Our first mission today was to climb Gellert Hill to suss out the views from the Liberty Statue which is a monument commemorating those who sacrificed their lives for independence, freedom and prosperity for Hungary. The climb took around 3,300 steps up the equivalent of 25 floors. It certainly blew out the cobwebs and the satisfaction of making the top and enjoying the views was well worth it. While in this area of Budapest we also checked out the ‘Garden of Philosophers’ which was something on my ‘to do’ list in Budapest. The garden depicts famous thinkers and religious figures including; Jesus Christ, Buddha, Gandhi, Bohdi Dharma, Ekhnaton, Abraham and Francis of Assisi where they can meet here for a ‘Better Understanding of each Other’. We also saw the bronze sculpture of Prince Buda and Princess Pest.

So a pretty active start to the day. We wandered back into the city centre and enjoyed a coffee and poppy seed chimney cake for Amy and a hot chocolate and cinnamon chimney cake for me. We got them from Molnars as our Budapest Card gave us a discount on the drinks and the chimney cakes were free.

We then caught the metro out to the Terror Museum which was on Amy’s ‘to do’ list. This museum is a very heavy experience but one I would recommended to anyone coming to Budapest. It’s located inside the building used as the headquarters for the Nazis and then later the Soviets when they occupied this city. Again a very poignant experience similar to yesterday. Viewing the cells, gallows and torture rooms send chills up the spine and invoked a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach due to the bad energy in this place. Museums such as this are very important to remind us of what we don’t ever want to see happen in our world again but alas it still is, humanity can be so evil. I am trying to understand the mindset of these people and the hatred they must have within them to willingly inflict such atrocities on other human beings.

We then took the metro out to the Heroes Square, located at the end of Andrássy Avenue, which is an impressive plaza containing the Millennium Monument commemorating the 1000 year old history of the Magyars. The Archangel Gabriel stands on top of the centre pillar holding the holy crown and the double cross of Christianity. The seven chieftains who led the Magyar tribes to Hungary are on the stand below and there are also statues of kings and other important historical figures.

After the Hero’s Square we wandered over to the Vajdahunyad Castle but on the way we watched many children enjoying some ice skating on a large ice rink. The Castle has an interesting story. It was originally built in 1896 from wood and cardboard to celebrate the millennial exhibition of Hungary however it was so popular it was rebuilt from stone and brick in 1904 to 1908.

Then we enjoyed the highlight of our day, a swim at the Széchényi Thermal Baths. We spent almost 2 hours in the baths enjoying the different jets and showers and the whirlpool which was lots of fun and a great relaxing way to wind up our last afternoon in Budapest. Whilst the baths were great we reckon the secret lagoon in Iceland was better as they were warmer and more natural.

We have just had a delicious meal on our last night of goulash soup, paprika chicken and a Hungarian pizza and bought some chocolate to enjoy back in our room. We then enjoyed one last stroll along the promenade along the Danube and back through the Christmas markets. It will be an early night tonight as we rest up and get prepared for tomorrow’s train trip to Vienna.

Two final observations, firstly it’s been a while since I’ve not shaven and to my dismay the previous red whiskers I had are now grey so I don’t have the red tinge to my beard anymore. And secondly I have been hobbling around with a very sore heel since the start of our holiday and finally decided to purchase some insoles for my shoes to hopefully ease the pain, which I think they have done. If only I did this a few days ago when Amy suggested it.

We have loved our time in Budapest. It is one of the most grand and beautiful cities we have visited. The vista of the Castle over the Danube is very special but so are the many squares and grand buildings and churches within the city. Many of the squares are currently filled with Christmas markets and we have enjoyed exploring them over the last few days. It’s a special time of year and we are privileged to be able to be here at this time.

Now onto to Vienna for the next instalment of our adventures in Central Europe.