This trip has been information overload for me, and yet each country has so much to offer in the way of history. Here is the other part of my mini Eastern Europe trip from Albania to Poland.
Budapest, HUNGARY
Hungary is the home of 16 Noble Prize winners, among them include inventors of the Rubix cube and the ball point pen!
the Hungarian people settled in modern-day Hungary in the year 896. To recognise the date, no buildings can be higher than 96m
in the year 1000, the first king of Hungary, Saint Stephen, introduced Roman Catholicism
the Ottoman Empire ruled during the 1500s
in 1873, the bridge unified the 3 settlements which now make up Budapest
the Austrian Empire were in power from the 1600s-WW1
in 1920, after the War, Hungary lost 2/3 of their territory: access to the Adriatic sea, their railway line, and many natural resources
Hungary sided with the Nazis after Hitler assisted in territory reclamation
Hungary tried to wither get out of WWII or switch sides, but when the Nazis found out, they began to occupy Hungary in 1944
during the Red Army occupation of Hungary, 700,000 Hungarians were deported to the Gulag and another 300,000 people from minority groups were expelled
despite loosing the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, the dictatorship was a much softer from the 1960s up until 1989
in 1990, democracy was introduced
I really liked Budapest - it has great vintage shopping and café culture. My recommendations are:
Make sure you visit the old-fashioned train stations and see the yellow trams. I rode on some of the longest elevators I’d ever seen getting down to the Metro!
Eat pörkölt (goulash) and the famous chimney cakes that are sold everywhere in food vans.
Spend a few hours at the Széchenyi Thermal Bath. It is a very traditional thermal bath with many different pools and tiled rooms. Bring bathers and shoes that can get wet. I particularly enjoyed the numerous saunas and chamomile steam rooms. There is a large pool outside as well which is a lot of fun.
See the incredible Hungarian Parliament Building.
The House of Terror museum which used to be the headquarters of the Hungarian Nazis from 1945-56, and later of the Communist Party.
Walk around Margaret Island and the 'castle' area in Buda.
Climb up to the top of St. Stephen's Basilica where there are tremendous views of the city. You can even see King St. Stephen's Holy Right Hand! King Stephen died in 1038 and was canonised in 1083, since then, his mummified hand has been a Christian icon and is kept inside a glass case.
I would have liked to have visited the Synagogue, however, I wasn't wearing the appropriate attire that day. If you intend to visit, make sure to cover your knees and shoulders.
I stayed at the Wombats Hostel which was reasonably priced, very clean, and felt like a hotel. The only downside was the smelly bathroom drains.
Bratislava, SLOVAKIA
Interestingly, Bratislava is one of my favourite cities; I could easily live there.
I went on the Communist Walking tour - here's what I learnt:
in 1939, Hitler make Slovakia break free from Czechia
the two reunited after WWII
the Communists were in power from 1948-89
from 1949-89, there was an electric Iron Curtain fence between the Eastern Bloc and the Western; 200 Slovaks were killed trying to escape
during the 1968 Soviet invasion, the Soviet soldiers who rolled in on tanks didn’t even know they were invading Slovakia until they crossed the border as they had been told it was a military exercise
following the Velvet Revolution in Czechia, the Gentle Revolution of 1989, was a successful peaceful protest in which the Slovaks simply jingled their keys in the streets which signalled to the Communists that it was time to go home
in 1993, Czechoslovakia split into two republics, and unlike Yugoslavia, the countries treat each other peacefully and equally
We ended the tour outside the Blue Church, an adequately named Hungarian Art Nouveau style church from the early 1900s.
Make sure you visit the castle, Bratislavský hrad, to see the historical photos from the Gentle Revolution. With a EuropeanYouthCard, it's only €6 entry. The Crown Tower built in the 13th century, is also worth a climb and has panoramic views of the city.
Slavín is the memorial on the hill to the 7000 Soviet soldiers buried in mass graves who helped achieve Slovakian liberation from Nazi Germany. On top of the obelisk is a Soviet soldier crushing a swastika. Although the Soviets were not welcome by the end of they occupation, the monument is kept in recognition of the fallen soldiers who include Russians, Ukrainians, and Romanians.
I had a fantastic traditional dinner at the Bratislava Flagship. It is one of the largest restaurants in Europe, built inside a former Monastery, but has also been the site of a theatre and brewery. The currant wine is a must.
I stayed at the famous Wild Elephants Hostel.
Vienna, AUSTRIA
I had a very short stay of only 28 hours in Vienna, however, as you're about to read, I managed to do a lot. To begin with, I was meeting my Austrian friend, but managed to completely miss the train station in Bratislava, and instead found myself an hour out of town, in a field, next to the cargo trains... I had to backtrack and catch a FlixBus instead.
I didn't find Vienna to be as expensive as everyone had hyped it up to be. However, it was clear that I was now in Western Europe. Vienna is very big, and the buildings are extra extravagant. It seemed that every monument was dedicated to a particular land conquest.
We checked out:
the Schönbrunn palace. We walked through the gardens and up to the lookout
the Hofburg castle with its many different styles from all the emperor expansions
a restaurant for schnitzel and beer. (I don't normally drink beer, but Austrian beer tastes good.)
the Karlskirche with an almost Taj Mahal feel to it. I also bumped into a friend I'd met in Budapest!
the O nightclub...lots of sing-a-long and watered-down wine
a Würstlestand which is where you can buy a sausage at any hour of the night
Café Jelenik for a traditional breakfast. We caught up with another girl I'd met in Sarajevo
the Lipizzan horses from the Spanish Riding School. Did you know that although these horses are know for having white hair, their skin is actually gray and their foals are black!? It takes 6-10 years for the colour-change process to occur.
the University of Vienna
the Stephanskirche whose bell is so big that construction workers are needed on stand-by when they ring it twice a year
Hundertwasserhaus, the quirky government housing complex
the Museum of Art Fakes
a rollercoaster in Prater theme park
I think we managed to tick it all off.
A big thank you to my excellent tour guide for all your knowledge and speed!
Prague, CZECHIA
After some action-packed days in Vienna and Krakow, I was pretty ill by the time I made it to Prague. The rainy weather didn't help either. In the times where I was awake and the sun was shining, and together with three friends I'd made from various hostels, we visited:
the 9th century Castle which is the largest ancient castle in the world!
the Lennon Wall which started in the 1960s with messages against the Communist Regime. The wall got its name when an artist painted John Lennon's portrait and lyrics, following his assassination in 1980. The wall has since been turned white for the 25th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, covered in protest messages on Earth Day 2019, and painted for the Hong Kong protests. Interestingly, it is owned by the Sovereign Military Order of Malta...
the beautiful medieval Charles Bridge
Lokál - a chain restaurant with very cheap, traditional food. I highly recommend Vinea, a fizzy elderflower drink
Notes:
- I have come to really enjoy long bus trips. Previously, I’d always have packed a bunch of things to keep me entertained, but now, I can sit happily, jotting down thoughts.
- Unfortunately, I missed hearing the organ play in St. Stephen's Basilica, Budapest, but I've been told it's magnificent.
- Fun fact...ice hockey is Slovakia's national sport.
- Be aware that in Vienna, all shops are closed on Sundays...however, you can still eat out or go to museums.
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