Budapest, day 5: Walking in Pest

After spending the past two days near the hotel because of the terrible weather, I was now determined to see the rest of the city, regardless of the weather. Luckily for me, the weather cooperated. It didn't rain, it was less windy, and it was even a little warmer.

I started my day by walking to the nearest Metro station and buying a 3 day pass which was good for all forms of public transportation within Budapest. This cost considerably less than the one-day hop-on-hop-off bus tour that I'd been contemplating, and it gave me a lot more freedom.

It didn't tell me anything about what I'd see, so I decided to join a free walking tour. About 30 people showed up, and I'd guess that they were about evenly divided between students and retirees. There were two guides who took turns shouting to be heard over the traffic and other city noises, which wasn't easy with such a large group, but they did a good job of it.

I found the tour very informative, with useful bits about the different parts of town, history, and culture mixed with amusing anecdotes. Unfortunately it didn't cover a lot of ground on the Pest side. About half way through, the group crossed the bridge to the Buda side where I'd already seen what they were going to cover, so I headed off on my own.

I saw the parliament building, the last Soviet monument in Budapest, the cathedral, the opera house, and the Jewish quarter. I really admired the variety and complexity of the architecture, and while a lot of it had clearly been renovated, a lot was still in quite poor condition. I wondered how often people were hurt by chunks of stuff falling off buildings.

I was hoping to find someplace that served langos, so went down several small side streets as well as the main streets, but no luck. Eventually I was pretty hungry, so I stopped for a piece of cake.

Still searching for langos, I took a round about way to the high-priced tourist area where the next walking tour was meeting. I got back to the meeting place in plenty of time for the 3:00 walking tour. I sat there on a fountain and reading a book and resting my feet. As 3:00 approached, I realized that I was getting hungry again, and there was nobody else gathered for the tour. I checked my notes and realized it was 3:30, so I went to get something to eat as I walked. Burger King and McDonalds were not appealing, and I didn't have time for a sit-down meal, so I chose Subway. I like Subway, but I later found out that I'd been sitting just a few steps from the most amazing coffee shop in Budapest. Luckily I did get a chance to try it too, but I get ahead of myself. This particular walking tour had the theme of Communist Budapest which particularly interested me. In fact, it was so interesting, that I'll give it its own post.