A city that changed me

There's a reason why everyone rants and raves about Budapest. Because it is one of the most amazing places on the planet. It's a big city, with a little city vibe. The food will make you gain an extra twenty if you're not careful and the people have the biggest hearts I have encountered. While we planned for three days in Budapest, upon arrival we knew we needed more time. After our first day out and about we quickly booked two more nights and made another to do list of allllll the things we wanted to get done! After a couple hours of walking around in circles, due to some shady directions...we finally went on our free walking tour that we look forward to so much! This has become our routine now. The first thing we do in a city is the free walking tour. It allows us to walk the entire city, or most of it, with awesome history to go along. By hitting all the major sites we are able to then reevaluate where we want to go back to and where we don't need to go anymore. It works for us and we love it.Anyways... We realized we had a lot to do after the tour. We were so wrapped up in the city, we finally realized we had been walking for ten hours straight!!!!! I know. We are insane. Hahaha. A little geographical background on Budapest: the city is split into two parts. Buda is the old city. Where the noble and wealthy live. Pest is the new city. Where the urban Hungarian culture emerges. It is also home to the Jewish district. The first time I looked at the city as a whole (from a lookout point) I was lost. Not like where am I lost. But lost, like lost in beauty. I know it sounds corny but that's what I felt. So we walked through the entirety of both cities the first day. We had a great idea of what we still wanted to see and do. We also had an idea of what to eat! YES! The food. I have to explain this twenty pound weight gain for those who may think I'm kidding. I'm not. Hungary is known for its Paprika, onion and lard. Those ingredients you will find in almost everything. Like 99%. And most likely you'll find some sour cream on there as well. So healthy...One Hungarian dish that I had, and now am unfortunately obsessed with, is Langos. This is, for lack of a better word, Hungarian pizza. It's a thick, chewy dough that has some crisp on the outside crust. Slather some garlic aioli first, then add a generous amount of sour cream on top, with a heap of cheese and voila you have yourself a traditional Langos!! Woooo! Another AMAZING meal we had was at our new favorite gastro bar, Bors. Look it up. Seriously look it up and go there one day. It will BLOW YOUR MIND. Yes it may be soups and sandwiches but let me tell you...you have not lived until you've eaten here...we were regulars by then end of our stay. Hahaha. If you want to hear more about it, just ask me! I'd love to share, but on here, I could go on forever. So I'll spare the ones who are already starving from this post and move on. So we walked around, and walked around and walked around. The funny thing is...it never got old. I loved it. We loved it! We saw so many buildings like the Parliament, the Royal Palace, St. Stephen's Basilica, Liberty statue the Citadel and much much muuuuuch more. We went to the Central market which was massive!! The two story market sold everything from raw chicken to embroidered lace tops for christenings. They had it all! It was great to see all the different food, culture and locals together in one spot!We walked across chain bridge, Margaret bridge, Liberty bridge and Elizabeth Bridge. So I think all the bridges haha. We even climbed on top of Liberty bridge to get a view of the city and just enjoyed being in the moment. That was one of my favorite times on this trip so far. One day, I decided to go caving! Camden wasn't interested so he did his own thing that day. I on the on other hand, went 150feet below Budapest and explored a 4 million year old cave. It was such a great experience! There were crystals on the walls and slick, muddy clay was everywhere. We had to slide down big rocks, navigate through narrow paths, crawl into tiny holes that looked like we would definitely get stuck, all with our little headlamp! I'm so glad I went! I was so sore the next day, but it was so worth it! I even found a loose crystal!!! (Best souvenir yet!!!!!). Our days were filled with walking. Sight seeing. More walking. Eating. And more walking.  Our nights were filled with different things each night! One night we stayed in and watched movies. Another night we went to the Szèchenyi thermal baths. Those by the way we're great! I loved the atmosphere of the place. I may sound a bit snooty right now but our jacuzzis at home are hotter so I was a bit sad about how cool the pools were. It could be how cold it was outside and how late in the day it was. I'm not sure. But anyways, it was fantastic and a great experience! Another night we went to a cruise on the Danube! We got two complimentary drinks each, and that wasn't even the best part! We were able to see all of Budapest lit up at night!!! It was gorgeous!! Such a lovely time with some live, classical music, champagne us dressed up all fancy shamncy. The other nights we went and checked out one of Budapest's hidden gems. The ruin bars. Ruins bars are buildings that were were bombed during times of turmoil in Hungary. Instead of refurbishing them as they did with many others, these buildings were left they way they were. They were decorated and made into bars. I think it was such a great idea! To turn negative into a positive! To keep history alive and well, but still allowed it to survive in the urban world. It's fantastic. All the ruin bars are different. They each have a different character to them. All were eclectic to say the least. And none had a theme. But that was the beauty of it. My favorite one we went to happened to be the most famous, Szimpla. It was so out there I gravitated to it immediately. Camden and I spent the night smoking shisha with some people we met at the hostel. We had had some drinks before at the hostel (ballin on a budget) and decided to chill at the bars rather than go nuts. I'm glad we played it out that way, it gave me time and energy to really appreciate where I was. All in all, Budapest is by far one of my favorite places in the world. It changed me. The people showed me how much kindness and love there was left the in the world. They reminded me to always act on it, even when it's hard or goes unnoticed. The history humbled me. There were such hard times here, yet the people still smiled and loved with all their heart. The experience on being here made me different, but a better kind of different.  I know we will be back again. I have big plans for you Budapest!! Tip: We stayed at Paprika hostel. If anyone is planning a visit to Budapest, stay there. I mean it. It is so so so so worth it. The staff is lovely and the owner is a love. I felt so at home I never wanted to leave!!! But as our journey continues...so must I.... On to Prague!     Langos! First sights of the city!   Szèchenyi baths  Szimpla ruin bar    Danube cruise To follow our journey in even more depth please check out our other social media outlets! Instagram: @christinabammbina @marlon_cramdo#boygirlandtheworldYouTube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCC9qwNoy9QSRXLHKgoKLHtwFacebook page: The Wandering Wayfarers Please like, subscribe and share! :)