Budapest, Hungary

The morning I was due to fly out to Budapest was a bit of a strange one. Upon waking up in my airport hotel to catch an early flight, I received news from Australia that my dad had finally passed away.  It was a long time coming as he gradually deteriorated over time. But my dad was my biggest fan. He's was really jealous when I bought my boat and started travelling and documenting my journey all over England but I used to write to him all the time with updates of my whereabouts.  And Dad would have whole totally approved of me flying to Budapest the day he checked out. 

Budapest was a good distraction. I stayed with a dear friend I hadn't seen in 8 years, since we moved to Britain.  He visited us when we moved into our first flat in Sale, a suburb in Greater Manchester back in 2016 and I vowed to return the favour...so Budapest was also at the top of my bucket list only this time I made it happen. 

Budapest is a beautiful city and while I only really saw some of the highlights, it was enough given the circumstances. My friend was really supportive and looked after me, kept me well fed with his scrumptious home cooking and was good company for the first few days of my dads passing.  

It's definitely a city I wish to visit again, perhaps in summer next time as it was bitterly cold here in January. But what a beautiful city! 

This is the view from Buda Castle, Saint Stephens Basilica in the background. 

Part of UNESCO World Heritage site, this is Heroes Square featuring statues of the leaders of the tribes who founded Hungary

Buda Castle with the Széchenyi chain bridge over the River Danube. 

Hungarian Parliament

View of the River Danube with the Hungarian Parliament in the background