Having a bunch of unused vacation days in the later part of the year allowed me an opportunity to explore a grand European capital that I had visited before but retained by now a relatively limited recollection of.
As ever, spending more than a handful of days in the same place leads to a better appreciation of said destination. Walking 20,000+ steps every day brings even further enlightenment (along with a certain level of exhaustion, it has to be admitted). There were definite targets in the shape of main museums and places of worship, to say nothing of the Christmas Markets, but I also just wandered around Budapest in search of street art and street scenes and possibly familiarized myself with the city to the best fashion a non-resident can aspire to.
In fact, I am now of the strong opinion that architecturally very few cities can compare with the Hungarian capital, as far as the range and density of remarkable edifices are concerned. Literally every block in Central Pest offers something eye-catching to the discerning visitor, with almost every building being unique in some respect. Other cities may claim to be Art Deco capitals, but Budapest is Art Deco personified.
I also spent a couple of days driving to locations outside of Budapest (including adding two World Heritage sites to my visited list), walked across the Danube to Slovakia and back – how frequently do you get to traverse national borders on foot? – and separately took a day trip to Bratislava.
All of those exploits have been properly captured on camera and will be recounted on these pages in due time. For a teaser, a tiny photographer on the Buda Castle Hill with the building of the Hungarian Parliament in the background.
Believe me – the fellow is barely three inches tall.