Ridin' Solo in Budapest

Location: Budapest, Hungary

Dates: February 20-21, 2020

Budapest was a recent addition to my travel list, but wasn't sure what kind of opportunity we'd get to go together with Lucas's Volleyball schedule being rather hectic. Originally, I thought I was going to be a bit more "stuck" in Istanbul for the months we were here (and I realize my chosen word of being "stuck" is rather obnoxious and privileged, but it's not always the most exciting when my daily life only revolves around three things - cooking, cleaning and working out), but I randomly found some cheaper flights to the place I had imagined visiting for the past year! So not that living in Turkey is bad at all, but I was really lucky to get to go on this little trip so spontaneously. Unfortunately Lucas couldn't join, so I decided to splurge on a solo trip. My main visit was to see my friend, Tamy, in Switzerland for a long weekend, but I really wanted to spend just one night and one full day in Budapest, just for another fun experience before heading over to Geneva!

I'd never travelled alone before or truly explored a different city by myself so I wasn't sure what I'd feel about it. It ended up being amazing!! I of course would have way rather had Lucas there, but this was a great second! I had a little list of things I wanted to do and literally none disappointed!

Budapest is an amazing city. It's also home to the incredibly cool ruin bars. I read way too many other blogs wanting to find the right one or two to hit up since I had such a limited time, and I think I picked the perfect ones. When I arrived my first day, even with my flight being almost 3 hours delayed, I decided to head over to Mazel Tov. While it was still on the list of best Budapest ruin bars, it was incredibly different to the typical ones you'll find in the rest of the city. It was so quaint and magical! Lights strung all in the ceiling, brick walls and cute wooden tables all placed nicely in rows. Lucas knows how much I love live music, whether it's piano, guitar, trumpet or saxophone, so I hit the jackpot with this place having both a DJ playing different mixes while a saxophone complimented the DJ's sounds. It was such a sweet vibe in there! I got the prime spot in the back near the bar so I was able to watch everyone around, including the small stage with the DJ and saxophonist. I decided to be super cool and celebrate my being there with a delicious sparkling rosé. I later switched to a recommended Hungarian white wine while I waited for my lamb goulash. Oh... my... goodness. Guys, you must eat that dish if you go there. It's AMAZING. I was actually so happy sitting there all by myself. Best first night!

I decided to hit the hay in decent time because I had the silly idea to head over to the Buda side to the Fisherman's Bastion during sunrise the next morning. I heard it was the least crowded at that time (like, duh), and since it overlooks the Danube River and the Pest side, it'd be an amazing view! I also read a tip that if you go early enough, you can head up onto a different part/platform free of charge, so just a little bonus if you're ever feeling ambitious if you find yourself in Budapest and wanting to check out the Fisherman's Bastion.

It was a quick metro ride and a short walk up to this beautiful piece of architecture. I was seriously rewarded with such an amazing sunrise that morning! There was a call for some light showers and overcast clouds, but before the clouds swallowed up the sunlight, it gave me the most beautiful display of orange and pink. So worth checking out whether you go at sunrise, sunset or just during the day!

After this incredibly early morning, I had the entire day to wander around the rest of the city. The majority of my wanderings revolve around food and beverages... so that's exactly what I did. But I made sure to get a good amount of steps in between!

My first spot was this really cool, eclectic cafe that actually turns into a bar in the evenings, called the Blue Bird Cafe. It's down this little alley way that has multiple different cafes or restaurants all lined up. This one had an amazing latte, which meant I splurged for two. They also have really good brunch, so I went for the avocado eggs Benedict which was totally different to any other eggs benny I've had before. Not the typical hollandaise sauce on top but still so good.

After a long walk to work off all those coffee and eggs benny, I made my way toward the river, near the Central Market. The market was really fun and not too crowded at that time, surprising since it was a Friday. It reminded me of the Kleinmarkthalle in Frankfurt but quite a bit bigger. Some food or drink stands areas, great meat and cheese selections, and of course little goodies to snack on. A huge portion of the upstairs area seemed to be dedicated to the craft market area, which was fun to walk around before I got a little peckish and searched for a snack. I then continued to wander around the Chain Bridge and the rest of the city. I finished the trip off with an afternoon drink before heading to the airport at the first developed ruin bar, Szimpla Kert, which was so big with so many different types of rooms with insane decor. Good beer selection too!

This was such a fun trip and would seriously recommend the city to anyone! Hopefully I can take Lucas back with me and we can visit the thermal bathes next time :) Enjoy the rest of the pictures if you've made it this far!

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