The last day

It's sooooo cold, but a walk on Marghareten Island is a must. It's peaceful, almost no one around, cars are not allowed to drive and I can imagine that people of all ages like to relax here on warm days. After that, we visit St. Stephen's Basilica. We're lucky because we don't have to wait in front of the gates for more than 5 minutes. Luck continues to be on our side as we arrive at the right time... We are greeted by organ music and can listen to a choir of young people afterwards. It's absolutely amazing in this atmosphere. A must-visit. The church is located in the district of Pest and has been the biggest church in Budapest since its inauguration in 1905. Inspired, we head to the synagogue. We have booked a tour for Monday. But before that, we need to fill our stomachs. Budapest offers great cuisine from around the world everywhere, except for now, there is nothing that appeals to us. So we decide to take a longer walk to eat at Thai Spicy Nine again. And it's soooooo delicious. Highly recommended (link see blog post).

But now let's go to the Dohany Street Synagogue. Armed with the doggy bag of leftovers, we pass through the security check. The tour in German has already started, we're late. So we join the English tour. I feel well informed, but my mother only understands half of it and decides to switch to the German tour, which has just started again. Our paths separate and later it turns out that my guide was more passionate and informative. Thumbs up for the English-speaking guide. I learned so much, it's beyond the scope, but here are a few interesting facts:

• - The synagogue was built within 5 years and has 3000 seats.
• - In the courtyard of the synagogue, there's a memorial for the victims of the Holocaust, a tree that, if you look closely, has as many branches as a Menorah. The memorial was supported by Estée Lauder, among others. Each leaf is engraved with the name of a victim.
• - Right next to the memorial, there's a monument for people who have saved Jewish lives, such as Raoul Wallenberg.
• - It is the third largest synagogue in the world.
• - The synagogue incorporates many elements of the local Christian religion to show the connection between the two religions.
• ...

After coffee and cake at S12 Kosher Deli near the synagogue (yummy cake), we stroll through the streets and have to stop at every second souvenir shop (even though my mother doesn't buy anything 😤 and I don't like the trinkets either). But walking by chance leads us to a photo exhibition that I saw in passing yesterday and really wanted to see (it's on display until January 5th). What is it about?

34-year-old world-renowned wildlife photographer from Hungary, Mate Bence, showcases animals from around the world in various moments on approximately 20 photo walls: in motion, at night... There are also details on how long the photographer took for each shot and how many years of work are invested in each photo series. I'm blown away! Just like Budapest as a whole.

I would have never thought of traveling to Budapest. When I still lived at home, my mother always said she really wanted to go there. It remained just a theory! Now, about 15 years later, we put theory into practice. And what can I say?! I/we love 💗 Budapest. (except for the way too steep and fast escalators).

Oh, and one more thing: I hardly had time (or desire) to prepare for the trip, which is usually so not my style. But the surprise effect that resulted from it was incredible! I can't imagine not planning ahead for long trips, but in this case, it brought me many ooohs and aaahs. A great experience! 😊