Since Budapest is just 3 hours by bus from Vienna and I had no weekend plans, I decided to hop on the FlixBus and head to the land of Roman Baths, Castle and Cool Restaurant scene.
I started by morning by visiting to Széchenyi Thermal Bath and Spa. You can literally spend hours here which is what I ended up doing under the blue skies.
I couldn’t believe that it was busy even on a Saturday morning at 9 AM but around noon it started getting super jam packed in the pools, I’m glad that I got there around nine-ish.
What’s cool is that there are people of all shapes and sizes from all over the world. Being under the jet fountains is always my favorite part and I feel like a little carefree kid with nothing to worry about and just have a merry all time.
Moving from 100 degree heated sauna to 18 degree freezing cold 🥶water was surely a nice change to my body. I hope this will help me loose those extra pounds I’ve gained in Europe. As it was getting crazy, I decided to head out, take the train and get off at any stop and find a nice place for lunch.
As I walking from the train station, I noticed “New York Café,” so decided to head inside and get a little flavor of America. But I was in for a complete surprise. This was the grand New York Café Palace.
I was not even dressed properly for this place but they really didn’t care about my attire. As I looked around the room, I noticed that this is a tourist favorite hot spot. Bit expensive but I decided to splurge for a change. I had a glass of Rosè with Mushroom and Parmesan Pasta. When you are listening to a live pianist and violinist create soothing ambiance, you’ve no idea how you can end up spending hours enjoying your meal! Just like Sun, Music is a medicine for our soul.
Thanks to my friend Martin from Berlin who recommended that I go to Szimpla Kertmozi pub. This Pub in the Jewish quarter is the most happening place in town. It’s a huge space spread out on two levels and has so many rooms with different vibe. I am glad I went there around 8pm when you can relax, soak in the ambiance and have a good time before it gets super busy after 10pm, and you can barely move.
I wandered around the neighborhood to get a feel of Budapest. I’ve to say that it has changed a lot since I was here around 5 years ago. It has become a much more lively city with cool restaurants and bars opening up. I remember walking some neighborhoods and feeling that it had lot of potential but were dark and gloomy, but with gentrification it has completely transformed and the real estate prices have gone up the roof. Still reasonable and I’m sure it might go up even higher.
Looking forward to spending my next day with more relaxation time and some adventure as well. We shall see what happens. Stay tuned.
