A robed man waits for a couple to shell out their “donation”. While every guidebook will tell you entrance into the Basilica of St. Stephen is free, the holy might have a different notion. I pay my forced donation, lending the couple without change a giant sigh of relief. Now the unidentified ticket agent has change to give the duo so they too can enter the largest church in Hungary. The neoclassical cathedral might need all of the donations it can get for it took over 50 years to build. The dome caved in in 1868, destroying the structure. It would be rebuilt from Budapest’s floor up and Continue Reading
Hungary’s Parliament in Budapest Wishes You Were Here
I never knew I was on the Hungarian government’s bad side. “It doesn’t work,” the ticket agent to Hungary’s Parliament building tour says to me almost laughing. She seems to say, “You fool. You don’t even haven enough money on your credit card to tour all of this opulence.” Luckily my friend spots the check on this one. Budapest’s Parliament has long been a structure I have wanted to see in person. A huffy ticket agent who thinks me a pauper or criminal won't stop me from living up to the dream. Guards in furry coats pace outside as I make the call. As it would turn out, there is no Continue Reading
Egészségedre! Adventures in Hungarian Wine Tasting in Budapest
The cold has consumed every inch of my being, and yet, I am on the hunt for wine. When visiting Hungary in the winter, the only way to keep warm is with the strongest of spirits and wines. For me, European wine has long been synonymous with the famous producers like France and Italy. Seldom have I contemplated Hungary as a wine destination. However the country houses the oldest classified wine region in all of Europe. And when you are the oldest, you probably know a thing or two about your product. I face a daunting set of stairs, dusted perfectly in snow, to taste these wise, old wines. It Continue Reading
Budapest At Night Wishes You Were Here
I make my way up the street, bumping into what appears to be a costumed man. Complete with top hat and tails, he churns a pile of chestnuts, hoping for a sale. My nose is assaulted with a whiff of Budapest as I continue up the road to cross Margit híd, otherwise known as Margaret Bridge. Giant pieces of ice hurry down the Danube, almost looking like little fragments of countries turned into islands. The pieces move in a mesmerizing motion, so much so that find myself immune to the cold, perfectly content on staring at winter in essence in Budapest. When it reaches such cold temperatures in Continue Reading
Budapest Wishes You Were Here
It is no secret that I love to find the best views of a city when I travel. While in the heat of the day yesterday I hiked to one of the best views of Florence, Bret from The Jetpacker was reflecting on one of the views he enjoyed of Budapest. Take the funicular up to Buda Castle and suddenly you are 300 feet above Budapest, overlooking the Széchenyi Chain Bridge and St. Stephen's Basilica, where the mummified hand of Stephen, the first king of Hungary, resides. From this vantage, you can spot every major landmark in the city... as long as you don't get distracted by the buskers and Continue Reading