We fell hard and fast for Budapest and to be totally honest, we didn’t know what to expect. We had done A LOT of research for our few days in Prague, as well as Hallstatt but walked into Budapest with little knowledge. That quickly changed as we found ourselves googling everything, dying to know the history. Every time some asks us our favorite destinations, Budapest is high on the list! Tasty food, culture, and history, Budapest really has it all!
I have this fascination with World War II ( I secretly loved history class as a kid) and all of Eastern Europe has a story to tell. This particular installation “Shoes on the Danube” was particularly sobering. It was created by artist Gyula Pauer to honor the Jews who were killed by fascist militiamen in during World War II. They were ordered to take off their shoes, and shot at the edge of the water so that their bodies fell into the river and were carried away. History can be heavy but also important to be remembered and learned from.
Fisherman’s Bastian is a marvel. We stood around taking pictures for WAY too long it was embarrassing. The Fisherman’s Bastion was built between 1895 and 1902 as part of the series of developments that were to celebrate the 1000th birthday of the Hungarian state. The bastion was built as a viewing terrace with lookout towers on the base of a stretch of the castle walls (from the 17-18th century, built after the Buda Castle Siege). Rather than building sturdy thick stone walls, the intention was to present the locals with a communal panorama terrace, as the Buda Castle was no longer considered to be a military place. DO NOT MISS visiting the Fisherman’s Bastian. It is simply stunning!
I’ve had this on my bucket list for quite some time now. I wanted to take a dip in one of Hungary’s famous Thermal Baths. There are a few options but we decided to visit Széchenyi. The Széchenyi Medicinal Bath is the largest medicinal bath in Europe. Its water is supplied by two thermal springs so it makes for a warm soak in the colder months! Pro tip: Get there early! The baths quickly fill up and make getting any pictures a little tough! There are lockers for your things as well as changing rooms on site.
Budapest stole our hearts and we hope to go back to visit soon! We are also feeling pretty lucky to be abroad and able to travel when we can. Europe is so easy to hop from one spot to the other that we would be silly not to take advantage of it! Where are your favorite destinations? What do we need to add to our travel list?!
xoxo
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