Why Buda was certainly not a Pest (The Fin and the Scot Abroad Part 2.)

True to annual tradition, at the end of May my favourite Fin and I took ourselves on a mini-break to one of Europe’s most famous cities. For Emma-Liisa it was for a second visit. For myself, if was my first time and time to see what all the hype was about!

I’d like to share with you some of my favourite moments from our trip. Many of these, also true to tradition, are centred around food (and drink). After all, that is one of the best parts of a holiday, can I have an amen?!

Favourite Moment No.1

Travelling aside (I really enjoy the exhilarating feeling of travelling on my own), my very first favourite moment happened when I saw Emma-Liisa walking towards me after I got off the bus and stepped on to Budapestian soil (read: pavement) for the first time. Being reunited with my best friend after so long apart, I can imagine how my dog must feel when he greets me lovingly with sloppy kisses and endless bounds of joy after I get back from the village shop which is thirty seconds from my house.

It’s an ecstatic feeling, knowing we will get to spend a few uninterrupted days together.

Szimpla Kert and the Ruin Bars

The Ruin Bars are bars which have been erected in previously abandoned buildings in the Jewish quarter. The Jewish quarter itself is striking and beautiful, and these bars only add to its uniqueness.

Having looked a little online for the history of these bars, I have discovered with delight that Szimpla Kert, a.k.a my favourite Ruin Bar, is the pioneer of these bars. It was created in 2004 by a group of entrepreneurs who decided to work with the run-down aspect of the building rather than restore it, using its ‘ruinedness’ to their advantage (my word, not theirs!) You can read more about the history of the Ruin Bars here: https://theculturetrip.com/europe/hungary/articles/a-brief-history-of-budapests-ruin-bars/

The bar was quirky and delightful, with the occasional TV for a stool, decrepit bath-tub and an enormous array of plants. Also, the art-work, the colourful décor; there was nothing not to love about this place.

We spent many happy moments taking fun photographs and drinking delicious fruity beer. There was even live music to finish off our evening.

Kelet Café

Cafés seem to go hand-in-hand with Emma-Liisa and I’s friendship. Where we are, there a coffee shop will be. In the ten-year duration of us (ten years, I can hardly believe it!!) we have consumed many coffees and many slices of cake. So it was important to explore what Budapest had to offer in this domain. We were NOT disappointed.

My favourite cafe in Budapest was this little gem, Kelet Café. I loved it for the fact that it is a book café, much like my all time favourites Café Livres in Lille, France and Steep Street in Folkestone, Kent.

I love the quaint and quirky feel of a book café. Being a writer and an avid lover of books myself, these are places where your creative soul feels at home, surrounded by knowledge and inspiration; a good place to come and write if you are own your own or doing a writing sesh with a friend.

But it wasn’t just the environment that brought us back a second and even third time during our visit! Read on, dear readers…

THE BEST Cake and THE BEST Coffee

I truly believe I tasted the best cake and coffee of my life in Budapest, and that was in the aforementioned Kelet Café. Now I’m that annoying customer who always adds an extra five adjectives onto my coffee order. “I’d like a decaf iced-latte with almond milk, please,” is the stuff that bartenders nightmares are made of, I’m sure.

However, my specially-concocted coffee did not disappoint. I had to spend a little extra time trying to make myself understood as apparently all their alternative milk is known as ‘rice milk’, even the almond milk, . It’s the brand or something like that. Whatever they used, or however they made it, it was simply the best cup of coffee I have ever had. It deserved a photograph of its own.

Then, THE CAKES. First of all, I was surprised but almost impressed by the number of ‘sugar-free’ cakes they had on offer. It wasn’t that I was looking to watch my sugar intake (at least during our holiday!), but some of those looked so tempting I just had to try them. They were INSANELY delicious. Many of them were also vegan, dairy and gluten-free as well. Hungary, I salute you for your sugar-free cakes.

The Gellért Spa

Before going to Budapest I had Googled some of the top things to do in the city. Going to the spa came up high on the list.

It’s not something I would go out of my way to do if I were visiting a place that wasn’t famous for its spas. But I do enjoy visiting a swimming-pool from time to time (once every few years, haha!) and Budapest was meant to be famous for the healing property of its thermal water, so I asked Emma-Liisa if she wouldn’t mind visiting one again with me.

We went to the Gellért Spa which was conveniently only a stone’s throw away from our Airbnb.

It’s not the cheapest thing to do in Budapest, but it is worth it. The water is warm, there are saunas and steam rooms galore, and there’s no denying that it’s a relaxing way to spend a morning (hello, Grandma!) Seriously, though, never underestimate how de-stressing going to the spa can be. And my skin has been so much better since visiting, so yeah, I do believe in the ‘healing’ power of a spa as well. (Or at least of saunas!)

Breathtaking Views

There were too many breathtaking views to include them all. Some of my best memories were the view from the top of St Stephen Basillica and the view from the top of Gellért Hill (the Citadel). There’s not much that beats looking out over a beautiful city, knowing that you are lucky enough to visit it. It’s humbling, in a way. And you get to see so much of the city. What struck me was how enormous Budapest is. It feels like no matter how far you look in any direction, it just goes on and on forever.

Night-Life

We had a ‘night-out’ in Budapest in another bar called Fogas. The population in that bar was definitely younger than me and I felt it. There were obviously a lot of lads-on-tour groups, stag-do and hen-do groups, and young singles living it up.

I still enjoy going for a night-out and I love dancing but I am starting to feel my age when it comes to going ‘out-out’. I tend to prefer a slightly more intimate setting where you can chat and dance if you want to. However, somewhere like this needs to be experienced at least once in your life.

There were several massive dance areas, many bars, an outdoor area and underground club which wasn’t open the night we were there. Towards the end of the evening we all migrated into a massive hall where there was a DJ playing current-day stuff.

It was hard to move and there were a lot of sweaty bodies but the vibe was amazing.

If you love going out-out, Budapest is definitely for you.

I had some amazing cherry beer that night. The fruity beer out there is like nothing I’d ever tried before. So good and so cheap. Which leads me on to….

The Best Beer

My ultimate favourite beer of our Budapest trip was a blueberry beer from Púder Bárszínház. Unusually, it was fruity but not sweet and I think that’s why I liked it. It was silky and almost creamy. You’ve just got to taste it to understand.

The beer was helped by its location. Another quirky, colourful bar that makes you think you’re hallucinating a little but then you realise it’s just because you’re in Budapest.