Driving to Budapest was ok but only half the distance to the border was on
highways whereas the rest of the route saw the boys driving through the
mountains of Dracula’s home ground in Transylvania..
Dracula is an 1897 Gothic horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker, famous
for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula.
The novel tells the story of Dracula’s attempt to move from Transylvania to
England so that he may find new blood and spread the undead curse, and of
the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by
Professor Abraham Van Helsing.
The border crossing into Hungarian was a breeze with the boys not even
needing to get out of the car and the border station was a “ one stop shop”
with both Romanian and Hungarian control officers in attendance
Crossing the border into Hungary on 5th August 2016-08-07
The boys made it in time to have a traditional T58 drink on the edge of the
Danube river…
Next day (6th August) was set aside for sightseeing in Budapest..
Budapestis the capital and the largest city of Hungary, and one of the largest
citiesin the European Union.
Cited as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, Budapest’s extensive
World Heritage Site includes the banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle
Quarter, Andrássy Avenue, Heroes’ Square and the Millennium Underground
Railway, the second-oldest metro line in the world. It has around 80
geothermal springs, the world’s largest thermal water cave system, second
largest synagogue, and third largest Parliament building.
The city attracts about 4.4 million tourists a year, making it the 25th most
popular city in the world, and the 6th in Europe,
Andre and Willy had to park Lipstick a few hundred meters away from the
hotel and to their dismay they found Lipstick rather “locked” up . When
checking the parking meter on Friday evening they read that money only needs
to be paid on Workdays and with it being a Friday evening they were of the
opinion that the workink days for the week were over – obviously the
Hungarian authorities have a different opinion and regard Friday night also as a
working Day..
How rude is that!
Team Lipstick had to phone the authorities , wait 40minutes until the officer
arrived pay the equivalent of abot 60l of Diesel as a fine and then the clamp
was removed – the boys were told that they can leave Lipstick in the parking
bay because it is Saturday today and on weekends parking is for free.So the
last few hours of Friday caused this unnecessary action..
In order not to loose the parking space ( very rare in Budapest ) the boys
decided to go sightseeing with a hop on hop off bus rather then using Lipstick
in dense traffic.
Buildings from times gone by with the famous Gellert bath on the right..
The Gellert bath complex was built between 1912 and 1918 in the (Secession)
Art Nouveau style. It was damaged during World War II, but then rebuilt.
References to healing waters in this location are found from as early as the
13th century. A hospital was located on this site during the Middle Ages.
During the reign of the Ottoman Empire, baths were also built on this
particular site. The “magical healing spring” used the Turkish during the 16th
and 17th centuries. The bath was called Sárosfürdő (“muddy” bath), because
the mineral mud settled at the bottom of pools.
Right above the Gellert bath rises the Gellert hill which is a must see for
anyone visiting Budapest – the views from the hill are breathtaking –
overlooking the beautifull city and the Danube river
The top of the Gellért Hill is a strategical point from where they had an
overview of both Buda and Pest. Though it was equipped with 60 cannons, it
was used as threat rather than a working fortification. After the
reconciliation with the Habsburgs the Hungarians wanted to demolish the
buildings, but after all it did not happen. In the mid 20th century it was
converted to a tourist center.
Team Lipstick on Gellert mountain in Budapest
Night view of the Chain bridge connecting Buda with Pest ….
Combining modern and old architecture add that special feeling to Budapest
Walking and using the hop-on hop-off buses was great and Budapest will
remain a highlight of Lipstick’s trip going West. Tourists from all over the world
gave the city a very cosmopolitical feel and the boys regard Budapest as one of
the most beautifull cities seen during their many stopovers around Africa and
China..
Of course no trip to Budapest is complete without having an Hungarian
Goulash and a few sips of Tokaj wine…..