory, but you can see examples of some of the paperwork arranged to help the jews flee the city and country...

you can see photos of some of those housed there...you can see the statistics, some of which are horrifying...i'm not sure why there aren't more people visiting...never forget...the volunteer working there spoke only hungarian and german, thankfully i was able to understand about half the german...nice guy...
the glass house is now just a small room in the building, all dedicated to carl lutz...
after the glass house i went back to st stephens basilica...no service was happening this time, so i was able to wander all over...stunning, as usual...there is no entrance fee, but next time i visit i think i will pay the extra fee to go up the bell tower...
dinner that night was at a vegetarian place right next to my hostel...it seemed like a cafeteria, i'm sure it was full of students during the school year...good food, i should've eaten there more often...

after dinner i walked through the big mall close to my hostel...one of the four floor monstrosities, full of shops that are just regular shops...nothing of interest to a tourist...
the next morning, i flew back to kyiv...i really want to see more of hungary :)