Rick Steves Europe: Prague & Budapest
Our last day in Budapest - we were determined to make the most of it! We took an early bus up to the Buda castle district once more, and we took our time walking around the Fisherman’s Bastion and admiring the views of the city below. Our plans to ride the funicular down were foiled, since it was under construction, but we found another route back to Pest and found a food stand selling Lángos, a Hungarian food consisting of fried bread and various toppings - sour cream, cheese, meat, onions, etc. After stuffing ourselves with this delicious discovery, we went in search of an antique store, and we found a charming one with a very friendly owner who welcomed us in, apologizing that it was so dark inside. She told us that “the strong is out,” but that we were welcome to use our phone flashlights to look around the shop… it wasn’t until we left that we realized she meant “the power is out.” We met a few more members of this woman’s family as were were browsing, and they were interested to know what we thought of their country and perfectly happy to tell us about themselves and their store, which they said had been in business since 1989, at the end of communism. The other thing we found on our walk was a fantastic bakery, with glass cases full of pastries, breads, pizzas, and more. We bought a whole bag full of things and planned to pack them in our hard-sided suitcase to take home with us!
 Overlooking the Danube |  Elizabeth on Fishermen's Bastion |
|---|---|
 Taking a break |  |
 Erica eating Langos for lunch |  |
 We rented bikes |  Kerepesi Cemetery |
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 |  St. Stephen's Basilica |
 Hungarian folk dancing performance |  |
 |  St. Stephen's Basilica |
“A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.”
– Oliver Wendell Holmes
In the afternoon, we rented bikes and rode them through Kerepesi Cemetery, a famous burial place established in 1847, which was massive (over 100 acres) and full of beautiful and diverse funerary art. We could easily have spent several hours exploring this park-like place on our bikes, but we cut our time short so we could catch an evening performance at the Danube Palace theater. The Danube Folk Ensemble was performing various regional dances of Hungary, accompanied by live music, and the performance wasfascinating! So many details, from the dance forms themselves, to the multiple regional costumes, to the props used in some dances, were completely new to us, and it was exciting to see something so unusual that had obviously been cultivated and practiced for ages. We dined at Borkonyha Winekitchen, a Michelin Star restaurant, and walked back to our hotel to prepare for our early departure the next morning. We were exhausted but satisfied that we had enjoyed the day to its fullest!
This concludes our scrapbook. If you'd like to read more of our thoughts on Prague and Budapest, click the buttons at the top of the page.
If you'd like to see a video showing some of the highlights of our tour,
Travel Tip from Today
If you can’t get reservations at your restaurant of choice, try going in person to see if they have availability. We were able to get a table right away, even though the restaurant’s reservations were full that day.
Navigating Tip - Kerepesi Cemetery
Kerepesi cemetery was fascinating, but it was so large that we think bikes or a car are essential if you want to see very much. It was difficult to get our rental bikes there, so we would advise planning your rental location carefully and avoiding rush hour!