Bucharest

Arrived in Bucharest, I drove from the train station with the bus to the old town where I checked in into my hotel. After a short shower I was looking for a tourist information which is a table inside a coffee store. Unfortunately, during the new year’s holidays are no tours to the castle Bran. I had a Romanian meat and cheese plate for lunch in the restaurant called NOA. Afterwards I walked around the old town part and had a fresh limo in the Can Gogh coffee. During my walk I booked a city tour and a table for the New Year’s Eve in a nice restaurant.

After breakfast I met the nice small group for the Bohemian and Market Tour in front of the National theatre. The tour was exciting, informative and funny. Mircae was our Romanian guide and also the group was full of interesting people. A Family from Melbourne and he is an actor, an American diplomatist in Egypt and an American couple which are from the military and work there is helicopter pilots. First, we visited the Obor market. There you can find clothes, fabric and food. We tasted the food, pickled vegetables (also watermelon) meat and cheese. Also, we tasted the schnapps called Palinka which has around 50% alcohol and was really tasty. We also walked through the Jewish and Armenian quarter and learned more about the history and communisms from Romania. At the evening I went to the restaurant for dinner which I already booked a table. On Midnight we went outside with a glass champagne clink the glasses and which the firework. I meet some people and went with them from bars to bars. The party on the streets was going till early in the morning.

I slept late and checked out at noon. I drove with the metro to the really big Herastrau Park where a walked and enjoyed the sun a few hours. Later I went to the Unirii Park and the Parliament building. This building is after the Pentagon the second biggest in the world. At the evening I had my night train from Bucharest to Budapest where I had the sleeping car for my own. Bucharest is really special. You can find here everything also special and really good restaurants. From my side I can’t really decide If I like the capital of Romania or not. But in any case, it is a nice city.

Budapest

Morning not really well-rested, I arrived in Budapest. I had the possibility to store my luggage in the apartment which I booked at Air BnB. At the tourist information I took a map and booked a lake cruise dinner for the next day. I walked through the city centre and over the beautyful Chain Bridge up to the castle. There I bought me a ticket for the Hospital in the Rock tour and ate for lunch next to the Fishermen Bastion the delicacy called Langos. Starched I went to the Hospital in the Rock tour. This hospital was opened in the second World War and also used in the cold war and was inside an underground labyrinth. Afterwards it was rebuilt to an Atom bunker and now it is a museum which told about the history of the hospital and shows some original pieces from the Atom bomb attack from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The visit was worth it and the museum shows also their visitor that war and Atom weapons are really, really bad.

Further I walked along the Fishermen Bastion and back to the City Centre to the Central Marked. On the ground floor are groceries and on the top floor are Hungarian products. I love market like this so I had some Forint less afterwards. For dinner I had really delicious Hungarian food in the restaurant called Kispiac. I can really recommand this.

My second morning in the capital of Hungary has drawn and after breakfast I went to the park. There is the Heroes Square and the beautyful castle Vajdahunyad. In front of the castle is a huge ice rink. I was really impressed about the many talented people on this ice rink. The Castle is so beautyful and romantic that I lost my heard on it. After a while around the castle I walked up to the Gellert Citadel. From here you have a nice view over Budapest. Later on, I also bought some food in the market for my long train ride at the next day. I also visited the beautyful St. Stephan’s Basilica. After a stop in the apartment I went to the pier for the dinner cruise. My table was on the top of the boat which was covered with a glass dome. The dinner cruise from Legenda costs a bit more than the other ones with the buffet, but it was worth it. I had a delicious a la cart 4-cource candlelight dinner with live music. It was magnificent and view at the Danube River breath taking. I enjoyed my last evening in Budapest a lot.