72 hours in Budapest | #traveldiary

Day one:

Today has felt like a day of mammoth and momentous tasks and now I'm lying across my bed in my hostel trying to work up the energy to get out there and see this exciting and unknown new city. I started the day early and checked out of my hostel, stopping to pick up a quick breakfast of a banana and a DELISH pretzel from the supermarket next door and then making my way to the Wien Hauptbahnhof via the metro. I felt a lot more confident using the metro than the trams in Vienna, even though the stops weren't quite as frequent which meant a bit more walking from place to place. I found my platform and train painlessly and enjoyed a much shorter journey of just over two hours (rather than my previous usual journey time of around four) into Budapest Keleti station. This is where my mammoth tasks began...

Although exchanging some currency and buying a train ticket wouldn't seem too monumental at home, on my own and so unsure of my surroundings and unable to even remotely understand fragments of the language, my first half an hour in Hungary was a bit stressful. I withdrew enough money from an ATM in the station, which I located easily enough, to pay for my three nights in the hostel and my food/drink/passes/souvenirs for the time here. Then I had to find the international train ticket kiosk where I reserved a seat on my train to leave Budapest in three days time. It was here that I really became so impatient with the standards of queueing abroad!!! I get so stressed out over the fact that there's no clear line, no one knows who's turn it is next and its just messy and disorganised and asdfghjkl. I need order. I need QUEUES!

I bought myself a 72 hour transport pass and things were going well with the whole navigate-my-way-to-the-hostel-thing when I found that the hostel was so badly signposted, I'd walked around in a circle twice before I noticed a sign no bigger than a post-it note saying to take two flights of stairs to the reception. The hostel itself is really well equipped though and probably the best facility-wise that I have seen so far. I'm essentially sharing an apartment with 4 other people and between us we have 1 toilet, 2 showers, 2 sinks, plenty of storage, a washing machine (!) and a fully equipped kitchen. Could be (and has been) a lot worse. It was called the Best Choice Hostel for anyone looking to stay in the centre of Budapest and I would highly recommend it for anyone planning to stay in a large group.

Despite my initial plans to take it easy on my first evening in Budapest, I ended up heading to the two highest points of the city - Fisherman's Bastion and Citadel Fortress. The climb up was immense and not quite the relaxed evening I anticipated. Incredible views though!

Day two:

Getting out of bed today was a struggle despite the million things I want to see and do here in Budapest. I got up and dressed slowly, headed off to the supermarket to stock up on a bunch of ever-useful bananas and pastries (much needed when I'm getting hangry and don't feel like I can take another step) and finally set off to the Szechenyi baths.

The baths were an incredible experience. I actually wasn't entirely convinced before I set off on my Interrail journey that I would enjoy the baths since I'm on my own and I thought I'd feel a little bit exposed and lost in the middle of it all. I was completely wrong though - it was so relaxing. Today was the first day that I genuinely felt like I was on holiday, actually! If you find yourself in Budapest on a budget like me (of approx. 20 euros per day) you'll find that the cost of admission to the baths eats up a fair chunk of your money for the day. To make up for this, I missed out on a meal out today and just ate food that I'd bought at the supermarket earlier. The prices are completely reasonable though considering how many tourists are attracted to this location. I paid 4700 HUF (about £13) for a weekday ticket with a locker. This meant I didn't have access to a cabin to get changed in privately, but this was no issue as I put my bikini on under my clothes before I left. I basically spent about 5 hours there floating about a bit, steaming in the saunas and sunbathing to my little heart's content. It was just what I needed after a week and a half of non-stop city exploration. Next time I visit Budapest, the baths will absolutely be my first stop. I would love to see what the many other ones in the city are like in comparison to Szechenyi, which is definitely the most touristy.

After getting my money's worth at the baths, I explored the area which included Heroes square and a castle on a lake which was very pretty. I made my way back to the hostel and got changed ready to go back out in the evening, setting off to explore the main area of Budapest which includes the Jewish area with a huge synagogue (the largest in Europe I believe), the opera house and St. Stephen's Basilica. With the sun starting to set, I caught a bus back up to the Fisherman's Bastion and see the view (the walk up nearly killed me yesterday) and it was soooo beautiful. I really love this city and the Fisherman's Bastion just feels like the perfect place to me. I needed sleep but really didn't want to leave, even long after it had gone dark. 

Day three:

I'm rounding the day off feeling very happy indeed. Budapest has absolutely been my favourite city so far. It may have something to do with the fact that I'm heading further and further south with each new destination but I've finally been feeling like I'm actually on holiday here. I had a lie in until 9am (possibly the earliest and thus, worst lie in ever) and walked along the Danube river bank to get to Margaret island. On the way I stopped past a memorial which was made up of a row of shoes of all different sizes and styles and a plaque which read that it commemorated the lives lost during WW2 when people were shot into the river. Travelling through European capital cities, I've gained a much more significant awareness of the sheer impact that both world wars left on the entire continent. I feel really lucky that in Britain, we ultimately never faced being murdered in the streets or taken from our homes to gas chambers. Every city I've visited so far used to be very, very different in those dark times of war and it's definitely encouraged me to do some more research once I'm home.

After that I headed back into the centre to eat a three course set lunch menu which consisted of goulash soup, paprika chicken with Hungarian style pasta and jam pancakes. I've been loving eating a huge lunch for a reasonable price and then snacking in the evenings. I won't lie, for tea I had two ice creams - who's gonna stop me?? Then I decided to take advantage of the summer sales and the fact that the currency is much cheaper here by doing some shopping. It isn't easy having such a limited choice of clothing, although I'm always grateful that my rucksack is fairly light when I have to carry it around. I bought the prettiest dress from Zara in the sale for the equivalent of about a tenner and I can't wait to wear it in Venice at night! 

I went back up to the Fisherman's Bastion in the evening for my third night in a row. It's just so pretty up there and considering I have an 8 hour train journey to tackle tomorrow, I wanted all the fresh air I could get. So I sat and read my kindle (I'm actually 19, not 90) in the sun and enjoyed the atmosphere before going back to my hostel to pack for my next stop in Ljubljana, Slovenia.