Budapest, Hungary - Top 5s :)

First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2014 has started off brilliantly for me. It really has. I am so thankful (and lucky) for that! :) It's been a great Christmas vacation for me and it's not over yet!
On Sunday, December 22, a friend/colleague of mine and I hopped aboard a train to Budapest; the Railjet via Salzburg, Vienna and a number of other places, to be exact. We were set for a 7 hour train ride during which time I surprised myself by reading a large chunk of a book - a chapter book - a novel! Admittedly, I'm not a big reader. I'm more into listening to music and if you've ever seen me around an iPod and speakers, you'd clearly see that. No matter, the distance and the reading, I was excited to explore another new city that had always been on my list.

We spent five days in Budapest and all five days offered a new perspective, a new level of comfort, a new aspect of good impression for the people and this Hungarian capital city. It was great. To list some of the city's top fives, I thought I could give you more insight into a Christmas visit to this central European, former Austro-Hungarian Empire city.

Top 5 Best Things about our Budapest Apartment Rental:

1. Norbert, the owner, gave us four pages of typed up information about the area surrounding the apartment/in the city area that he recommended for us. We knew everything we'd need to upon arrival.
Norbert's Apartment on Trip Advisor
2. The apartment's high ceilings were so impressive and we loved this old-style apartment.
3. Every time we came home from hours of walking around the city (we just walked everywhere!), it was so warm, cosy and toasty.
4. There was information available on the book shelves and upon arrival and key hand-over process, Norbert and his mother took out a map, circled and drew places we should go, gave us more information about the immediate area and were on deck to answer any questions we had. Incredibly helpful and we're incredibly thankful!
5. The apartment's location was fantastic. It was located less than five minutes from a metro station but we decided to walk everywhere. Every sight in the city was accessible by foot, from our apartment, within 40-45 minutes. Easy. We figured out the city pretty quickly on foot and it was a nice feeling of familiarity by the time we left! :)

Top 5 Best Things Food/Drink related in Budapest:

1. Happy Hour. Every bar/restaurant seemed to have happy hour between the hours of 5 and 8...not only was there happy hour for drinks but someplace had happy hour pizzas! Cue our first place of food/drink - Pompei. They don't have a website, and I don't want to come across as biased about a restaurant...who are we kidding, that's exactly what I'm going to do. I take food very seriously. Very, very seriously. It was on a pedestrian street and you could find it here:  
1061 Budapest | Liszt Ferenc tér 3
It was delicious and so cheap (about half the cost of anything similar in Munich) and we had a pizza and two cocktails each for about 25Euros total. I recommend the piña coladas and the pizza was a manageable size with delicious, fresh made dough.
2. TGIFriday's. We saw this place on our way back from the thermal spa - a big day of chilling, relaxing and spa-ing but also a big day of walking. We saw the red and white striped awning and knew we had to stop. Stomachs growling, I already knew what I wanted before I sat down...the ribs didn't disappoint. Neither did the cocktails, again, for happy hour prices! Strawberry daiquiris - amazing as usual - sure I'll take an ultimate! The best part was the price - again, half the price of a similar experience in Munich...probably more than half the price, actually! You can't complain! Our waiter was also fantastic and helpful and overall, it was a great dining experience. We went back again a few nights later.
3. Christmas Eve Dining. Yup, it's next to impossible in this city so you might want to stock up at the grocery store and cook up your own feast, or find a local family to enjoy this festive meal with. In Hungary, it's more traditional to have a Christmas feast on Christmas Eve and then open the presents and celebrate before the actual 25th. Because of this, most restaurants are closed. After an hour and a half of walking, and scoping our options, we ordered our Thai food and were carrying it home for a late dinner at 9pm; we left at 7 with hungry tummies! The Thai food we got though, was delicious. The place was packed, the staff were stressed but they managed well. I left a tip for the main waiter because he was working so hard and efficiently. You gotta love those people who go the extra mile. So, this delicious Thai food can be tried for yourself any day of the year at: Kaeng Som Tom Yum
4.  Christmas Lunch. After the Nutcracker (see below Top 5), we stopped at Buena Vista to have a look at the menu. A professional looking young man brought out an additional menu for us to look at so we decided to give the place a try. Turns out, it was a good decision. When we walked in, we were the only ones, but within 5 minutes, 3 other tables came in and seated themselves as well - post ballet rush! :P For our Christmas lunch, I decided to get bruschetta to start followed by a chicken caesar salad. To drink: fresh squeezed lemonade. Yum. Everything was delicious and I was satisfied with the service and the establishment as well; a darn good restaurant choice for Christmas lunch! :) We even sprang for dessert - crème brûlée - and we did not at all regret the decision. For this meal, I paid about 20Euros which I thought was a steal!
5. Christmas Dinner. I've covered the three main meals (assuming you eat Christmas Breakfast in your hotel/apartment/accommodation) during the holidays. This meal was eaten at Fresco - a restaurant across the street from Buena Vista. We thought the menus from the two restaurants were incredibly similar so upon inquiry about this, we found out they had the same Russian owner. The waiter at Fresco was our best waiter yet; he was giving us information about shopping and chatting with us about the importance of quality service and food. I appreciated that. I was planning on getting a hefty rib-eye steak but was convinced to get the turkey steak instead which I did not regret. It was cooked to perfection and I had my turkey after all!... Of course, it was missing its stuffing and other sidekicks but it was turkey! The salad that came with it was bland and I didn't much enjoy it, but the dessert paired with the turkey made this place worthy of a positive review and a top five food entry! What did I have for dessert? Chocolate souffle. Well played, Melinda, well played.

Top 5 Things to Do/See in Budapest via Photograph:

1. Szechenyi Bath. Amazing. Book yourself a massage upstairs too - pricey at 45Euros for an hour, but well, well worth it for an hour of relaxation therapy! 

2. Jasmin Facial. Unfortunately, I don't have a photo, but this was a fantastic facial experience. Nearly two hours of pampering and soothing facial care by a lovely lady who was really knowledgeable in what she was doing = trip highlight for me. I paid 35Euros for this treatment using all organic, non-animal tested products from Australia. I'd highly recommend it if you're on a spa holiday anyway! 
Jasmin Skin Care Spa

3. Explore. The best part of visiting a new city, is the adventure of exploring it on foot. A big shout out to my iPhone and Google Maps for making this an easy task. Just walking around the city, and finding our way, offered beautiful views and photographic opportunities. Budapest is a great walking city with lots to explore!

Vajdahunyad Castle

Heroes Square

Awesome use of "green space" :)

National Library

The Danube :)

Gellért Hill

Liberty Statue or Freedom Statue

Gellért Hill Stairs...moments before my mate got pooped on by a bird - appropriate! :P

Széchenyi Chain Bridge on my way to Buda Castle

Matthias Church

Buda Castle offers awesome views of the Parliament, especially when construction is happening that blocks access to the building on the other side.

Lion

Buda Castle views

4. Christmas. Though religion is something I/we/everyone sees different points of view on, I love celebrating Christmas. It's easily my favourite holiday. Why? Mostly because of the good company, the love and the food. It's once a year where everyone is together, laughing, smiling and eating. That being said, when I'm away from home, I have to find ways to enjoy the season more. I decorate my house and I like to gather my friends around. In Budapest, we did the following to explore Christmas abroad:

Opera House - See #5 :)

Pretty Christmas lights :)

St. Michael's Cathedral...

is the location of a lovely Christmas market and...

Four Seasons Hotel Christmas Tree - Beaut!

On the hour, this church came to life. It was amazing. Animated awesomeness!

St. Michael's Cathedral

Christmas lights :)

Christmas market goodies - chimney bread!

Giant sized Advent wreaths everywhere.

More Christmas Market goodies...such lovely smells!

5. The Nutcracker. It was an incredible way to spend Christmas morning away from family, friends and other loved ones. Man. The talent of the children and adults with their dancing was exceptional. The orchestra provided an awesome soundtrack. The set crew put together the best set I've ever seen on stage for any sort of live performance. And it's the Nutcracker. My mate and I had been humming the tune every time we walked by the Opera House (which was a lot) and it was only fitting we went. Another highlight was wearing matching reindeer leggings to boot...obviously. Merry Christmas to us! :)

Main stage in front. No photo or videography...although there will always be the clown that tries!

Beautiful Magyar Állami Operaház

Big cheese for ballet, reindeer and Christmas :D