Christmas morning we ventured forth to the Christmas Market in one of the main squares of the city. Just as I had experienced in France, it was full of miniature log cabin-esque booths selling delicious foods and various crafty gifts. It being Christmas, however, most were closed.All the same, we found one selling coffee and mulled wine, which comprised our entire Christmas morning breakfast.
We made our way to the Danube, past the intricate parliament building, and to the basilica, where morning mass was just getting out. It was a beautiful basilica, but oddly enough the marble on the interior looked surprisingly new and shiny. I later discovered the building has been victim of a long series of disasters, from the dome collapsing several times to an earthquake, and a fire may have been in the picture as well. We vowed to come back for evening mass and sat ourselves down for a relaxing lunch of (surprise surprise!) more goulash at a nearby café, followed by chocolate cake and a cappuccino.
Once at the Christmas market again, more booths were open, and we stumbled upon pure deliciousness: a pastry made by rolling dough onto a metal cylinder, cooking it over a fire so that the sugar and butter that coats it caramelizes, then covered in your choice of toppings. We agreed on cinnamon, and it was glorious. Very crunchy on the outside, slightly doughy on the inside. We had another the next day.
Next, it was time to explore the other side of the river, Buda. We walked across one of the city’s numerous bridges only to walk along the river to the famous Chain Bridge and cross back over. The bridge was admittedly beautiful, with lions guarding either end, and a low fog rolling out across the river to give it an exceptionally timeless feel.
After a non-traditional Christmas dinner of bean soup at a British pub, it was time to hike up the highest hill in the city. At this point, it was cold, dark, and extremely windy. My guesstimate is that it took about 40 minutes to reach the top, but the view was well worth the effort. The entire city lay in front of us, lit up in all its beauty. I could see Buda Palace, Parliament, the Chain Bridge, and the basilica without so much as a turn of my head.
After a good night’s sleep back at the hostel, we decided it was time for a slightly more substantial breakfast. We went to a delicious bakery/patisserie by the name of Gerbaud, where I enjoyed a coffee and a many layered mysterious pastry. Next up was a hike to the palace, which is on the top of yet another hill. The palace is now a serious of museums and cafes, so we enjoyed the exterior architecture and opted instead for the underground labyrinth a few blocks away. It was originally constructed as a safe harbor for Buda’s citizens during periods of invasion, was then converted into a wine cellar, and is now a museum dedicated to dim lights and eerie music. The different corridors were lined with the occasional statue in human form, just realistic enough to make us jump a bit. The strangest part was an unexpected fountain at one of the dead ends that trickled red wine in lieu of water. By the time we finished, it was high time for a hearty lunch at the Christmas market.
Our next leg of the trip was a walk to Hero’s Square, located on the Pest side a significant distance from our hostel. Natalie swore it would be a 15 minute walk based on the map; my estimate of 45 minutes was much closer. After a 50 minute walk across the city, we feasted our eyes upon a large bronze statue of horses and their apparently important riders in the center of an open square, ornamented in the background by more bronze statues of historical figures. The time was ripe for pictures as dusk approached and the moon rose on the far side of the square, and we seized the opportunity. On one side of the plaza was the city’s art museum. We attempted to enter, but decided the fee was beyond our budgets and opted instead for the gift shop. This time we took a taxi back to the hostel, where we enjoyed some down time before a night of researching Budapest’s bar scene.
