Sorry for the lack of updates! During the trip my laptop and iPad were stolen, so I wasn't able to update in transit. I'll finish up the last two weeks of the journey over the coming days! Thanks for reading!
Waking Up
Since I didn't plan on being in Budapest long, I had to be up early if I was going to see everything I wanted. My flight left at 8:30pm. Figuring in public transportation to the airport and time to clear customs, I estimated I would have to leave the city around 5pm. Getting up was no problem and the small front desk of the hotel offered to hold my bags until I had to catch the flight.
Terror Museum
I had put out a request for ideas through Facebook. House of Terror museum and Margaret Island were suggested by Themi, my relative and Cyprus host. I also had to run by the post office and wanted to visit Hero's Square - a memorial surrounded by a large park.
After stopping by the post office and mailing some post cards, my first stop was the House of Terror Museum. This museum is dedicated to preserving the history of Hungary during the World War II and Cold War eras. The dramatic lighting and music are things to hit a visitor upon entering - and very well done. The exhibits throughout the building do an excellent job telling the story of the Arrow Cross Party and the communist AVH (state protection authority). The basement are prison cells used by the AVH to detail and break down prisoners. The prison cells were tiny, some with dirt floors. Most of the exhibits were not in English, but full page flyers were available in various languages that helped visitors understand the purpose of each exhibit. Unfortunatly photography was not allowed past the entrance, so I wasn't able to grab many pictures.
Exterior of Museum
Memorial along exterior of museum
Entrance
Outside the museum
City Park & Hero's SquareBefore moving on to Margaret Island I strolled through City Park to walk by the surrounding Hero's Square and Vajdahunyad Castle. Here's Square contains a large monument build around 1900 to honor those who gave their life for Hungary's independence. In back of the monument is city park and the Castle. The castle was built in the late 1800s, around the time of the Millennium Monument.
The castle grounds use a number of architecture styles, gothic, renaissance, etc. Also within the grounds are a number of monuments. After finishing up at the castle I made my way over to the large park. There were a number of vendors selling food and many people sitting on the open greenery.
Me, in front of Millennium Monument
Vajdahunyad Castle
Vajdahunyad Castle
Since I was running short on time I hopped a cab from the park to Margaret Island. Margaret Island is a small island in the middle of the Danube. The park is mostly open greenery with some waterfalls. I'd later discover the cab driver scammed me. Although Hungary is in the EU, they are not on the Euro. The change the cab driver gave me was in Romanian currency, a scam he probably pulls often. Instead of getting back 5000 Hungarian Forint (worth a little under $22) I received 5 Romanian Lei (worth a little under $1.50). The Romanian Lei bill was labeled 5.000, making it appear I received 50000 of something. Since I was unfamiliar with Hungarian currency and simply saw 5000 I thought we were square.
Margaret Island
Entry
Waterfalls
Leaving Budapest
I discovered the cab driver's scam at a most inconvenient time, when I was trying to buy a ticket for the metro to get back to the hotel. Luckily I had enough currency to left to get back. The ticket taker was thrown off when I handed him the Romanian currency. At first I think he thought I was trying to scam him. He quickly realized I was a foreigner and simply let me know he can only take local currency. It was only than that I looked at the bill more closely and discovered it was Romanian. Scumbag, I even tipped him several dollars, too. After picking up my bags from the hotel I was off to the airport via public trans. The metro would take me to a bus that would go straight to the airport. The terminal for Wizzair at Budapest airport is actually in an airport hangar - the most primitive commercial airline to date I've visited. Getting to the airport was straightforward and the flight to Rome was relatively uneventful.
Budapest Airport
If you ever fly Wizz Air, spend the $4 to bypass the line...
Terminals
Inside Terminal
Boarding
Arriving in Rome
I arrived in Rome very late, around 11pm. My visit overlapped the stay of a good friend who was also visiting Rome. I figured his lodging would be in a good area so I found a place nearby. At first I was discouraged, hotels were over $200/night. I negotiated a discount rental via AirBnB for around 40 euro a night - a great deal for Rome. I'd pay a penalty for arriving late of 40 euros, but still a fraction of what a hotel would cost. The rental was actually a 2 bedroom. I was asked not to use the second bedroom, which was fine since I was traveling solo. From Leo Da Vinci airport I'd take an express train to the Train Station. The metro had a stop within the Train Station. The metro would take me within a couple of blocks of the unit.
Express train to Train Station - very comfy
Metro - traditional German Style cars
Arriving in Rome
After arriving at the Train Station I stopped at a convenience store nearby to pickup a SIM card. 30 euro for 1gb of data, a bit expensive but what am I going to do. The value is there even at 30 euro. The area surrounding the train station seemed a bit dirty and seedy - but train and bus depots aren't often located in the best parts of town. It took a while for the SIM card to activate, so I'm glad I picked it up before hopping on the metro. Once I was off the metro I tried to reach the property manager. It took a few attempts to reach the property manager. For a few minutes I was worried, but he eventually called me back and we set a meet time. Once I was off the metro I started walking down a major street I'd later learn was adjacent to the Spanish Steps. By the time I got the keys it was well past 1am, so I decided to stay in and get an early start the next day.
Living Room
Hallway
Bathroom
Kitchen
Bedroom
2nd bedroom
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