Budapest weekend

Budapest is a fascinating and stunning city to visit. Over the August Bank Holiday weekend (UK) Mum, Dad, Geoff and I visited the capital city of Hungary. Budapest sits on the Danube River which splits the city in two, Buda on the west side, and Pest on the east.


Budapest is such a beautiful city that its the river banks and the city's most famous boulevard Andrassy Avenue (below) are all UNESCO heritage listed.


Budapest is known for being the Paris of Eastern Europe. It's not hard to see why with the city's never-ending, tree-line avenues and architectural style which is similar to Paris.


The colour of the buildings in Budapest are significantly darker than Parisian architecture, and there is a mix of styles as Budapest adopted a more stark Bauhaus architectural style in the 1930s and 1940s. The latter being that of our hotel, the Mamaison Hotel Andrassy.


The hotel was fantastic, the service was great and we were upgraded to big, spacious rooms. The hotel also had a great location on the leafy Andrassy Avenue. At the western end (closer to the city centre or downtown) the avenue is lined with cafes, restaurants and luxury shopping.


At the eastern tip, the avenue hits and ends at the vast Heroes' Square which honours Hungary's greatest leaders.


The Square is flanked on both sides by monumental buildings of the Museum of Fine Arts and the Palace of Art. Behind the Square is City Park which is home to many attractions including a zoo, museums and Europe's largest thermal bath, the Széchenyi Medicinal Baths and Swimming Pool.


We arrived in Budapest Friday lunch time. The weather was sunny and warm and we explored Andrassy Avenue which is home to numerous museums, such as the House of Terror Museum with its fantastic overhanging roof. The museum remembers the victims of the fascist and communist dictatorial regimes in 20th century Hungary.


We ended up down town among the shops where we found the usual high street brands (Zara, H&M, Esprit etc) and also local wares such as crystal, some of which Mum ended up purchasing.


The weather was taking a turn for the worse and it was getting chilly. As the rain fell over Budapest there was nothing better to do than sit inside at a warm restaurant on the banks of the Danube with a bowl of Hungarian goulash. It's a soup or stew with beef, vegetables and paprika. Paprika is a popular condiment on any Hungarian dish.


The next day while the rain had passed, the overcast skies remained. We found ourselves sight seeing on the Buda side of the city which is home to the Buda Castle, the official residence of the Hungarian kings and built a top Castle Hill.


From Pest to get to the Castle District, you cross the Széchenyi Chain Bridge.


And take a little train to the top of the hill.


The Castle grounds are vast and everything is monumental in size, like the statues, buildings, fountains and these gates below.


We found the Castle Museum, a comprehensive museum that traces the history of life in Budapest since it earliest days. It was surprisingly empty (admission is also free) and Mum and Dad enjoyed not having to queue and elbow tourists after their Italy holiday.


We walked along the top of the hill to the Fisherman's Bastion, a pretty terraced area with views across the Danube River. The bastion was named after the fishermen who defended the city during the Middles Ages. Today it's filled with eateries and live entertainment. One of the most popular lunch places is right on the terrace.


But it does get quite crowded and tourists walk through the tables along the terrace, so we opted to dine in the tower.


We found ourselves a private outdoor dining area with uninterrupted views over the Danube and to the gothic Parliament House.


Not sure why people weren't keen on the tower. The terraced area is actually higher than the main one and the menus are exactly the same, serving up traditional Hungarian dishes. We got to enjoy lunch with views and without the company of other tourists.


After Castle Hill, we made our way back down and across to Pest to join the very popular Opera House tours.


The interior of the Opera House is a stunning sight. We only grabbed a few photos as it was quite dark and it cost extra, on top of the tour price, to take pictures. Below is the performance hall and the most expensive seat in the house.


The ceiling artwork in the hall.


And the entrance for VIPs only.


The tour wasn't very long, and it was very crowded. After a day of walking and sight seeing we spent some time among the Budapest cafe culture on Andrassy Avenue. Then headed for more food and drink at Menza, which our Budapest Wallpaper Guide describes as "communist chic." Menza would become our favourite eatery for the trip for its excellent food, drinks, service and atmosphere.


The next day we woke up to blue skies and sunshine, and thank goodness for that because we planned to visit the Széchenyi Baths. We started the day with breakfast at Lukács Cukrászda Patisserie (our second favourite Budapest eatery, which we visited again, the next day along with Menza).


The patisserie is co-located with a bank and has a really pretty dining room. The food and coffee were great too.


After breakfast, we walked up to City Park to find the baths. Lots of people had a similar idea as it was turning out to be a beautiful day.


Budapest lies on top of 130 thermal springs coming from 1000m below the ground. One cannot visit Budapest without experiencing the baths. Széchenyi is the oldest bath in Europe and its character shows, even in the changing rooms.


When you purchase an entry ticket, this includes a little change room for the day. There are literally hundreds of wooden changing rooms at Széchenyi and the complex also has a modern gym, massage rooms, eateries, a bar and of course indoors baths and a whirlpool.


The indoor baths have water ranging from 20 to 40 degrees Celsius. As the waters are medicinal, the indoor baths have a slight sulfuric smell, but you get used it once you are inside for awhile. We spent almost the whole day at the baths. Mum and I had massages, and all of us just let time pass as we soaked in the water.

Later in the day we walked to Margaret Island which sits in the middle of the Danube.


The sun was setting pretty quickly, so we didn't stay long after watching the musical fountain which plays music as the water dances.


We also paid a visit to the Parliament House. We would have liked to have toured there but time was limited and tours only ran for half the day over weekends.


On our way back to the hotel, we came across a Design Fair, which was fun to browse and where I picked up something little for Mel.


As it was our last night in Budapest and dinner at our hotel restaurant Baraka was booked.


It had wonderful, beautifully presented dishes and a moody atmosphere. Also the the best creme brulee.


On our final day, we squeezed in visits to our favourite eateries, Lukács Cukrászda Patisserie and Menza for breakfast and lunch. And then said goodbye to a wonderful and fascinating city called Budapest.

Summer in Paris with Mum and Dad

Just a few weeks after Herlina and Damien's wedding, Mum and Dad landed in London for their 6 week holiday around the UK, Scotland, Italy, France and Hungary. After a few days in London, getting used to our apartment, the City and the St Pauls Cathedral bells (which chime each hour) it was off to Paris on the Eurostar. We stayed at the aparthotel, Citadines in St Germain des Pres.


It was a fabulous location, right on the banks of the Seine and the apartment was huge, especially for Parisian standards. The apartment was equipped with all the mod cons you could ask for and we wished we were staying for longer than just 3 nights in the beautiful city.

We had two full days in Paris and purchased each a Paris Museum Pass which not just gives you access to over 60 museums, and also lets you skip the long lines. The only problem with the Pass is that you feel obligated to visit as many museums as you can in two days. And we did.

First up was the Musee d'Orsay which holds the largest collection of Impressionist paintings in the world under a converted Parisian train station. The lines for the d'Orsay are always so long, but the Pass let us get in good time (it's not buying tickets which cause the long lines, it's going through security).

It was lunchtime by the time we left and we headed in the direction of Musee Rodin. Paris is full of wonderful cafes and restaurants which spill out onto the long, tree-lined avenues, but our limited time meant we had to catch lunch on the run. We popped into the lovely Rollet Pradier boulangerie to grab baguettes and tarts which we enjoyed in the Musee Rodin gardens.


And then toured the gardens and museum.


Afterward we popped into Les Invalides to view Napoleon's tomb and stopped for an afternoon coffee near the Eiffel Tower, finally getting to enjoy Parisian cafe culture. The Paris Museum Pass does not include the Eiffel Tower (it's not a museum either) so we couldn't skip the long lines.


The afternoon was getting on so the crowd had cleared somewhat, but we still waited in line for an hour to take the lift to the second floor.


The clouds were very high that day, so the views were stunning across Paris. We milled around and wondered about getting to the very top of the Tower. The ticket person on the ground mentioned that we'd have to wait in another line to get the lift to the very top, and finding the place to buy the tickets was thoroughly confusing. There was quite a long line, which already required you to have a ticket, so we wondered for ages where to get tickets from. We finally found the obscure ticket machine, then joined the line for probably close to another hour to get the lift to the top. But it was worth it.

The views were spectacular from the top of the Eiffel Tower which is more than triple the distance from the ground than the second floor. The lift ride can be a bit heart-stopping itself but the views are worth it and worth the wait.



Coming back down to ground we filed out of the steely Tower and weren't surprised to see the line was the same length as when we had joined. After a tiring day we hopped into a cab to get back to the apartment for a rest before dinner.

The weather was taking a slight turn for the worse but we made it to Creperie Beaubourg (link goes to Google map) before it started to tip down with rain. Herlina first introduced us to this creperie in 2007. We enjoyed a cosy night at the creperie and walked home when the rain had subsided.

The next day was another on-the-go starting at the Lourve.


Mum and I had been there before, but we made a bee-line to the Mona Lisa. Check out the crowds!


We left Dad to navigate the huge museum while we shopped on Rue Saint-Honore, ducking in and out of the beautiful shops along the long street. We ended up for afternoon tea at the luxe Laduree enjoying its fragrant teas in silver pots and delicious, pretty desserts.


Mum enjoyed it so much she asked that we visit the Laduree back in London at Harrods (Dad and I discovered ice-cream maracoons there. Even Jasna, who visited London a few months later, says the ice-cream macaroons are far better than the normal ones).

We met Dad on the Champs Elysee after afternoon tea. He had toured two other museums, including the Musee National de l'Orangerie which boasts a handful of Impressionist work by Monet, Cézanne, Renoir, Matisse and Picasso. The museum is at the end of the Jardin des Tuileries in front of the Lourve.

The Champs Elysee was bustling with people and we made our way to the top of the avenue, to the Arc de Triumph which the Pass permitted us entry. We also got to avoid the queues. The views from the top looked down the barrel of all ten avenues that start from the Arc de Triumph and spread out into Paris.


There is also a neat view of the Eiffel Tower and her steel structure rising above the low-lying buildings.


Coming back down to the ground again, we popped into the Nespresso concept store on the Champs Elysee before heading to Herlina and Damien's new apartment for a dinner of quiche and duck. The newlyweds had not long ago settled into their new place, which had a lovely view of the Eiffel Tower.


While I headed back to London, Mum and Dad hopped on a flight to begin their Italy trip in Rome, Florence and Venice. They'd be meeting us back in London for more travel around the UK and also a weekend trip to Budapest in Hungary.

Herlina and Damien's wedding, 3 July 2010

Herlina and Damien's wedding on 3 July 2010 was held in the French town of Ferney-Voltaire which sits on the border of Switzerland and France. About 50 people from all over the world descended on the quaint little town to join the happy celebrations. Here's a photo album of the summery wedding weekend...

Morning of the wedding in Ferney-Voltaire

The father and the bride

Mother and the groom

The bridesmaids, Emily and Mel

Church ceremony

After the ceremony

The bridal party

David and Mel

With the bride

Drinks reception entertainment

Wedding games

Wedding cake