Tuesday, 23 April 2019

Biking into Budapest

The ferry left Vác at 11:00, a fact we realised only having returned the key to our apartment and arriving at the dock at 10:15. The day was overcast and nippy, but the spare time was put to good use, finding a print shop to get our train tickets and a supermarket for lunch produce. 


It was a nice ride, along the river banks after a short section on a busy road. After stopping for lunch by a quirky tourist town, the rain arrived.


We wrapped up and continued, still passing by some interesting sights, such as a military base, where tanks and rockets were left getting overgrown behind the barracks.


We took a chance on a bumpy section, rather than take the road, but it turned out fine, although, surprisingly, we got stuck behind a slow-moving lorry for a bit!



Things became more industrial as we approached the urban reaches of the city.



When the spires of the Houses of Parliament came in to view and we had to stop to take in the sight. 


An extraordinary building - we were getting close!


We crossed past the lions that guarded entry to the final bridge of the tour, pushing our bikes towards the busy city centre. 


The apartment is enormous and on the top floor of a big building, overlooking the St Stephen’s Basilica. It was good to get inside from the hub and dry off, but still having the best view of town!



Once we’d freshened up, we walked over the road to see the Basilica, and seeing it up close literally stopped us in our tracks. The inside was immaculate too. It was a real work of art. 




Pre-dinner drinks were taken at a Hungarian wine bar in the square, admiring the views. Then after some delicious food, we had ice creams for dessert, hand sculpted like roses while we walked the streets.



Then, on a whim, and as a finale to the trip, we took a ride on the Budapest Eye. There was a bit of a queue waiting to ride, so we got a priority pass, to avoid having to stand in line. Instead, we were given a private area to sit for a few minutes and our own cabin to enjoy the ride from - we felt like rock stars and we circled high above the buildings. A great end to the journey!




Day 7: 42.3km

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