It has always been a dream of mine to visit Hungary, the country my mother is from. I think it is important to learn about where they came from, because it gives us a better sense of how they grew up. My mum is originally from Szeged, in the South of Hungary. She is very passionate about her home country, so I felt very blessed when she whisked us away on a girl’s long weekend in Hungary for our birthdays.
Staying in Budapest, on the Pest side, we stayed in the beautiful Continental Hotel Budapest. On arrival we received complimentary champagne to apologize for the car not being booked properly to pick us up at the airport. The service from the staff here are just amazing and they have over 20 pillows for you to choose from if you are not satisfied with the ones provided in the room. Being my first trip to Budapest, I let my mum decide on what we should do.
Day one: Budapest
We jumped on the hop-on hop-off Big Bus tour in Budapest to make seeing the sites an easier experience. Also on board you get headphones provided to listen to information about the city and its rich history. Did you know that the rubix cube was invented by a Hungarian? Me neither. Or that Hungarian is one of the hardest languages to learn, because there is no other language like it? If they had to choose something remotely similar it would the Finnish language.
Luckily for me I had someone with me who is fluent in Hungarian, even though English is their second language.
First stop was Heroes’ Square, a place I apparently saw when I was 18 months old. After walking around this beautiful monument we noticed a building that looks like an old castle next to the city park, so naturally we wandered over to take a sticky beak. This beautiful site is actual the Hungarian Museum of Agriculture. The Architect who constructed this has placed a mix of the different eras of architecture over time, creating a unique styled set of buildings. Entrance fee is around 1000HUF.
The next place we went to was the Buda Castle. Being late in the day we decided to have a late lunch and just walk around the grounds, as well as take in the spectacular views of Pest. Deciding to walk down the castle and cross the chain bridge by foot, we headed to the next bus stop for a ride closer to the hotel. This bus ride ended up taking us right around the castle, again, and through areas we didn’t see beforehand.
Hungarian Museum of Agriculture.
By the time dinner came around we were exhausted and decided to have dinner at our hotel, which was a brilliant choice. The food was delicious and they had some live entertainment of different folk music and dancers from around Hungry. I can still hear her loud call of “YAYAYAYA” to this day.
Mum at dinner.
Day two: Szeged
This was the day we took the fast train to Szeged, the place my mum was from. Apart from the man who did not get off his phone the whole train ride, the 2 hour ride was filled with beautiful views of the country and my mum pointing out the little towns she lived in. It was also entertaining watching my mum get annoyed with the phone man. Alas we arrived and departed ways with our annoying passenger and headed into town.
We walked through church grounds and stopped in at a little Hungarian Porcelain shop, where I could not decide what to get, so I ended up with nothing. All the while my mum is pointing out things she did in areas we passed. We then started walking down to where she grew up with her grandparents.
They lived only a couple of streets over from the old prison, as my great grandfather used to work there. Then we got to the apartment block she grew up in.
As she was telling her memories to me I could picture her doing all these naughty things as a child, and I could picture her grandmother watching her from their little window. It was a special moment to share with her. Ending our time in Szeged we did what Europeans do best. We ate some ice cream before having the famous Szeged fish soup by the river.
Walking along the river before a late lunch
Day three: Shopping in Budapest
The only thing to do on a Sunday in Budapest is shop like a tourist and eat Langos. Both were done and both were satisfying. I ended up with some lovely handmade products.
Langos with sour cream and grated cheese.
Day four: Central Market, Budapest
We only had a half day before our weekend in Hungary had to come to an end, so we went to the Central Market Hall. This is the spot to go to indulge in some delicious food or to grab some groceries like a local.
Our weekend in Hungary was full of special moments.
There are a lot more things on my list to do in Budapest and around Hungary for the next adventure into my families history, but that is for another adventure.
What was your favorite thing to do in Budapest?
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