Welcome To Hungary!
I’ve been sharing my “Travel A – Z” series and we are about to land on the letter “H”…and since my wife and I were in Budapest Hungary a few years ago, I chose to highlight that trip – and include one part of that experience that I have never shared before…
Hungary is a landlocked Central European nation with a population of 9.6 million, known for its capital Budapest (divided by the Danube River), unique Magyar language, and thermal spas. Founded in 896 AD, it is among Europe’s oldest countries.
We visited Budapest as part of our journey on the Venice-Simplon Orient express train, leaving Venice Italy and powering into Budapest a day later…here’s a look at our cabin on the train – beginning with the gorgeous train interior:
The train was spectacular – one of the greatest adventures we’ve had…we left Venice the day before and this is how we arrived in Budapest!
Right before we enter the city, they stop the train and add a traditional Locomotive to the front! That’s a real steam-powered engine that greeted us outside the city for our dramatic arrival…except I made one BIG SMOKY MISTAKE – watch the video and see what happened when I decided to lean out our window and film our arrival:
Well, that was smoky for a minute!
Still, we got to where we wanted: Budapest!
Hungary’s capital is divided into two parts: “Buda” is on the left, and “Pest” sits on the right of the Danube River. It is famous for its stunning architecture, such as the Parliament building, and is known for its “ruin bars” in the city’s old Jewish Quarter.
The Hungarian Parliament Building is the third-largest in the world! This opposing and impressive work of architecture comprises a whopping 691 rooms connected by around 20km worth of stairs.
What’s more, when constructing the Parliament Building, they spared no expense. No, really – we’re talking 40kg of 23-carat gold just for the adornments!
Thermal Water Heaven:
Hungary has one of the highest concentrations of natural thermal waters in the world, with over 1,000 springs, leading to a strong, historic spa culture, especially in Budapest.
We “took the waters” one day and it was incredible!
The Gellert Spa is housed in an incredible building – you can get an inside look by clicking here:
One thing we saw one day was the “changing of the guard” in front of the Parliament building:
The leader of Hungary is Prime Minister Viktor Orbán – known for his Autocratic leadership…his ruling Fidesz party has centralized power by weakening judicial independence, restricting media freedom, and altering election laws to ensure dominance while maintaining a democratic veneer…just like what the US is experiencing right now.
I point this out because it leads to the most sobering part of our trip – the one I have never shared until now:
“Shoes On The Danube Bank…”
The Danube River has beautiful views and walkways as well…but at one point, a horrific piece of Hungarian history has been memorialized:
The “Shoes On The Danube River…” Holocaust Memorial
This poignant memorial in Budapest honors innocent people, mostly Jewish, who were massacred by Arrow Cross fascists during WWII.
Located on the Danube promenade, the 2005 memorial consists of 60 pairs of sculpted iron shoes, representing those ordered to remove their footwear before being shot and dumped into the river…a horrific event.
Each pair of shoes is unique—including children’s shoes, work boots, and women’s pumps—reflecting the individual lives lost.
.Visitors often leave flowers and candles to pay respect, and it is a central site for learning about the Holocaust in Hungary.
A sobering moment, and a time to reflect on the atrocities of war and the need to stop senseless fighting in our world before we destroy it all…I appreciated their commitment in creating this memoiral.
I noticed that Budapest had an “Eastern European” vibe: the streets were clean, but the buildings felt of a different era…yet they also turn the lights on bright at night to show off their palaces:
We also explored the vibrant and exciting culinary scene! Hungarian food is famous for its hearty flavors, with paprika being the quintessential ingredient used in dishes like Gulyás (goulash).
You could find paprika everywhere and we loaded up to take it home and cook more with it!
Alex had her goulash with spaetzle – delicious!
We had a great time exploring the city’s famous “Great Market Hall!”
Here’s the story I posted with a tour inside and look at some more of the delicious Hungarian cuisine available:
After a great meal, you will need to check out one of the city’s coolest new attractions:
Ruin Bars!
Budapest’s ruin bars (romkocsma) are unique nightlife spots located in abandoned, derelict pre-war buildings in the VII District (Jewish Quarter), featuring eclectic, mismatched furniture, graffiti, and art. Pioneered by Szimpla Kert in 2002, these spaces offer a bohemian atmosphere with multiple bars and places to grab a late night meal.
Here’s a closer look at the district and our tour one night!
On our next trip to this country, we will need to go to their wine regions!
The World’s Oldest Wine Region:
The Tokaj wine region is recognized as the world’s first official wine region, and it’s in Northwest Hungary…I’d love to explore the oldest wine in the world!
I will leave you with one more Hungarian fun fact:
Despite being landlocked, Hungary is home to Lake Balaton, Central Europe’s largest freshwater lake, often called the “Hungarian Sea”.
So much to see and do in this wonderful country…the people were incredibly friendly, and there was a sense they wanted to modernize the join the more progressive countries of Europe…we will see.
As I mentioned, Alex and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary dressed up on the world’s most glamorous train!
Here’s a look at more of that magical trip:
I took a break from my list, but I will do a complete, 26 country look at “Travel A – Z”: we love to travel, and exploring the world’s wonders make people less likely to want to go to war….my last report was from the beginning of civilization:
We were in Greece and what a magical time that was…here’s one of the many incredible sunsets we saw:
See all of our adventures here:
The Greece story also has links to the previous entries: Australia, Bermuda, China, Denmark, Egypt and France…or just click the Travel button on the front page tool bar!
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Leave a comment and let me know your favorite travel adventures – oh, and I’ll leave you with some Hungarian Schnitzel and Spaetzle!
Categories: Art, Exotic Travel, Food, Memoirs, Pop Culture, Travel, Travel Adventures, Travel Memoir
johnrieber 
Way cool….before my cancer troubles I wanted to go on a river cruise in Europe….so much history to take in. chuq
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As I am mainly an armchair traveller, I didn’t know about that shoe memorial. Thanks for sharing, John.
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It’s a sobering reminder of the horrific consequences of war…and I am so sorry that our despicable President is starting them all around the world – all because he wasn’t given the Nobel Peace Prize…that is how ludicrous it is!
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Nobody must say ‘no’ to him. Probably given anything he wanted as a child…
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We loved Budapest as well and also stocked up on paprika. I found the shoe memorial very moving. Thanks for the photos.
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Yes the paprika was incredible and the memorial was indeed so moving…thank you for the comment!
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