My Trip to Budapest

Hello friends. Today I'm sharing an unusual post on my blog. I'll take you on a journey from Spain to Budapest.

I set off at 5:30 am while it was still dark. I left my car at Coste One, which makes things more convenient. Then I took a train to Valencia and from there, I flew to Budapest.

The train departed for Valencia at 5:45 AM. Around 7:00 am, I arrived at Valencia Nord station. There’s a metro right next to it, so I took that to the airport. Since it's wintertime, it was still quite dark at 7:00 AM in Valencia.

At the airport I went through security. After scanning my ticket, I passed through a small duty-free area and continued on. The only question at the security check was, How much cash are you carrying? It was within the allowed limit, so there were no issues. Then, I headed to find my flight.

As we approached Budapest, the plane began its descent. After landing at Budapest Airport, I exchanged some money. My budget instantly grew. (Well, it was just 50 euros, but still.) Exchanging money at the airport is usually not the best option since exchange rates are lower. So I only exchanged a small amount to have some local currency on hand. Then I made my way to the city.

I took the 100E bus to the city center. This bus departs directly from the airport. In the distance I could already see the Ferris wheel. As soon as I arrived I started exploring Budapest more closely.

The bus ticket costs 2200 forints. With the euro exchange rate at around 400 forints, that’s roughly 5 euros. The holiday decorations were still up. Compared to Spain it was cooler here but not too cold. Some people were wearing beanies, but I didn’t think it was necessary.

I was getting hungry and needed to grab a bite. When thinking about what to eat, the first thing that came to mind was of course, Hungarian goulash. There were also nice sandwiches and pizzas available, but I went for the goulash soup. I had it with a beer, something called shán or shani.

The café was nice and they tried to accommodate different languages. At the end of my meal they even gave me a small chocolate coin.

After eating I continued my walk along the Danube River towards the Hungarian Parliament Building. As you may know Budapest was formed by the unification of Buda and Pest. There’s a lot to see on both sides of the city, but I was on the side where the Parliament is located.

One thing I noticed was the significant amount of restoration work happening here. There’s a lot of construction both in Budapest and Serbia. Looking at Eastern Europe as a whole, I think this is a positive thing. The streets of Hungary’s capital, including places like Liberty Square were all bustling.

By the way in Hungarian, utca means street. There’s a lot of ongoing work in this area too, but that’s completely normal and actually a good sign. On the other side of the Danube, you can also see many projects happening. It looks really impressive. If you’ve never visited Budapest before, I highly recommend it.

From where I was, I had a clear view of the famous Hungarian Parliament Building. I’m sure you’ve seen it before. I was standing on the banks of the Danube. Across the river, there are many tourist attractions, like the Church of Mary Magdalene. There are plenty of interesting places to explore, though seeing everything in a single day is impossible.

Overall these places are beautiful. If you have the chance, I definitely think visiting Budapest is a must. Here’s the famous Shoes on the Danube Bank memorial. it's quite a popular spot.

And here it is: the Hungarian Parliament Building. As you can see, restoration work is ongoing here as well. The city is being vibrantly renewed on both sides of the Danube. In my opinion, the Parliament Building looks stunning from every angle. The square here, along with the majestic architecture, is impressive.

There are also many fascinating buildings reflecting traditional Hungarian architecture. Budapest has a rather serious, grand city vibe. Personally I really like it, but of course, everyone has different tastes.

Now I’m slowly approaching the train station and it’s time to say goodbye for today. My journey continues. See you in the next post. Take care.