Budapest Manifest

From the very beginning of this trip we have had countless situations where we seem to be thinking something into reality. There have been big examples like believing that we can be at Wimbledon Centre Court and small examples like wanting a bike coffee break and all of a sudden, in the middle of nowhere, a coffee stand appears. I can think of at least 10 other situations where we have seemingly manifested something.

One of the best/worst examples (depending on who you talk to) is the story of RobO’s swim trunks. Way back at Wimbledon RobO realized that he had forgotten his swimsuit. As we were walking in our neighbourhood we noticed a charity thrift shop. Upon entry there was little hope as it was mostly racks of women’s clothing. When Rob asked the clerk she told him he could try to look through the bargain bin. He dug around and found only one set of men’s swim trunks, which were … PERFECT*.

Our first day in Budapest we treated our weary bodies to a couple of hours at the Széchenyi Baths. If you ever wanted to feel like you’re soaking, steaming, and sauna-ing in the middle of an oil painting this is your place.

There is also a ’beer spa’ on site, where we soaked in a tub of hops, malt, and salt beside our own unlimited beer spigot (or numerous alcoholic seltzers if you’re gluten free!). It was weird, but a fun experience nonetheless.

The city is divided by the Danube river. On the west side of the river is the ’Buda’ side, which has lots of hills and monuments that feel really regal. On the east side is ’Pest’, which also has a lot of sites, but feels a bit more trendy. We easily got the hang of the metro and trams and ended up crossing the river a couple of times during the day.

Throughout our trip we’ve seen lots of flags and posters in support of the Ukraine. I couldn’t help but think of those when we were at the ’Shoes at the Danube’ memorial.

We spent the late afternoon in the golden sunshine at the Fisherman’s Bastion. Do not miss this spot when you visit Budapest.

Some of our favourite shots from our wanders:

Another great Olson holiday is in the books. I have to give a big shout out to RobO on this one. This trip we relied on a lot of teamwork and positive encouragement and I couldn’t have asked for a better person to share it with.

We have a few potential trip plans in the works, so we’ll keep working on manifesting something!