Budapest, day 2

We woke bright and early and spent an hour in north Buda going to our Church before taking our official Parliament tour.

In interior is extravagant inside and the 45-minute tour was actually pretty interesting. Favorite spots include the grand entryway and the Hungarian crown which is housed under the large dome.

The yellow tram is ubiquitous along the river bank of Pest. Also, want to know what's not in style in Eastern Europe? A maxi dress. Only person wearing one and got a lot of looks. Which at home everyone is wearing one. Not sure who is on the right side of fashion. :)

After our tour we explored Buda and Castle Hill. But first lunch. After a wet week it was really nice to have a sunny day and eat out on the patio. We enjoyed chicken legs and Hungarian goulash (again, I love paprika!).

We strolled by the Vienna Gate to Matthias Church, which is a unique church that has been destroyed and rebuilt many times which might explain why there are so many different styles of the design.

We then wandered over to the Fisherman's Bastion which is one of the best places to take pictures of the Parliament Building. Just try and elbow past the crowds along the ledge.

We then strolled along the famed Chain Bridge, flanked by lions on either side. It is pretty impressive but even more so when we visited later that night.

We had dinner at a restaurant just off Andrassay Ut near the Opera House before the performance of Faust. The Opera House in Hungary and state sponsored so you can get super cheap tickets in the upper balcony for around $5. But if you will pay the pauper's amount then you have to use the pauper's entrance. In the olden days the "poor people" have to use an entrance around back as to not fraternize with the upper class.  Even if opera is not your things (it's definitely not mine) it was cool to see the interior of such a beautiful building.

We ended the night with a stroll by the Chain Bridge which is stunning at night. If you go to the other side of the bridge, you can get some stunning pics of the Parliament Building at night as well.

So pretty much the best way to end the night.

Practicalities:

• Transportation: Public transportation was super easy to use. We utilized both the metro and the cute yellow tram. We got a three-day metro ticket (72 hours) and used it very often.
• Currency: Hungary uses the Forint which is hugely inflated. $1 =295 forint. So get used to your 295 times tables and division. It was hard for me to work out costs on the fly. 
• Accommodations: We stayed here which was super cheap (can't beat $35 a night) and close to public transportation. Most people we spoke to recommended staying in Pest because that has the greatest concentration of tourist sites. However, Buda is more residential. If you don't have an Airbnb account, use this link to get $35 off your first stay
• Guide Books: Rick Steves for life. Other helpful sites included: 
• Traveling to Hungary Infographic
• Bargain Weekend in Budapest
• Where to Eat in Budapest here and here
• Top 12 Things to Do in Budapest

Traveled May 2015