Vanovers' Travels: Budapest 2024

It is the end of our journey and we are again headed home…this time from Budapest. We travelled from Nairobi to Budapest and met up with our friends from the Netherlands (now living in Portugal) where we spent four gloriously sunny (but chilly) days exploring and relaxing. What a beautiful city is Budapest! We stayed in a fabulous hotel (Hotel Moments) in city center and were able to walk to most places that we wanted to visit. We arrived on Saturday morning and had a great lunch of pizza and beer across from the stunningly beautiful St. Stephens Cathedral (named not for Stephen of the bible, but for one of Budapest’s first kings and city founders). We would tour this beautiful structure the following day with our friends Peter and Petra, but first we had an E-bike tour planned for Sunday morning which would take us around all the major sightseeing areas of the city. The day was cold and brisk, but the sun was out, and our guide was highly informative and friendly. We saw the Heros Mall and learned much about the founding of the country. We also visited an outdoor skating rink and park, the Budapest Opera house, the Museum of Terror (where the Nazi party of Hungary imprisoned and interrogated political prisoners during WWII), the Parliament Building, the Buda Castle district, Matthias Cathedral (named after another Hungarian leader), the Chain Bridge across the Danube River, the city market center, and the thermal baths. This cycling tour gave us an excellent overview of the city, and some basic information before our more in- depth visits to some of these same sights. Between these visits we sampled some outstanding meals of Hungarian goulash, Chicken Paprikash with Hungarian noodles, and “Chimney cakes” filled with pudding (or ice cream), whipped cream, and topped with chocolate and nuts! We also had some delicious meals of Thai food, Lebanese food, and Italian food…and of course sampled some Hungarian wines and beers. Some highlights of our time here included the fabulous St. Stephens Cathedral (built in the late 1800’s), and perhaps one of the most beautiful and intricately designed and decorated churches that I have ever been in. The amount of detail in every aspect of construction and design was astounding – from the beautifully constructed floor tiles and patterns, to the marble columns, carved wooden columns and confessionals, golden overlaid chandeliers and candelabras, fresco paintings on the ceilings, and stained glass of the upper stories…the colors blended beautifully, and the overall effect was simply stunning. The pictures below do not do justice to the actual building. By comparison, the Matthias cathedral ( in the Buda castle area) was beautiful on the exterior, but somewhat disappointing inside. (St Stephens cathedral is located in Pest, the more “middle class” area of the city). Another interesting structure located in the Buda Castle area is the “Hospital in the Rock.” There is a lot of limestone in the area, as well as thermal springs, and this has created a network of tunnels and caverns under the Buda area. In the 1940’s the city of Buda decided to use these tunnels and caverns to construct a bomb shelter and hospital for wounded soldiers and citizens. We toured this hospital and learned about the way this structure was able to care for and shelter thousands of people during WWII. After the war, the structure was repurposed as a nuclear bomb shelter, which thankfully was never used. Today it has been converted into a museum and allows visitors to walk through and see in great detail the systems established for patient care, heating and cooling, communications, water, power, etc. It was a fascinating yet claustrophobic experience. Another highlight of our time in Budapest was our visit to the thermal pools and baths. These are a series of large pools and baths which are naturally heated by hot mineral water springs beneath the Budapest area. Beautifully designed buildings provide an entry point to these indoor and outdoor pools. Bathing is co-ed, and clothed (though barely in some cases), and the water temperature varies from about 28 degrees C in the lap pool, to 36, and 40 degrees C in some of the smaller soaking pools. In addition, there are steam rooms, massage rooms for both men and women, showers for use before or after soaking, and “cabins” which include private changing areas and locked storage for one’s valuables. All of the citizenry appears to converge here… all ages, shapes, and sizes. For the young it is a place to visit with one’s significant other, to pose for social media posts, and to model the latest swimwear (or lack of…) For the older crowd it is a place to warm and soothe the aching joints and muscles from a day of walking and climbing (or biking!) in the chilly winter air. We did not visit the outdoor pools and could not tolerate the steam room for long, but the 40 degree C bathing area was heavenly! On our final day we toured the fabulous Parliament building (half still in use by their unicameral government and prime minister; the other half converted to a tourist area.). We capped off our trip with a night at the Opera house where we enjoyed a private box for four, and an enjoyable production of Die Fledermaus (“The Bat” – I recommend reading a summary of the play rather than me trying to explain the intricate plot!). In any case, it was a very enjoyable evening and another great time with our “travel buddies” Peter and Petra Axt. As I write this, we are halfway between our flight from Munich to Denver and will be arriving home later tonight. We are tired, but rejuvenated, and looking forward to being together with Melissa and David who arrived in San Antonio yesterday! Our trips to Kenya are always full of stories and adventures, but our stops along the way home are equally treasured memories. Thanks for coming along with us! Till next time, with love….Randy and Marilyn