Wednesday 13 June 2012

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

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