pat and phil's scrapbook: Weekend Break to Budapest

Castle and Chain Bridge by Night

Well we have just returned from our weekend trip to Budapest thanks to Airmiles. What a great city! There is so much to do - we only really scraped the surface. Got there Thursday night and wandered the streets marvelling at the illuminated Danube. Our hotel was just yards from the Chain Bridge one of the main links between Buda and Pest so it was easy walking everywhere.
The next day we had a full day just walking around, taking in the views of Parliament, the Castle etc.
Saturday we had a multi-mode travel day. We started out catching a bus to a flea market on the outskirts of town with the aim of getting a bargain. No bargains we could find though - all geared up to tourist prices. Lots of fake wind-up gramophones - and possibly a geniune tin toy I was interested in - but not at their prices. We tried to haggle, but no go.
We returned from there and took a trip to the Buda hills. First we took a trip on a tram to the cog railway stop. Then it was a gentle ride through the hills to another railway - run bizarely by Children (except for the train driver). Yep, ticket collectors, station staff - all kiddies dressed up in uniform who salute the train as it leaves. This was set up during the communist times and has continued through to this day - don't know what happens with their schooling!

The children's railway

We got off half way to walk up a (still-snowy) path to a lookout point. We didn't quite reach the top as we then travelled back down the mountain in a ski-lift which bizzarely went over the tops of people's gardens by just a few feet. Returned back to Buda by bus.
There is still so much to see that we need to return one day. We went looking for roman ruins but couldn't find them. We never got to the famous thermal baths and we didn't have time for Statue park - a park containing all he old communist statues. Still lots to look forward to the next time we go!!