The weather certainly has been variable on this trip. We started the week in macs and ended it in tee shirts and shades. It has been beautiful today, hot and sunny, leaving its mark on the top of my head.
As Uber is banned here in Budapest we used local taxis via the Bolt app to get around. This operates in exactly the same way as Uber and is just as convenient so I’m happy to support local drivers. A trip from Liberty Bridge to the bottom of the funicular was a very reasonable £7 for the four of us. The cost of a return trip on the funicular was therefore a bit of a shocker at £40! Still, it’s worth it for the view.
It’s pretty good from the top too. Given that this is the old city of Buda it covers a very large area and includes a number of fine buildings. At the top of the funicular are several buildings that are being rebuilt from scratch based on old plans. I’m sure they’ll look fantastic when they are finished but it does make you question just how much of what else you are seeing is original.
In the afternoon we paid a visit to the covered market – another fine old building with a beautiful tiled roof. Inside over three floors are market stalls selling all manner of items from cured meats, pickles, and vegetables to the same odds and sods that you see in every shop in tourist towns – fridge magnets, “amusing” tee shirts, and the like. Oh, and there was an Aldi in there too!
We finished the day with a walk along the banks of the Danube and under the mighty fine Liberty Bridge back to where our boat is moored. This is next to a building called “The Whale” which is currently undergoing a cleaning of the windows. This being an odd shape it was being done by brave souls in mountaineering gear. I am curious to know if these are specialist window cleaners that can mountain climb or climbers who are earning some extra dosh as window cleaners. I will probably never know
