I was up pretty early in the morning - short winter days means you really have to make the most out of the hours of sunshine. Plus, being early means beating the other tourists. I was staying on the Buda side of the city, opposite the Hungarian Parliament (otherwise known as one of the most beautiful buildings in the world), so I decided to walk down the Danube, cross the river at the next bridge and walk back to the building.
I had planned on going inside, but you had to get timed tickets and they had all sold out for times until 11am - I didn't fancy the idea of not being able to go where I wanted because I had to head back there, I had a lot of ground to cover! So instead, I marvelled at the outside, then went to the Shoes on the Danube memorial. This is up there as one of the most moving memorials I've seen. It was so simple - shoes! - but its something that everyone can relate to, and refers to the shoes left by Jews who were shot into the water during World War 2.
The next stop was something a bit more positive - Magyar Szecesszió Háza. This is a house museum that was built in 1903 and houses a remarkable collection of Art Deco furniture and decorative pieces. There was so much amazing stuff in there, though it could definitely have done with a bit of curation. It was a little bit like being in an Art Deco antique store without being able to buy anything!
St Stephen's Basilica was the next stop on my walk. It was named after the first king of Hungary, whose shrivelled up hand is apparently the one thats housed in a glass box at the back of the church. Lovely. It was finished in the early 20th century, so not too old, but large and impressive. The Christmas markets were also situated in front, where I bought two gorgeous prints.
