I’m terribly behind on blogging, which really is quite unusual for me. I love to be organised and on top of things, but this living-out-of-a-backpack and in a different country every week has really kept me busy. I’m more interested in strolling down an unfamiliar street in foreign place than sitting down with my laptop and spending time on the internet. I’m a little bit angry at myself, as this is my diary and I’m living some of the wildest stories I’ll ever have to tell. But on the other hand, I’m happy to be actually living them. I write a diary in my head that will soon be forgotten, but it’s better lived than quietly recorded. I’d rather stay up until 4am with new friends from far away places than go to bed early so my brain will work properly the next day to write or work… Sometimes as bloggers I fear we live to tell people about what we’ve done, rather than actually living it. If you see something beautiful, or have the best night of your life, it’s okay to keep it to yourself. Treasure it, live it, and not live to share it.
I really do want to play catch up this week though. I’m months ahead of these photos and I’m forgetting moments already, replaced by the smells, sights, feelings of fresher experiences.
Here’s some mismatched moments and feelings from our second week in Budapest. We were still under the weather, both suffering from colds with sore bones and no energy. But that didn’t stop us from getting out and seeing as much as we could.
When one doesn’t know what to do that day in a new city, it’s always a good idea to check out the most famous market in town. It’s almost impossible to be let down, as wether it’s filled with food or nic-nacks, theres always pictures to be taken and locals to be observed. The Central Market Hall was no exception, with the ground floor filled with fresh produce, preserved fruits and interesting looking condiments. The top floor is where you’ll find pretty trinkets, souvenirs or traditional Hungarian clothing. I can’t say the prices were that cheap here, with it being a tourist hot spot and all. We didn’t buy anything but I enjoyed browsing the stalls just as much as any market. And the surrounding streets are really pretty too!
When researching what to see in Budapest on the internet before our arrival, every single person mentioned Fisherman’s Bastion. I didn’t fully understand what it was, as no one really went into any significant detail. But I was pleasantly surprised to find a cute neighbourhood with an incredible view. We may have nearly died on the hike up the stairs to get there but it was completely worth it to see Budapest stretched out as far as the eye could see. If you ever get the chance to visit, take a stroll around the neighbouring streets to see colourfully painted apartments with beautiful facades and gold lion door knockers. Or you might also stumble across the sweet little market selling traditional Hungarian clothes and lace. Or drop a donation in the beat up car’s window to help pay to fix it (what an awesome idea!).
Another of the ‘must see’ sights listed on every top 10 in Budapest list is Hero’s Square. I can’t tell you too much about it (or anything at all really). I’ve seen so many monuments and statues now that I’ve completely lost count and become all jumbled. But I can tell you it was beautiful, and there were a group of tweens sitting on the steps singing sadly and looking melancholy while holding signs that read “We miss you Zane”.
My main destination was to find the elusive ‘Flea Market’ in the park behind the square. We actually didn’t find it… between my muddled sick head and Martin’s terrible sense of direction we were wandering aimlessly in a park that was much much bigger than I had imagined. But just by chance we stumbled across a different market, that was more like a festival of delicious Hungarian delicacies. It’s up there as one of the best food markets I’ve ever seen! My belly was happy and soon we forgot about the flea market destination entirely.
Just like any European city in the summertime, Budapest has it’s fair share of festivals. Unfortunately during our three week stay there wasn’t anything awfully exciting happening… but that didn’t stop us from visiting the one and only festival that happened to fall on a date we were there. That is, the Museum Festival, which was held on the grounds of the museum (go figure!) and was an extremely local event where I’m fairly sure we were the only tourists! And possibly the only people who didn’t speak Hungarian… We wandered around and I watched people. Children were taking part in different events held on tables or in white tents, there was a orchestra playing on stage, women dressed in traditional clothing and delicious traditional dishes cooking in big pots. I saw for a moment what it felt like to be spending a weekend out as a local of Budapest.
