Szimply the B(udap)est – 5 things to do

I just came back from the epicest four days with my favourite Scottish human, the lovely Nicola who fans may remember as my beloved travel companion in Cesky Krumlov last year. This year twas time to brave the Buda and the Pest, so without further ado, here goes, five things we did which I would recommend! (in no particular order)

I. all things Gellert

Our air b’n’b location was perfect, on the Buda side right at the foot of the impressive statue-adorned Gellert Hill. So of course part of our agenda was to climb the one or two steps to admire the views.

Gellert was a bishop from a millennium ago, who suffered the unfortunate fate of being stuffed into a barrel and rolled down the hill of Buda to his death. The hill is thus now called Gellert Hill.

We enjoyed an invigorating climb up the hill, stopping at view points for STUNNING pics, see below. At the top there were more SPECTACULAR views, muscular-legged statues, overpriced (but SO WORTH IT) ice creams, little stalls, and a cafe owner who told me off for adding too much milk to my “long coffee” (“well now it’s a latte and we charge more for lattes”). (What I missed most about Finland: being able to order a plain normal “coffee” and add as much milk as desired.)

Good old Gellert is not only commemorated with a hill, but also with the Gellert Baths (within the Hotel Gellert) at the foot of the hill. Budapest baths have a great reputation, and the Gellert Baths are some of the most renowned.

In the Middle Ages the Gellert Baths used to be a hospital, and the bath complex was built between 1912 and 1918.

We actually visited them with Hayzybobz (starring for example here) already three years ago (when we wore cool matching tops and were mistaken for staff – there is no other explanation to the rude annoyance of a fellow bather when I apologised for being unable to advise her to the hotel lobby) – my happiest memory had been from the funky bubbly outdoor pool, near the (not) “hot” (enough) “Finnish sauna” and its (mildly) “cold” cold pool. Well, this time round the adventure pool wasn’t bubbly, but the sauna was passable and the cold pool was actually rather chilly. A nice few hours were spent at Gellert Baths, in a variety of thermal baths and saunas. If you’re into that kind of thing, definitely recommended, and even if you’re not – well, definitely an experience.

II. Ruin bars, ruin bars

The term ruin bar may already give you a hunch about the type of bar in question even if you’ve never heard of them before. Ruin bars are part of the famous Budapest underground scene. Not just a night-time haunt, many ruin bars can be frequented in the daytime too, and are actually scenic (though not necessarily beautiful) at all times of days. These bars were built in the old Jewish Quarter after the second World War, cosily inhabiting decaying old buildings.

Szimpla Kert is the first, the largest, the most famous and the most popular, and it defines itself as a ‘cultural reception space’. We entered it mid-afternoonish, this massive complex of bars, seating areas, steps, gardens and graffitied walls. You could sit on chairs, stools, old TVs (a bit dusty), wooden crates (scenic), or in a bath tub (a bit manky), just to mention a few. Nicola and I spent a very pleasant afternoon and evening drinking a few cherry beers (SO GOOD) and life-updating each other, ending the evening with watching a nice live jazz jam (the musical kind, not the on-bread kind).

There are a mirriad ruin bars in Budapest, and in addition to Szimpla we sampled another one called Instant. That one was atmospheric but more night clubby and less special than Szimpla.

III. St Stephen’s Basilica

Our rainy day plan was the 3D Gallery where you can take cool pics. We got there but then decided for various reasons that we’d rather do the more cultural experience located opposite, especially as the thunderstorms had decided to be pleasantly brief, focusing on the moment we decided to leave the outdoor pool at the Gellert Baths. (Not so pleasant maybe for everyone else who had to follow suit less than a minute later when the lifeguard whistled them indoors due to the elevated risk of death by electrocution.)

So we went to St Stephen’s Basilica, as recommended by my elusive yet oh-so-dear friend Andy. Stephen was the first King of Hungary (from the times just before our mate Gellert from above), and today his basilica is the third largest church building in Hungary. It is equal in height to the Hungarian Parliament Building (96 metres / 315 feet), symbolising the equal importance of worldly and spiritual thinking, and it is forbidden to construct anything higher.

The church interior was stunning and meant to be one of the most beautiful in Europe. And the views from the top, after a sweaty and dizzifying 364 steps, were amazing, especially with a background of the moody sky.

IV. Trams

The trams of Budapest commenced their life being pulled by horses (like was the norm then) in 1866. The first electric tram line was opened in 1887, which at the end of the 19th century and they are adorable. They enjoy being part of one of the world’s largest tram networks and “most congested tram network”. They have over thirty tram lines. I identified three different types of trams, according to Wikipedia there are a total of five (grouping different versions of same models together). They are adorable.

V. Food coz well, Hungary

Goulash and sweet potato fries, for example. Oh and hummus. And drink berry beers. More about that later.

Toodle pip for now,

Emzy xxx