Eastern Europe in the Spring! – Hungary – Part 3 – 2024

My friend told me about Cafe Gerbeaud in a big square. She is Hungarian and has been here many times and suggested we try it. I am glad she did, the coffee and cakes were delicious.

  • Inside Cafe Gerbeaud
  • Outside of the Cafe

We also did a lot of walking in Budapest, one day we walked probably 15 kms or more to Hero’s Square and a few other places. Hero’s Square (Zgody Square)was in an area that was transformed into Krakow Ghetto under the Nazis. This square is where Jewish people were brought to before deporting them to Auschwitz and Plaszow camps.
We also walked over to Fisherman’s Bastion on the Buda side of Budapest and Matthias Church. We went to a market, another Ruin Bar and one night we had dinner at Retek which was a restaurant recommended to us and it was very good and you had to make reservations ahead of time to go there.

I have a lot of photos so rather than bore you with reading, here are some photos with captions to enjoy.

  • Hero’s Square
  • One of our walks
  • Another Ruin Bar
  • Just a building
  • Market
  • A view of a street
  • Inside Matthias Church
  • This sculpture was inside Matthias Church
  • Break for me
  • View from Fisherman’s Bastion
  • Clint in a square on the Buda side
  • We watched a military parade
  • Such a big fountain, it was pretty magnificent
  • Fisherman’s Bastion
  • Fisherman’s Bastion
  • Retek Restaurant
  • I do love a good cocktail, this one is at Retek restaurant

We spent a few days in Budapest and I would like to go back, I feel there was a lot we didn’t get to see or do. The food was great and there were lots of restaurants and bars to choose from and a lot of sights to see. We also felt safe there which is important when you’re old and on your own in a different country.

When we left Budapest, the two of us flew to Istanbul, Turkey for a week. We had booked a really cute boutique hotel there and it’s another place I would recommend for travelers.

See you soon….

16 thoughts on “Eastern Europe in the Spring! – Hungary – Part 3 – 2024”

  2. Well you two sure were adventurous on your own here and then in Instanbul, Turkey. The cafe sure is big and I looked at the link – lots of nice selections to choose from. It looks like a perfect spot to have a break. When I traveled in Germany and Austria, the coffee and sweet break was common and something I looked forward to … the tortes, kuchens … all good and great coffee as well. The church is magnificent here too, including the statue of the head of Christ with the crown of thorns. That orange drink with the sugar rim and slice of orange looks like it would quench your thirst. 🙂

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    1. That was a great cafe, very beautiful and everything we had was delicious. We do group trips as well but I have to say that I like it when it’s just the two of us. We seem to see a lot more and do a lot more because we can get around quite a bit in the day, leave early morning and non stop all day😁 I really liked that statue, it caught my eye for sure.

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      1. Well, you’re both used to the rigors of walking/hiking a lot, so are able to do non-stop to see everything, beyond your group tour(s). I thought of you today as there was a work stoppage at the Louvre today which left tourists standing line for many hours waiting, hopeful for them to open. I had no idea that 30,000 people a day passed through the Louvre and what bad shape it was in. You’re lucky you were there and saw it (assuming you did).

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      2. We did go to the Louvre and to be honest I couldn’t wait to get out of there! I believe that 30,000 were all there at the same time as I was lol. I get anxiety in crowds like that so we did not stay long, Clint always knows when to get me out of a place. They need to limit the amount of people which I believe is some of what the staff are on strike for. I am still going through my photos from this recent trip to Europe. It’s so time consuming

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      3. I wouldn’t like a crowd like that either Susan and it would be just like a procession of people moving along (like when dignitaries are laid out for viewing). Yes, that was the reason for their strike, plus they said there are some places in the museum in disrepair as well. Since the Louvre is an old building, do they have A/C? The reason I ask is that I know when Europe had the bad heat wave a few years ago, the locals felt it as most don’t have air conditioning, but they said tourist really felt it as so many tourists have A/C at home. I can imagine how long it takes. I went looking for ducklings yesterday and came home with over 200 photos and sorted through them today … it took a big chunk of the day.

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  3. Sounds like an amazing Budapest trip! Loved hearing about Café Gerbeaud, Fisherman’s Bastion, and all the walking adventures. Great mix of food, history, and fun—can’t wait to read about Istanbul next!

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    1. Thank you! Istanbul was great, lots of history there too and the the architecture was fantastic. We just finished 5 weeks in England, France and Belgium but I took too many photos, it’s always time consuming to go through them. I need to learn to take less photos lol

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      1. Wow, five weeks across England, France, and Belgium—that sounds incredible! And I totally get the photo overload—it’s so tempting to capture every beautiful moment. But those photos will be such treasures later! Can’t wait to hear about Istanbul and your European highlights whenever you’re ready to share.

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      3. That sounds amazing! Autumn wildlife trips must be magical—no wonder you get carried away with the camera! Moose and wolves in their natural habitat? Absolutely worth all the clicks. I’d love to see some of those shots someday!

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      4. Yes, absolutely in their natural habitat. We go every year for a few weeks. If you type Algonquin Park into the search block on the homepage of my blog, a lot of posts for Algonquin Park will come up. I know last fall we saw wolves and lots of moose. Didn’t see any bears last year though.

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      5. That sounds like such a rewarding tradition, returning each year to Algonquin Park must create such a deep connection to the place and the wildlife. I’ll definitely look up your posts; seeing wolves and moose in the wild must be unforgettable. Even without bears, it sounds like an incredible experience. Thanks for the tip, I can’t wait to explore more of your adventures through the blog!

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