Walking around a city is a perfect way to get acquainted with, explore and hopefully discover the hidden surprises that await the nosey tourist.
Sat in the dining room under the watchful eye of Lenin, hand raised proclaiming the revolution from a poster in the wall opposite, sipping my breakfast of black coffee, I was ready to venture out on my quest to find the Danube.
A quick glance at google maps before I left the wifi in the flat and I set off on my way from Barros Utca. Stopping off in the very Hungarian establishment of lidl to buy some supplies.
The area around Barros Utca is lined with wide boulevards featuring imposing 19th century apartment buildings. A testament to it's prominence as the one time capital of the Austro-Hungarian empire.
After walking for what seemed far too long, the Danube was nowhere in sight. As it turns out, my sense of direction is not always up to scratch, and one fatal left turn too soon had found me walking parallel with the river for about 2/3km.
I ambled my way through run down but welcoming suburbs. Soviet era apartment blocs and industrial buildings lined the streets, cracked and uneven pavements led me along my way as I walked down the empty streets. The occasional building razed to the ground reduced to rubble.
One could not help but notice juxtaposition between the huge advertising hoardings proclaiming the wares of H&M , Rita Ora's latest line of lingerie and the U.K. Supermarket Tesco, and the buildings they were draped over. Buildings built as the engine rooms of the once communist regime.
Ignoring the adverts to western consumerism, these streets didn t appear to have changed much since the days before the iron curtain fell. The buildings a little more run down, the trees a little taller perhaps.
To my right as I continued through this maze of grid like apartments, I passed a building to my left which would not have looked out of place in "One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest". An imposing facade adored the building, as white washed metal bars slatted over the Windows and a brick wall surrounded the property. Wondering to myself the stories that could be told behind those derelict walls, to my left out of nowhere appeared a welcoming cafe.
Bodega Konhya is surrounded by the rubble and dust of its former industrial neighbours. Demolition work continues but the walls of the cafe offer a welcoming oasis of calm.
An array of tasty Hungarian food,
Burgers, beverages, coffee and teas are on offer. Newpaper articles and posters adorn the walls in a collage of colour that leaves the customer constantly curious and inquisitive, as you find yourself browsing now and again as if you find some bit of intrigue you may have previously missed.
The table stands are fashioned from colourfully painted parts of motorcycle and car engines and two friendly waitresses welcomed me in.
I sat in the garden and devoured my tasty iced tea and paprika doused fries. Instantly reminded of the Central European love affair with paprika, they just love to put a bit of paprika in everything. Luckily I m partial to the taste of the versatile pepper so it presented no problem for me. But I digress...
I left the Cafe a satisfied customer and as I turned to my left, ahead in the distance I could make out the outline of the National Theatre and the Palace of Arts. Both impressive buildings sit on the banks of the Danube, next to the towering red pillars of the Rakoczi Had bridge. It's gleaming metal structure reaching across the waters below.
My self imposed detour had resulted in me hitting the Danube 3 bridges and 2/3 km downstream to where I had intended, but my adventures along the way left me in the mood for a riverside stroll, upstream towards the centre.
The Danube is an impressive sight. Glistening in the sunlight It rumbles through Budapest, an imposing natural wonder, carving a relentless pathway through the Hungarian capital. The silent waters betray a current of whirlpools and undercurrents that would make even the strongest swimmer struggle.
Cycle pathways and pavements hug the riverbanks, flanked by a ancient yellow stoned wall, giving protection from he ebb and flow of the river.
Weighed down by my rucksack and an attire of clothing, which belonged in temperatures far colder than I was experiencing that day (not everywhere is as cold as Finland at this time of year). The breeze whipped in off the sun drenched riverbanks, delivering a welcome cooling breeze.
Off in the distance, upstream, the citadel dominates the skyline. An imposing bronze statue sits atop a 230m hill, surrounded by an ancient fortress, looking watch over the city below.
As I made my way closer this impressive sight, the river to my left. Cafes, and restaurants with riverside terraces line the route the closer to the centre you become.
The boats providing river tours to the eager tourists glide effortlessly downstream, then as they turn and round on themselves to return to the centre they perform what seems like an agonising ever arching u-turn. As the ancient Diesel engines churn up the dark waters, black smoke billows from the rear of the boats.
Struggling to fight the relentless and steady current that wills them to continue downstream, the creaking tourist boats finally win the tug of war with nature, and limp like ageing giant salmon upstream to the breeding grounds that are the abundance of tourists waiting at the piers edge.
Whether you are the hipster enjoying your green tea in the appropriately converted riverside warehouse, the local drunk lounging on the park bench swigging a from a bottle of nondescript moonshine, the fitness fanatic jogging, the man practicing yoga under the cooling branches of the park trees, or the bearded sweaty tourist, the atmosphere along the Danube provides a welcoming calming contrast from the busy bustling streets of the capital.
Szabadsag hid. The steel structured bridge that leads across the river to the citadel signalled the end of my 14km riverside walk. The outcrop of rock and the slight hook in the river obscured my view of the palace. But that feast for the eyes would have to wait till the next day. For I had friends to meet and a stag do to attend as the famous ruin bars of Budapest called to me...:
A day behind schedule in the writing of this blog, but a stag do will do that too you! Tales of night time citadel summits, as the city gleamed below, visits to the palace and night life in Budapest coming up...
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