Caught a train to Budapest that took 2 hours and took the metro a couple of stops to our hostel. It turned out that the double rooms for the hostel were actually down the street in an apartment. The apartment had 3 double rooms and we could use the well equiped kitchen to cook. Our room was enormous with table and chairs and 4 beds.
They have a strange way of numbering the floors here and the first floor was actually on the 3 level of the building!
Our room looked out over the street and we could see the beautiful old synagogue from our window. It was30+ celcius and very hot for sleeping without fans and aircon.
We visited Chain bridge which was the original bridge across the Danube joining Buda on one side of the river to Pest on the other. At this time of the year there is a summer festival and the bridge is closed to traffic and filled with stalls selling food and crafts. We tried some of the local fried dough and yoghurt which was like a huge pancake.
There were jewelery stalls and these creatures made from hay which were very interesting and smelled so fresh that they could have been cut and made that day.
Along the bridge was a photographic exhibition as well. The photographer had mounted a shot of Budapest on a huge screen and then photographed local rural families in front of the backdrop. Most of the families had never been to Budapest!
At each end of the street were stages with musicians and comedians entertaining the crowds. These guys arrived on their bicycles and put these long instruments together and got the crowds clapping.
We visited the castle on the hill and some of the old buildings.
Lil's brother was presenting a paper at an animal reproduction conference so we caught up with him for a traditional and very filling Hungarian meal at a restaurant.
