Day 9: To Budapest
A drizzly morning in Budapest...but that wasn't enough to slow our group down, even a little bit! We had some breakfast at the hotel and were off to see the "Pest" side of Budapest with our guide Elemer. Elemer had grown up to see very much of Budapest's recent history unfold right in front of him. He discussed the year of 1956, the introduction of Communism to Hungary and how it affected his life from that point on. There we so many sights that he could point to and tell you what happened there and when it was hard for us to keep track of, the amount of great stories he had was seemingly endless!
On this tour we used the public underground to hop between sites, it was very easy to navigate and certainly safe to use. Our last stop was at the Market Hall, where the majority of us grabbed lunch together and shopped afterwards. Be sure to set an hour or two aside to grab some food and check out the shops within the market! Before we split up for our free-time, as always, Katka was there to answer our questions for us. We were going to head to the Dohány Jewish Synagogue, the House of Terror, and meet back up for the group boat tour!
On this tour we used the public underground to hop between sites, it was very easy to navigate and certainly safe to use. Our last stop was at the Market Hall, where the majority of us grabbed lunch together and shopped afterwards. Be sure to set an hour or two aside to grab some food and check out the shops within the market! Before we split up for our free-time, as always, Katka was there to answer our questions for us. We were going to head to the Dohány Jewish Synagogue, the House of Terror, and meet back up for the group boat tour!
First up was the Dohány Jewish Synagogue, we hopped on the tram from the market and found our way to the ticket gate to make our way in. It was around $9USD per person to visit all of the different locations within the Synagogue. One of the most memorable sights was the willow tree, or the "Tree of Life". This tree represents the Hungarians that were killed during the Holocaust, each leaf is engraved with a name. Next, we went into the Synagogue the interior was very beautiful and so peaceful to be within, we sat and read through the guidebook on some of the history behind this building, very cool!
We wrapped up at the Synagogue and were ready to make another walk over to the House of Terror museum.
We wrapped up at the Synagogue and were ready to make another walk over to the House of Terror museum.
Oh, the House of Terror museum, what an interesting place! The museum was similar to Schindler's Factory in the way the different rooms, lighting, displays really played with your emotions to feel what they were trying to depict in the room. The House of Terror museum is within the former headquarters of the secret police and the Nazis at one point.
Tip! We rented the audio tour at the front desk to follow along as we went through. We did find that every room had sheets you could take with you that you could read if you didn't have the audio guide. However, it was quite a bit of reading, in every room...we do recommend getting the audio tour here!
The museum depicts what took place there and in surrounding areas very well, expect to spend 2-3 hours here. The museum was fantastic and worth the time if you are interested in this history.
Tip! We rented the audio tour at the front desk to follow along as we went through. We did find that every room had sheets you could take with you that you could read if you didn't have the audio guide. However, it was quite a bit of reading, in every room...we do recommend getting the audio tour here!
The museum depicts what took place there and in surrounding areas very well, expect to spend 2-3 hours here. The museum was fantastic and worth the time if you are interested in this history.
After we finished up at the House of Terror, we grabbed a quick bite to eat at a pub near the hotel, then were ready to meet back up with the group again! This time we were going to be going on the "Danube by Night" river cruise to take a look at Budapest, along the Danube, at night...how awesome!
We didn't have much trouble following Katka there, due to her very American Angry Birds umbrella :). It was again drizzling some, but the good thing was the boat had a optional enclosed cabin to stay out of the weather while floating by the buildings and bridges. A couple of us shutterbugs braved the elements to snap some pictures along the river, check them out below!
We didn't have much trouble following Katka there, due to her very American Angry Birds umbrella :). It was again drizzling some, but the good thing was the boat had a optional enclosed cabin to stay out of the weather while floating by the buildings and bridges. A couple of us shutterbugs braved the elements to snap some pictures along the river, check them out below!