Budapest Day 2: All about the View
My original plan for the day was to get up before dawn and watch the sunrise from Fisherman's Bastion. But early mornings are a struggle for me and that did not happen. I was still up pretty early and when I looked out the window at the surrounding fog, I was glad I hadn't bothered to get up even earlier. I did want to make it there before the crowds so I was out of the hotel around 8a.
FIsherman's Bastion sits atop the Castle Hill across the Danube on the Buda side. It's a fortress built around 1900 and named after the fishermen who used to guard this portion of the castle walls in medieval times. It's now mostly used as a viewpoint by tourists for the panoramic views over the Danube, Parliament, and Budapest. There are three ways to reach the top - a funicular (the usual tourist way to reach the top), a bunch of stairs (the hiker's way to reach the top), or a bus (the fastest way to reach the top). I opted for the bus so I took the metro from my hotel to the main station and caught the city bus, mostly filled with locals headed to work.
The fog was still pretty intense when I arrived at Holy Trinity Square just before 9a. 
Statue of St. Stephen, the first King of Hungary.
It was so foggy, you couldn't even see the Danube.
The fog provided an almost spooky feel that made for some cool pictures. 
It was also wonderfully uncrowded.
I walked over to a little strudel shop for some breakfast.
Hot chocolate, chocolate roll, and apple strudel...breakfast of champions.
After fueling up on chocolate and sugar, I headed to St. Matthias Church, part of the FIsherman's Bastion complex. 
A Catholic church originally established in 1015, the current building was rebuilt in the 13th century after having been destroyed by the Mongols.
Historically, the cononations of Hungary's kings took place in this church.
The medieval-style pulpit.
The details of the decor were unique.
The organ
Communion chalices dating back to the late 1700s
Coat of arms of the Hungarian Knights
From the balcony above
After spending time inside the church, the fog lifted considerably. 
The Christmas market had opened up as well.
From there I walked down the hill a bit to Hospital in the Rock where I did a one hour guided tour. 
Built in the 1930s, Hospital in the Rock was just that....a secret hospital built in the side of the hill/underground. It was used during WWII and was fully functional including surgeries. It was designed to treat 60-70 patients but at times treated as many as 600 wounded. They ran out of food and supplies as the war continued and staff had to recycle supplies from cadavers. It was closed once the war ended and reopened years later during the Cold War as a nuclear bunker. The museum does a great job of conveying what life was like underground by using wax figures and original medical and anti-radiation equipment. It was a fascinating tour but unfortunately no pictures were allowed.
I caught the bus again and rode down the hill to get off just before the bridge at the funicular entrance. It was crowded with people waiting to catch a ride.
Just above the funicular is the Buda Castle complex. I didn't have time to visit this complex but would love to on a return visit.
I walked across the Chain Bridge, the first permanent bridge in Budapest, built in 1849 to connect Buda and Pest across the Danube.
A river cruise ship. Can't escape the cruise ships even in landlocked Hungary.
It was about 1p by now and I was getting hungry again with all this walking. After walking across the bridge, I caught the bus again and headed to the Jewish Ghetto for lunch at Getto Gulyas.
I started with some bone marrow.
And also some venison and mushroom stew.
Both were very good, warm, and filling. After lunch, I was scheduled to do a walking tour of the Jewish Ghetto but the jetlag, lunch, and a glass of wine kicked in and I was suddenly very tired. Instead, I opted to walk back to the hotel and rest in my room the remainder of the day.
Feeling refreshed, I ventured back outside to dinner. My hotel at night.
The yellow trams near my hotel.
Just down from my hotel, I had dinner at Borkonyha Winekitchen, a Michelin-star restaurant that modernizes traditional Hungarian dishes.
It started with complimentary bread and sauces.
First course
Artichoke soup
Mangalica pork, cabbage, and polenta
Hazelnut and chocolate "forest" themed dessert
Treats with the check
Dinner was amazing as all meals had been so far. I waddled back to my hotel and climbed into bed to be ready for whatever the next day might bring.
This featured blog entry was written by zihuatcat from the blog Escape from Reality.
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