Budapest 2012 - Part 1

Arriving In Budapest

Thursday - June 7th 2012

Claudia and I have planned to visit Budapest for quite some time now, but unfortunately we never finalized our plans. A few weeks ago we found a good hotel offer and so we booked the hotel for a long weekend trip. 

Our journey started around 8:00 o'clock in the morning when we left Salzburg by car. Six hours later we arrived at our hotel in Hungary's capital city. Our hotel was called the Eurostars Budapest Center and was conveniently located in the inner city near the pedestrian zones. We parked our car in the parking garage behind the hotel and then we checked in. Soon we had our room, which was really nice. It included a mini bar, a TV and of course a bathroom. Housekeeping came every day to clean the room and so there was nothing to complain about, except for one thing. They never restocked the minibar, although we had told the receptionist twice.

Eurostars Hotel Budapest Center

Hotel Lobby

Our Room

Bathroom

Bathroom

After we refreshed and unpacked our stuff, we were on our way to the pedestrian zone with all the shops and restaurants. We stopped at the Anna Cafe for a welcome beer and did some shopping until we found the Hard Rock Cafe. Of course we had to stop there too. A cocktail and a beer later we got hungry and left to search for the vegetarian restaurant which we wanted to try.

Budapest

Budapest

Budapest

Cafe Anna

Hard Rock Cafe Budapest

Hard Rock Cafe Budapest

Hard Rock Cafe Budapest

The restaurant was called Napfenyes Etterem and it was about twenty minutes by foot from the Hard Rock Cafe. I ordered the fried pancakes filled with vegetables and potatoes, while Claudia had a pizza.

Budapest

Budapest

Napfenyes Etterem

Fried Pancakes

Pizza

Then we returned to the hotel, where we had another beer at the hotel bar. Later we went to our room and watched some TV before we went to bed.

Hotel Courtyard

Hotel Bar

Soproni Beer

Hotel Bar

Budapest 2012 - Part 2

Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour

Friday - June 8th 2012

We got up around 8:00am and after we prepaired for the day, we had breakfast. The hotel offered a breakfast buffet with all kinds of hot and cold food items, like cheese, sausages, spreads, eggs, bacon, fruits and vegetables. So there was something for everyone.

Breakfast Room

Breakfast

Afterwards we booked a Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour at the hotel reception and walked to the starting station, which was about ten minutes by foot. We got the first bus and did nearly the whole tour. At Buda Castle we got off the bus and walked around the castle district. From there we had a wonderful view of Pest. Budapest is the combined city of Buda and Pest, which lie on either side of the Danube. We also visited the Fisherman's Bastion, where we had a cold beer.

View on Pest

Parliament

Buda Castle

Buda Castle

Fisherman's Bastion

Cafe at Fisherman's Bastion

Borsodi Beer

Fisherman's Bastion

Fisherman's Bastion

Since it was already early afternoon, we walked back to Pest via the Chain Bridge. It was very hot and so we decided to return to the hotel to rest a bit. Later we had a late lunch at an Indian buffet restaurant. 

Indian Lunch

 

Budapest

Budapest

Our bus tour ticket included an one hour boat tour on the Danube, but first we visited the Great Market Hall, which was a bit disappointing. Finally we found the pier from where the boat departed. We got on board, ordered a beer and chose our seats. The tour was fine, but nothing special. The funniest thing was a group of men that took off their T-shirts to enjoy the sun. It was really hot, but you would never encounter that behaviour here in Austria. The boat tour offered a round trip on both sides of the Danube, where you can see the Parliament and other famous buildings.

Great Market Hall

Great Market Hall

Buda Castle and Chain Bridge seen from the Ship

Parliament

River Ride

Budapest

Afterwards we walked back to the Hard Rock Cafe where we watched the UEFA Euro 2012 game Poland against Greece. Since we got hungry, we decided to have dinner at the Hummus Bar. 

Hard Rock Cafe Budapest

Dreher Beer

Bahama Mama

Hard Rock Cafe Budapest

Saint Stephan's Cathedral

Claudia had the hummus plate and I had the falafel sandwich. Both were very good and so it wasn't our last meal there. Later we returned to our hotel and enjoyed a glass of wine at the hotel bar.

Hummus Plate

Falafel Sandwich

Budapest 2012 - Part 3

Celeritas Shooting Club

Saturday - June 9th 2012

Today was the highlight of our short trip, because we had booked a shooting session at the Celeritas Shooting Club. When we were planning our trip, we found out that this Shooting Club is the number one tourist attraction in Budapest voted by tourists on TripAdvisor. After we got more informations, we decided to try it and booked the Police Special. 

So after breakfast we asked the receptionist to call a taxi. The shooting club suggested a certain company, because they made sure that their guests will not get ripped off, since the shooting range is a bit outside of Budapest. Soon the taxi was here and we were on our way. We paid exactly the amount which the club sent us in their email. The shooting range is in the cellar of an old industrial complex, but thanks to all the signs it wasn't a problem to find it. Once there, we had to sign all the papers and to pay the outstanding amount. The Police Special cost 50 Euros per person and it was definitely worth the money. We weren't the only ones on that day. There we met a very nice family from Nevada, US, and some Japanese tourists.

Celeritas Shooting Club

Celeritas Shooting Club

Celeritas Shooting Club

Celeritas Shooting Club

At first we got all safety instructions and I never feared that anything bad could happen with the guns, because the hosts made sure that safety comes first. The Police Special included revolvers, pistols, machine guns and a pump gun. My favourites were the Glock 17, the Colt Magnum and the Remington 870. Since Austria has a very strict gun law, I'm not sure if that kind of attraction would be possible over here. I've only shot once during my time in the army and so it was a fantastic experience for me. Even Claudia enjoyed the shooting a lot. 

Celeritas Shooting Club

Celeritas Shooting Club

Unfortunately two hours later all the fun was over, but I asked if I could shoot with the Kalachnikov as well and after I paid the extra fee, I was allowed to. 

Returning back wasn't a problem either, since the instructors called a taxi for us and twenty minutes later we were on our way back to the hotel. Back at the hotel we refreshed a bit and then we walked to the shopping street to have a fruit juice. Our hop on hop off bus tour ticket was valid for 48 hours and after we got some snacks for a picnic at the supermarket, we joined another tour. We got off at Heroes Square and ate our food in a nearby park. 

Budapest

Dohany Street Synagogue

Hop On Hop Off Tour

Opera House

Heroes Square

Picnic

After taking some pictures of Vajdahunyad Castle, we took the next bus back to the city center, where we enjoyed our free beer that was included in the bus tour ticket.

Vajdahunya Castle

Vajdahunya Castle

Vajdahunya Castle

Vajdahunya Castle

Then we returned to the hotel, where we enjoyed a glass of beer at the bar, to get ready for the evening. Dinner was at the Hummus Bar again. We both ordered the Falafel Plate. Mine came with fries, while Claudia's came with a salad. Right next to the Hummus Bar there was a very beautiful wine bar and since it started to rain, we decided to have a glass of wine there. We spent the rest of the evening in the Hard Rock Cafe watching Germany against Portugal.

Falafel with Salad and Hummus

Falafel with Fries

Wine Bar

Returning Home

Sunday - June 10th 2012

Today we had to drive back. After breakfast we checked out, but before we left Budapest, we did one last walk through the pedestrian zone.

Back in Austria, we wanted to see the newly opened terminal of the Vienna Airport. After a wonderful dinner at an vegetarian restaurnat near Vienna, we arrived in Salzburg around 8:00pm. Just in the right the time to watch the Euro 2012 soccer game.