Even More Pretentious, moi?: Monday 13th August Budapest

Well, Budapest - what a revelation - it really is an amazing city, known as the Paris of the east & not hard to see why. Buda the hilly side & Pest (pronounced Pesht) the flat side, but so many beautiful unusual - rococco, baroque, romanesque- buildings, some restored but most still showing the signs of iron curtain neglect, really for me Vienna paled in comparison....or is it that I have forgotten. We went on a bus tour, Heroes Square, a version of Champs Elysees (not really) past Opera House, a famous synagogue, through the jewish ghetto area (spied a chap with the really long sideburns) & then up to the fishermans bastion on the hill on the Buda side, not sure what it was built for but it certainly is spectacular, both from afar & the view over city from there is great.
I was a bit foolhardy & purchased an icon in a tourist shop, S got a doll in the traditional costume.
The Hungarian language is closest to Finnish, Estonian, bit of Turkish...who would have thought.

Back to the boat for lunch & then free time in the arvo. S went off to have her hair done & I found a Posta & tangled with Hungarian beaurocracy to send a box home, some books etc which will not fit into case. First of all line up for form, then again with completed form, then again with florints after dash to atm...they do not take visa or euros, florints only in cash, thank you. About 4 posta staff, but only one counter open & huge lineup every time.

Then met S & we went to the covered market, housed in huge 19th century , ground floor all food, had a good look around & first floor all manner of things, leather goods, tourist stuff, jewellery, we whiled away a couple of hours there, all the time keeping tight hold on bag!