Paris of the East

    The second day in April means that it's the second day of the A to Z challenge and for this letter, B, I'm really stuck for choice on which destination to write about. Brazil, Brussels, Barbados, Balearic Islands, Berlin, Bangkok, Beijing, Bordeaux ... There are a lot of options.

Barcelona was a real front runner but seeing as I'm planning a trip there in the summer, I thought it best to add somewhere I'm not likely to travel to anytime soon. Brazil was my next thought, what with it hosting the 2014 World Cup but Brazil is pretty massive, so I'm going to leave more specific places for later down the list.
So what did I chose? Belgium, is in Lonely Planet's top 10 countries to visit in 2014 but I've been to Bruges and it's relatively close to Kent so isn't too taxing to travel to. Bulgaria is another country on that top 10 list and it is quite underrated, and cheap, which appeals to me but I don't know too much about it. So instead I've gone with Budapest, the 'Paris of the East'.

    My boyfriend is going to Budapest on a lads trip in May and I couldn't be more jealous! Ordinarily, Budapest has a reputation for being a stag-do location, along with Prague, and when searching 'things to do in Budapest' on Google the top ranking site is stagdobudapest.com. This isn't the news I want to hear knowing that the other half is heading there soon but I'm sure he'll do some cultural exploration as opposed to just drinking. At least that's what I'm going to tell myself.
   There are plenty of city break deals to Budapest around at the moment; sites such as TravelZoo.com and lowcostholidays.com have been featuring a lot of affordable breaks to the capital just lately and this is what sparked my intrigue. I have a few friends who have visited and have had nothing but good things to say.
    One of the main things on my to do list would be to visit some of the ruin bars. Now, I'm very aware that through my last (and only) three posts on this blog I must be coming across as a bit of a drinker - the top of my to do lists are always to get straight into a pub as soon as I step off the flight and by saying 'it's not like that, honest!' I'm most likely making it more apparent. But it's not like that, honest! If you haven't heard of ruin bars before then you need to check out ruinpubs.com to get a flavour of what they're like and just how cool they are! Ruin pubs are situated in the District VII neighbourhood (the old Jewish quarter) which, being left to decay after World War II, was the ideal location to start up an underground bar scene. Notably, it's not so underground nowadays but the bars supposedly still have the same atmosphere and features as when the trend started, back in 2001. Each bar was made in a derelict building or area and people would bring furniture to use when they attended the bars, which were created to establish cheaper drinking holes in what was the poorer part of Pest. Still made up of mismatched furniture with drinks prices apparently quite low in comparison to other bars and pubs these are the bars I would aim to visit each evening I was there to see as many of them as possible. The most appealing to me is Corvin Teto which is situated on top of a supermarket overlooking the city with access only via an escalator which you can buys drinks on. To me, that is beyond cool!

    During the day I would, of course, spend my time seeing the more tourist-y sights to ensure I was getting the best of both worlds; I’d definitely be paying a visit to St. Stephen’s Basilica with my polaroid camera. I’d also try and spend some time in the castle district to see the Castle Bazaar and soak up some of the history and culture in the romantic walkways and cute cafes. I think I’d also like to visit the thermal baths. I’ve never been too into baths and spas but these world-famous baths would be a must see, especially the old Turkish baths – I can think of anything more relaxing after a night out at the ruin pubs! That being said it would be good to see the caves in the Buda hills which have been created out of the thermal water – I like to think I’m a true explorer (although am most likely quite the opposite!) and this would be a great change of scenery from the traditional cityscape activities. It would also be a great way to get a glimpse of some of the city’s cultural heritage, particularly at the Buda Castle Labyrinth.
    The Chain Bridge, the oldest of eight bridges that cross the Danube, would be the I’d love to take a stroll across, partly to get a brilliant viewpoint from which to see both the Buda and Pest embankments and partly just so that I could say I’d been there. It’s a main feature of any photo you see of Budapest and I am a major tourist after all! That being said I’d be interested to see some of the city’s architectural sights including the Citadel at Gellert Hill, which also offers amazing panoramic views of the city, and of course the Parliament buildings.
    It goes without saying that taking a river tour on the Danube would be at the very top of my list but I think tram tours are more popular in Budapest. I’d definitely want to walk along the Danube embankment to see the world-famous art instalment that commemorates the Hungarian Jewish victims of the killings committed by the Arrow Cross militiamen in 1944-1945. The 60 pairs of metal shoes set in concrete on the rivers edge would be fascinating to see and learn more about.

Shoes on the Danube Embankment

    Towards the end of my stay I would make some time to go to the Central Market Hall which is full of culinary delights and souvenirs. I don’t think my family would really care for salami as a souvenir but I’d like to buy loads of food there and head over to City Park for a picnic. Such a girly activity, but it would be an ideal way to experience the city lake on a warm spring afternoon.
    All in all, the Hungarian capital is steeped in history, most of which I have been completely unaware of until quite recently; reading back over this post, I’m starting to think I’ll need more than just a couple of days in brilliant Budapest.

   

Amster-damn!

Image from National Geographic Travel

   
    Amsterdam is one of those must see cities in Europe and for people my age (early/mid twenties) it is often a go to destination for it's well-known relaxed policies on certain recreational activities - you all know what I'm talking about, I don't need to be specific. Amsterdam is so close to Kent that it is around the same price as driving up to a British city for a night out and so a lot of friends have visited the Netherlands as a more cultural alternative to the UK. I, on the other hand, have never been and now that I work a 'real' job and am not occupied by serving drinks or advising the public on which perfume to buy at the weekend, I finally have the time to experience it.
So let's have a look at what I would do in The Dam...

    The first thing I would do is hire a bike and take a trip down some of the scenic routes to get a glimpse of the famous tulip fields and Zaanse Schans windmills because, well why not?
The candlelight canal cruise also tickles my fancy because it appeals to my romantic side but Amsterdam isn't someone I would bundle in to the romantic getaway category of travel destinations. All the sawm, I have a thing for lights, and water so this would the ideal wind down after a long days cycling.
    I'll be completely blunt, I find it strange when people talk about antics in the red light district not because I'm a prude but there's just something about it that I find a bit seedy? Maybe it's just me, but seeing as it's a massively famous aspect of the city (Lonely Planet even run a Red Light District Tour!) it would be crazy not to at least have a look. I'll try anything (okay, not anything) once so I'd have to have a walk through the darker side of The Dam just so I could say that I had.
    Being the typical tourist that I am, I would need to visit the Museumplein not so I can visit the museums but so I could take a photo of the IAmsterdam sign that's situated outside it.
Amsterdam isn't necessarily one of those cities that offers hundreds of things I would like to do but I see it as somewhere I would love to go for a weekend away from Folkestone to just relax in Vondelpark or on the canal, go out for drinks and then, well relax some more.

Waterside Wishes

 

The city of water… The city of bridges… The city of Venice.  

  I’ve always been enamoured with Italy, there’s just something about the beautiful cities and culture that I’m completely head over heels for – okay so I’ve never actually been, but a girl can dream right? And I’m definitely good at that!

Venice is number one on my, very extensive, adventure list and I hope to visit this summer on a short break. I’ve been told that during the hotter months, the city can be a little, how can I put this… whiffy? which deterred me a little, but the thought of riding through Venice island on a gondola in a striped tunic dress and classically stylish sunglasses far outweighs any undesirable smells (yes I’ve imagined my outfit, I warned you about the dreaming!), I’ve been to Glastonbury festival for goodness sake, I can handle bad smells.

Once there, I would make it my mission to visit the piazza San Marco. Described as the ‘drawing room of Europe’ this part of Venice has three of the city’s main attractions; St.Mark’s Basilica, Doge’s Palace and Torre dell’Orologio and as a complete sucker for history steeped architecture this could not be missed. In addition to ensuring I had the generic tourist snaps in front of the aforementioned attractions, I’d also be eager to get a view of the city from the top of the San Marco Campanile where you can see the Lido, the lagoon and apparently the Dolomites in the distance. If there is ever a bell tower to climb, I’ll be at the front of the queue with my polaroid camera in hand.

For many, art is one of the main draws of Venice but, if I’m honest, it’s just not for me. I studied art, I like art and I can appreciate art but it’s not something I would choose to include on my itinerary, unless I had additional time and was bored of wandering the city (although it’s doubtful!)

At the ripe old age of 24, an evening aperitivo would be an absolute must for me. I would never describe myself as a party animal but I like a tipple. I like the social aspect of ‘going for drinks’ and love to immerse myself in the traditions and culture of the places I visit; seeing as the aperitivo is a deep-rooted Italian tradition and involves cocktails, I’d be keen to get involved! Aperitivo is a ritual that is centred around unwinding after a long day with a dry drink and a light meal or nibbles before going home. It’s becoming popular in London but I’d much rather experience it from a table facing the Grand Canal or at the Skyline Bar; a drink with a view and taste of the atmosphere sound perfect to me. Some gelato at the waterside wouldn’t go amiss either!

It goes without saying that I’d be taking gondola rides and I’d love to see as many of the famous bridges possible including the Rialto Bridge and, of course, the Bridge of Sighs. The Rialto Bridge is one I’d like to walk across. I don’t know why, but whenever I’ve seen pictures of it I get the strong urge to drop a coin over the edge while making a wish. It’s probably not recommended so instead, being the eternal romantic I am, I would attempt to find The Wishing Tree. The wishing tree is an art instalment at the Peggy Guggenheim Museum on the Grand Canal – the idea is that you write a wish and hang it on the branches of an olive tree until the tree is full. I don’t know much else about it but it sounds lovely. Venetian legend says that lovers who kiss on a gondola at sunset under the Bridge of Sighs, as the bells of St Marks’ Campanile toll, will be granted eternal love and bliss. It sounds like a tall order getting all of those things lined up perfectly! I’m not sure that I’m up to the job so I’ll stick to a cheeky peck followed by reciting the history of the bridge to my other half who will pretend to listen while wondering what bar we should go to later on. I’m happy with that.

I wonder how many coins there are at the bottom of the Venetian waterways…

 

    Desperate to visit Venice, I’m trawling the internet for cheap city breaks for this summer. Hopefully in a few months time I’ll be able to write a post all about it from first hand experience!