This morning we got up just before 07:00. Caro made coffee to go and cheese-and-salami buns, and we headed up to Fisherman’s Bastion, just behind where we were staying — although “just behind” involved rather a lot of steps.

The pale stone turrets of Fisherman's Bastion against a clear blue sky
Fisherman’s Bastion in the early morning.

The upper terraces can be reached for free before 09:00. More importantly, they were still wonderfully quiet. We had coffee overlooking the Danube and Parliament, with barely anyone else around. By the time we started making our way down, the crowds were arriving.

Hugo drinking coffee at Fisherman's Bastion overlooking the Danube and Parliament
Coffee to go, with one of Budapest’s better views.
Morning view over the Danube and Hungarian Parliament from Fisherman's Bastion
The Danube and Parliament before the crowds arrived.

We walked around Castle Hill, admiring the old buildings — many of which still seemed to be undergoing renovation or repair — while mostly looking for a toilet. We eventually found one behind the Budapest History Museum.

Matthias Church and its colourful tiled roof on Castle Hill in Budapest
Matthias Church, with Castle Hill still unusually quiet.
Caro standing in the doorway of Matthias Church in Budapest
Caro providing scale at the enormous entrance to Matthias Church.

We ate our buns at another viewpoint, this time overlooking the Chain Bridge, and then walked back to the apartment for a quick mid-morning nap. We both had a bit of a cold, so we were trying to get as much rest as possible before our hike in Slovenia.

The Chain Bridge crossing the Danube towards St Stephen's Basilica in Budapest
Our bun-with-a-view stop above the Chain Bridge.

By 12:00 we headed out again, this time to the Central Market Hall. It is an impressive building, but as so often happens with these markets, much of it consists of hundreds of stalls selling variations of the same things. We therefore went down to the Aldi in the basement and bought snacks for now and for the hike.

The brick exterior and colourful tiled roof of Budapest Central Market Hall
Budapest’s Central Market Hall.
The busy interior of Budapest Central Market Hall beneath its iron roof
Inside the market: an impressive hall and a great many similar stalls.

From there we went to the Jewish Quarter to look at Budapest’s ruin bars. These started when abandoned and neglected buildings were turned into cheap, makeshift bars instead of being renovated in the usual way. Their crumbling walls, mismatched furniture, graffiti, plants and odd bits of salvaged decoration became the whole point. Szimpla Kert was the pioneer and is still the best-known example: less a single bar than a maze of rooms, courtyards and accumulated eccentricity.

The colourful mismatched interior of Szimpla Kert ruin bar in Budapest
Inside Szimpla Kert, Budapest’s best-known ruin bar.
Caro exploring the plant-filled courtyard of Szimpla Kert ruin bar
Caro exploring Szimpla Kert’s wonderfully chaotic courtyard.

After that we headed back to the apartment for a quiet and relaxing evening.