Day 102 - Buda and Pest

Went on the 'Giraffe Hop On Hop Off" city tour (ie bus driving around the city, you can get on and off as much as you like at the designated stops on the way, allowing the opportunity to see the sites of choice).  I did one of the tours, going the whole way round which takes about 2 hours.  A few facts about Budapest, the place has been occupied by foreign invaders so many times it is hard to count; the city Budapest stems from the combination of places called Buda, Pest and another one I can't remember the name of.  Buda is on the left of the Danube River, and Pest is on the right (I am staying in Pest).  Buda is quite a hilly area, whilst Pest is very flat.

 ...and then on the second lap I stopped off at various sites such as:

• The Opera House - could only see the main sections inside with a tour but outside of the is amazing

• wander along Andrassy street (Budapest's so called equivalent of of the Champs Elysee), which is where I had a stop for lunch - first proper lunch I think I have had since leaving London

Entry to Metro train station

• Heroes Square - neoclassical museums and exhibition buildings flanking the Millenary Monument and Colonade.  The Square was created in 1896 to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of the Magyars' arrival in the Carpathian Basin.  The detail in the statues was incredible.

• Parliament Buildings - all tours booked out, need to be there at 8am to purchase a ticket so will do so tomorrow instead of seeing the Budapest Palace.

Ugly photo I know but proves I was there!

I then jumped on the second bus tour, doing 3/4 of a lap until I had a great place to take photos from across the Danube River of Parliament, and to have a cold beer (very hot day, over 30c, now 5 oçlock, I am on holidays still!)

Making my way along the river I met a boat for a 1 hour cruise of the Danube, that was included on my 'Hope On Hop Off" tour.  Whilst waiting to board I met this lovely Irish couple (couple of Paddy's from Dublin they called themselves), and sat with them on the boat, drank beer and talked travel.  The views on the boat trip, as it was early evening, were incredible.

Back on dry land, I made my way back to the hotel via a turkish kebab shop.  The guy behind the counter looked Turkish so I ordered in Turkish but got a blank stare.  In the hotel I had more hand washing to do then collapesed in bed - it had been a 12 hour day and I am exhausted.  Budapest is fabulous!!