Fun fact, you can’t spell Bridget without Bridge.
Not many people (apart from close friends and family) know about my passion for bridges. But wow, if you have a love for bridges as I do this is the city to go to; I particularly liked the Chain bridge. It’s beautiful and gets you across the Danube to the Parliament buildings as well as the dock where you can get boat trips and people watch as you go.
In Parliament square, there are national flags everywhere, soldiers marching in pristine uniforms and many places of interest to see and to photograph. The museum is really interesting as well as devastatingly sad, and the trip to the Parliament buildings are well worth the 2,000 Florint (about a fiver in GBP). We got in for this price as we’re still in the EU, when we’re out bizarrely it’ll cost us more to get in!
The next bridge to explore was the Margaret (or Margit) bridge which once you’re halfway across has an island to explore… yep, you guessed it Margaret Island. Which not only has a most stupendous fountain in the park, it also has one of Budapest’s best swimming pools; or so the tourist info blurb told us. It looked pretty good actually and we regretted not taking our swimming costumes!
On the banks of the Danube is a monument ‘Shoes on the Danube Bank’. Wikipedia has a great, interesting and sad blurb which is well worth the read. The shoes are cast out of iron and are a memorial to the victims shot into the Danube by Arrow Cross militiamen in 1944/45, erected in April 2005.
As we had walked almost 20 miles in two days… despite the variety of public transport, we decided to take a city sightseeing tour, you can buy a ticket which gives you access to three different buses and two boat trips! Great value for money bought from a guy in a smart uniform, jaunty red hat and leather satchel at the end of the chain bridge…thank goodness he was an official bus representative and not some smartly dressed crim ripping off tourists for shits and giggles.
It was our last night in Budapest so we had an early evening boat-trip, with a lovely Hungarian meal (for Rob anyway) he had goulash and loved it. I had the tofu, roasted veg and chilli paste for less than 5000 Florint for two of us including drinks, amazing. After absorbing as much Budapest as we possibly could, we totted off back to the hotel and packed our bags before getting into bed for a well-deserved rest.
I was sad to have to fly back home (via Schiphol) the next day, but Budapest has left me wanting more and I will most definitely be back.
