The joy of traveling is that you do a little research and see things you would enjoy and off you go! Then next thing you know you arrive in your new city by train, plane or automobile and there your research meets reality. Budapest is a large impressive city with magnificent architecture that rivals Paris, or Vienna in beauty. When I went into the underground Metro, I stepped back into time, way back into time. The jerk and rough ride were just the beginning of an interesting journey. The trains were very old and looked like antiques from the 60s or maybe an earlier time and the above handrails were made of out of leather, real leather. I had never seen leather on public transit. But it was quaint a throwback to a bygone era.
When I stepped out of the subway it was as if I was stepping into a dream, the large avenues the cobble stone sidewalks gave way to beautiful architecture from a bygone era.It was majestic and powerful evoking awe and wonder, each unique that seemed to be made with love and attention to detail. Each building seemed to have its own personal story that it longed to tell you.
The fashion is fabulous, everyone has their own unique style and vintage clothing stores are everywhere. On every corner there are vintage stores, some perfectly organized with racks of clothing and a chic atmosphere perfectly staged while others are more grungy with baskets of clothing that you have to riffle through to find that perfect gem of clothing. But with the exchange rate of 300 Forinths to 1 Us Dollar it is the perfectly place to find great high quality bargains. I was able to find a beautiful vintage heavy silk rose colored blouse with huge ruffled sleeves for about 1 American dollar at Retrock. There were so many clothing stores with great bargains along with the great exchange rate it is a shoppers dream.
The best part of Budapest was the Thermal Baths or Turkish Baths, they were truly magical places that were relaxing and therapeutic. As ancient as time the baths have long attracted travelers to its relaxing waters. It is a super sized spa with different baths in differing temperatures, a large swimming pool to do laps, and outdoor pool with wrap around seating for sun bathing and a restaurant complete with drinks and tasty Hungarian food. If you do one thing in Budapest the baths are a must see it can be an all day adventure.
Great deals and fun in Budapest. What do you like about cities that are reasonably priced? Comment below
