European Adventure, Day 3–From Rain to (too much) Shine

Today, we move the trip Eastward and into the real backpacking portion as we flew to Budapest.  The London morning greeted us just before dawn with rain showers as Susan and I tried to sneak out of the flat unnoticed to catch some buses north to London’s Luton airport to get our taste of European discount flying (via WizzAir).  Since we had done our research, it went very smoothly and we didn’t incur any additional fees nor were we separated on the plane.  I slept through most of the flight and awoke just before landing in Hungary.

Rainy London

Being a smaller airport, customs was a breeze and we were on our way to the bus/metro into town in no time.  The first thing we noticed upon leaving the plane was the heat.  It was Cincinnati summer heat (low 90’s and humid)…I thought we escaped that!?!  Rolling with the punch of the weather, we made our way into the city center and emerged from the Metro to beautiful architecture in all directions around the “Green Bridge.”  Our hostel (The Loft) was just a short walk, lift ride, and stair climb.  Being mid-afternoon, the guests were out so only our hosts greeted us.  They were very welcoming, giving us tips for foods to eat from the market (hello Langos), good sites to see, tips on places that were overpriced, and scoops on some of the best authentic opportunities to take in the city.  Despite the lower cost, the service in this hostel exceeded most hotel experiences we’ve had.  We were even invited to the group dinner being prepared by our “hosteliers”.

 
Walking to the Hostel    &   Our beds in the 6-bed room

Once we had unloaded our wares and cooled off some (but not too much since the Loft had no A/C), Susan and I left for the nearby Grand Market to grab lunch.  It took some time before we found the prepared foods on the second level, but before long we were enjoying a garlic and cheese langos and goulash soup.  The langos, a fried dough shaped like a pizza, then topped either savory or sweet, lived up to expectations.

Lunch..  Mmm..

From the market, we crossed to the Buda side of the Danube via the Green Bridge then began a slow climb of the largest hill in the central city area to the Citadel.  The difference between the flat, developed streets of Pest and the hilly cliffs and fortresses/castles from past generations in Buda make the cityscape unique.  The heat and the climb took its toll on us as we ascended, but we reached the top and the large “statue of liberty” and even managed to make a friend, Charlimo (I think) from Sicily.  We took turns taking pictures for each other and communicating as well as we could considering our lack of ability to speak Italian and his limited English.  We were able to decipher that he was in Hungary for a wedding this weekend and that he lives near the beach in Sicily, which was where we should be in the hot weather.

Walking along the Green Bridge
 
With the Green Bridge    &    We made it to the top!

View of Pest from the Citadel in Buda

Checking out some Soviet cannons

Susan by the Chain Bridge

After tooling around the fort on the hilltop, Susan and I left our new friend and descended toward the Buda castle.  However, by the time we reached the front gate we were wearing down from the heat, so decided to wait to ascend and tour it.  Instead, we crossed the Chain Bridge back to Pest and walked down the main shopping street (Vaci Utca), making a pit stop for Gelato.  Since we were planning on dining at the hostel to meet the other guests, we returned to The Loft, arriving around 6 and grabbed showers before having a large taco dinner.  Our hostel mates include a fairly large group of English college students, an older English woman soloing, a Swedish DJ, a couple Americans we haven’t had a a chance to talk with yet, and 3 or 4 Swiss guys who appeared later in the evening.  Everyone seems nice and so far we’ve enjoyed the hostel experience, other than the lack of air conditioning which has been fairly uncomfortable given the unrelenting heat of the day.

Our evening was spent at the hostel since Susan wasn’t feeling great and we had basically burned ourselves out (literally) on the afternoon’s walk.  Tomorrow’s activities will probably be dictated by the weather.