Traveling on an Empty Stomachs

A meal without wine is like a day without sunshine. – Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY

Day Two

…and we said, “Let there be wine!”

On the morning of our second day in Budapest, we awoke with renewed energy and were ready to conquer our second favorite thing after finding delicious food – it was our day to explore Hungarian wine! To do so, we decided to escape our side of the Danube and head towards Buda. After doing our own separate research on things to do in Budapest, Jonathan and I descovered that we both had written down the same wine cellar. This meant that our day as oenephiles would begin there…Faust Wine Cellar on Castle Hill. Lucky for us, it was right next to other must see places – why not check a few things off on our way?

Labyrinth of Buda Castle

We were staying in Pest so we opted for a quick, although expensive, taxi ride to Buda. There we would go directly to Castle Hill and spend our time exploring while waiting for the first wine tasting of the day. The architecture in Budapest is the most amazing I’ve ever seen and from Castle Hill you are able to take in the breathtaking views of both sides of the Danube at once.

Castle Hill is flooded with activities that will engage every traveler out there. We arrived with much to do but decided since it was already becoming quite a hot morning to go to the underground labyrinth of Buda Castle where we could cool off a bit. There wasn’t much to the labyrinth, after about 20 minutes of roaming around inside we were bored and ready to resurface. The history behind the caves and labyrinth is interesting but much of what we learned was at the entrance – in my opinion, only go here if you need a place to cool down or you want to play around like zombies…

Labyrinth of Buda Castle – map

The Royal Palace

The Royal Palace is a beautiful sight to see although the best views are from the Danube at night. We strolled through the grounds and found a few fun things along the way…pretzels, over-priced souvenirs, archery, and ‘Chippy’ the hawk!

Royal Palace

A little archery while exploring the palace grounds

Not bad for a first timer!

Husband taking his weapons seriously…

Chippy, my new best friend! I really wanted to free him but was sure the outcome would not be in my favor…

Matthias Church & Fisherman’s Bastion

Just a few hundred yards away from the palace lies Matthias Church and just beyond, the Fisherman’s Bastion. We decided not to tour the church – the outside view is magnificent and was enough to satisfy us. We did have more to see and little time before the wine tasting so at this point we became a bit conservative with time.

Matthias Church

For the best views I recommend paying the few forint and taking a walk on the Fisherman’s Bastion. There are at times many people to skirt around but just walking along and seeing the Danube and Pest from this area will be worth every effort!

Fisherman’s Bastion – view from one end looking across to the other

Views of Pest from the Fisherman’s Bastion

Faust Wine Cellar

If you’re looking for an introduction into Hungarian wines – your journey should start here. Prior to this trip, I don’t ever remember hearing much about Hungarian wine and am pretty sure I have never tried any before. Faust Wine Cellar is ranked #1 in the top 100 best things to do in Budapest, or at least was at the time of our honeymoon. It has honestly earned this rating for good reason. The service is brilliant and the location, simply beautiful. The cellar is located under the Hilton on Castle Hill. It is situated deep in the caves below and sets the perfect stage for a wine tasting.

Our visit started a bit of a craze for the two of us. After this tasting we bought several bottles of wine and mailed clothes home so that we had room to fit these treasures in our luggage. This was our most memorable and favorite experience while in Budapest so, as I have done in previous posts, I will save a solo post on Faust for the future. If you are curious now, check out their website for a look into what Faust Wine Cellar has to offer – http://www.gbwine.eu/palinka_tasting_wine_tasting_budapest.html

Faust Wine Cellar

Pool Time!

After several hours of tasting wine we decided to head back to our hotel and relax a bit before dinner. We were staying Continental Hotel Zara in the Jewish District. I highly recommend this hotel for several reasons. First, it’s just beautiful! From the moment you walk in the front door you know you are staying somewhere special. The rooms are small yet comfortable with modern decor that adds a luxurious feel for the size. The location of the hotel is probably the best part – it is so close to some amazing restaraunts and just a few blocks away for the most popular ruin pubs. But on a hot and busy day – the pool is where it’s at! Continental Hotel Zara has an outdoor rooftop pool and just inside and next to it is an indoor pool, jacuzzi and saunas. No better way to relax while traveling.

We packed a few beers in our bag and headed up to the rooftop for a swim and some down time. The views from the pool are unbelievable. You find yourself inside a modern swimming pool looking at the roofs of building that are centuries old with the mountains and beautiful surroundings peppering the horizon.

Continental Hotel Zara – entrance

Rooftop pool at Continental Hotel Zara

Dinner time – Costes

After long day of touring, drinking, and well…relaxing we set off to dinner at Costes. This was the third of three of Jonathan’s planned-in-advanced honeymoon dinners. Costes is one of two Michelin Star restaurants in Budapest (both of which he reserved) and was his favorite of the three.

Costes, like many things from this journey, will have it’s own post once I complete my day to day breakdown of our trip. Interested now, check out Onyx’s website and drool over the next pic! http://www.costes.hu/en#etlapunk

Costes Restuarant in Budapest

Another ruin pub!

After visiting the most famous ruin pub, Szimpla Kert, the night before I had already become a ruin pub fan. So next up for a night out after an unforgettable dinner was Convintetö. This ruin pub consisted of two floors (that we know of) and the second being the rooftop. From the entrance you immediately get the sense that you are entering somewhere unique and off the radar. Corvinteto is built on the top of an old socialist type department store building. It’s a cool hangout spot in the city with the one and only openair rooftop underground club in Budapest! Sunset, heavy duty elevator, huge open space, pálinka, panorama, ice-cold beer, comfortable sofas, dancing ’till dawn, sunrise in the middle of the city, on the top of the once state owned department store…go here!

Corvinteto – ruin pub

Beer after a long day of….wine, late night at Corvinteto

I love this picture! We have no idea where this leads to or how you get in but it’s inside Corvinteto and is the perfect background for hilarious pictures…

Day Two in a Nutshell:

• Exploring Buda
• Royal Palace
• Buda Castle
• Labyrinths of Castle Hill
• Fisherman’s Bastion
• Faust Wine Cellar
• Dinner at Costes
• Ruin Pub ~ Corvintetö

Day Three at a Glance: (Writing Soon)

• Lunch at Paprika Étterem
• Turkish Baths – Széchenyi fürdő
• Alcatraz Pub
• Evening cruise on the Danube
• Dinner at Borkonyha Wine Kitchen