Welcome back to my blog! I'd firstly like to apologise for the delay in posting this. I am trying my best to stick to one blog post per month which doesn't seem much but Law School really creeps up on you (that's a story for another day). Before I start rambling on about how beautiful Budapest is, if you haven't already, read my blog posts on the stunning Santa Margherita and Portofino.
Now for the main attraction... Budapest! When my dear friends Carmen and Morayo first suggested Budapest for our girls trip I admittedly wasn't too keen. Me? Eastern Europe? It's a no from me. Oh how wrong I was. In this guide to Budapest I'm going to take you through the best spots for: Architecture, Nightlife and of course.. Food. I'll also touch on something I like to call #theblacklens. This will be my take on Budapest (or wherever in the world I have travelled to) through my perspective as a black woman.
Architecture
If you're an architecture lover like me, or simply an admirer of pretty buildings, Budapest is the city for you. Budapest boasts an eclectic mix of new and old architectural styles ranging from gothic to neoclassical to romanesque. Starting with my personal favourite: Matthias Church. In 1541, Turkey captured Buda and ruled over Budapest for 150 years. In 1686 during the liberation of Budapest, Matthias Church collapsed. It wasn't until 1896 when architect Frigyes Schulek, restored the church to its original beauty. I was taken aback by the fusion of colours on the tiled roof of the church. The church's romantic neo-gothic features differentiate it from any church I have seen. Look at the turquoise, orange and slight green hues. Beyond incredible.
I don't know about you but Fisherman's Bastion looks like something out of a fairytale to me. Can anyone else imagine Rapunzel letting down her hair from the top of the tower? No? Just me? Ok. Anywho, Fisherman's Bastion combines neo-Gothic and neo-Romanesque styles overlooking Buda, providing the perfect viewing terrace for tourists and locals alike. It was built between 1895 and 1902 in celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the Hungarian state. This was designed again by Frigyes Schulek (clearly a busy man). Both Fisherman's Bastion and Matthias Church should be high on your itinerary if you are visiting Budapest.
The Hungarian Parliament is so large that Morayo, Carmen and I spent a bit too much time debating and comparing it to the British Parliament. Let's compare. The Hungarian Parliament was inspired by the design of the British Parliament; one point to the Brits. The British Parliament sits on the brown toned, murky River Thames, whilst the Hungarian Parliament sits on the gorgeous Danube River, running through Buda and Pest. Easily one point to Hungary there. These are arguably the most beautiful parliamentary buildings in the world but I think the Hungarian Parliament tops it for me.
This photo of the Hungarian Parliament beautifully lit up at night was taken whilst we were on board of a Danube River Evening Sightseeing Cruise. The cruise lasted one hour, came with a complimentary cocktail and blankets and was only £7.98. We bought our tickets on Viator, click here for the link. (This is not an #ad, but maybe one day it will be lol)Did you know that the second largest synagogue in the world resides in Budapest? I sure didn't! During our strolls across Pest, we stumbled across the Dohany Street Synagogue in the infamous Jewish Quarter. A major renovation of the synagogue took place in the 1990s, funded by the likes of Estee Lauder and Tony Curtis. The Dohany Street Synagogue is the perfect example of moorish revival architecture. The designer, Ludwig Forster, also designed the Synagogue Tempelgasse in Vienna.
Nightlife
Once you've explored through Budapest's unique architecture and got all the cultural stuff out the way, it's time to shake a leg. I've always heard of people going to Budapest for stag and hen do's so I wasn't expecting the crowd or music to be to my liking. Again, I was wrong. On our first night, we started off at Gozsdu Udvar, a busy and popular courtyard filled with bars and restaurants. We went to Sunset Bar and had a few stupidly cheap cocktails to get us going for the night. We moved onto Okert, supposedly the best club in Budapest for hip-hop and r&b music. It was not. The club is huge with lots of different rooms, but the hip-hop room was empty and lacking in energy, a shame.
Overall, the nightlife in Budapest is very enjoyable. If you have the right company with you like I did, you'll have an amazing time!
Food
I've been battling with myself as to whether architecture, nightlife or food is most important to me when travelling. I think food reigns supreme and Budapest most definitely delivered. Unfortunately I didn't get many snaps of our food because it was THAT good but I will let you know where we ate and what we enjoyed (basically everything). Garzon - this lovely restaurant near the Jewish Quarter had cheap and cheerful burgers that we all loved. I had a cheeseburger, chips and coleslaw for only 2470 Forints which works out at around £6.50. I also added on a strawberry mojito for 1490 Forints (£3.92). A bloody bargain right?!
After a heavy night out, we were all craving something juicy, fatty and full of calories. We found a restaurant called EPIC which seemed to be inspired by American diner food. The burgers were juicy, wholesome and everything you'd want to cure a hangover. I paid 1900 Forints for a burger, chips and a drink (£5). The food in Budapest is shockingly cheap yet worth every single penny.
The last restaurant I'd recommend is one we found on a whim during our last day in Budapest - Il Terzo Cerchio. I never would have predicted finding amazing Italian food in Hungary, but somehow, we did. I opted for the Petto D'Anatra Con Pere E Noci Caramellate Con Pure Di Patate (Duck breast with caramelised walnut and pear served with mashed potatoes). This meal was gourmet and honestly looked like it should have come from a Michelin starred restaurant. Delicious.
#TheBlackLens
This is the part of my blog where I'll discuss my experience of travelling specifically from the lens of a black woman. As stated before, when I first realised we were visiting Eastern Europe, I was quite anxious. I had read accounts from bloggers like Black Girl in Budapest, seen racist comments from Hungarians and was left quite disheartened and on edge for our trip. However, Hungary truly surprised me. The locals were warm, welcoming and very hospitable. Perhaps this is because they are used to tourists from all over the world but besides a few stares, I wasn't made to feel hyper-aware of my blackness or othered. Despite this, simply because I nor my friends didn't experience any racism or xenophobia, does not mean it isn't happening in Hungary at all. On our way to Szimpla Kert one night, we heard a man disgustingly yell "Big N****r Girl" to a woman entering the club. This was our first time hearing or seeing such overt racism in Budapest and it undoubtedly shocked us. On the whole, Budapest is a beautiful city and I would implore other black travellers to consider Hungary as their next destination.
That was definitely my longest blog post yet! Budapest is such an amazing city, there is so so much to do: explore, eat, drink and enjoy. Despite the length of this post, I still have many other activities in Budapest to recommend so please do contact me or leave a comment if you will be going to Budapest soon! I hope you enjoyed this blog post, I certainly enjoyed reliving the memories of Budapest and the great time I had with my friends.
Until next time.. Happy roaming!
*All photos were taken by myself on my Canon EOS 4000D or iPhone XS*
We took the bus #82 from Santa Margherita Ligure which cost 5 EUR return. The scenic bus journey lasted 20 minutes and took a quick stop in Paraggi. Once we arrived in Portofino we walked to the main square (pictured below) and admired the view of the sparkling sea and brightly coloured buildings. Much to my surprise and slight disappointment, the detailing on the buildings has mostly been painted on!
The intricately painted facades on nearly all of the buildings on the Italian Riviera is known as "trompe l'oeil'". This is an art technique that uses realistic imagery or paintings to create the optical illusion that the depicted objects exist in 3D.
After a brief walk, we got hungry (surprise surprise) and chose Bar Gelateria “Il Molo” as our lunch spot. This restaurant has a gorgeous sea view and the food is reasonably priced. I opted for the pizza con parma ham for 14 EUR and a lemon soda for €7.50. I'm not going to lie, the pizza was dry and didn't have enough cheese at all... Sorry. Strangely, most of the beverages (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) cost more than the actual food... Cocktails were 15 EUR, quite expenny but we expected such in Portofino. The waiter was lovely and our food took around 15 minutes.
The church structure dates back to 1154 however it has been destroyed and rebuilt four times since then. The interior of the church is oval in shape and houses the relics of San Giorgio brought back by sailors that participated in the Crusades.
Brace yourself for an unpopular opinion... Both my sister and I agreed that we preferred Santa Margherita Ligure to Portofino. Portofino is undeniably scenic including the flash cars and yachts that I hope to afford one day. However, if you’re looking for luxury, beautiful views, seaside glory and food to die for... Santa Margherita is your best bet. I wouldn’t recommend booking accommodation in Portofino as there are very few hotels, the majority of which are quite expensive.
Furthermore, Portofino is a very small village and you can experience it in a couple of hours. There is no train station in Portofino so it can only be reached by car (if you want to brave the bendy roads), bus and ferry/boat. Santa Margherita Ligure is an amazing base if you wish to explore the Italian Riviera - SML has trains, buses, ferries etc all of which are easily accessible.
Nonetheless, I hope to return to Portofino in ten years with my husband and a bit (a lot) more cash. I’d stay in the Belmond Hotel Splendido, park my yacht in the harbour and live my best riviera life. I’ll sign off this post with a picture of my future yacht that includes an outdoor hot tub!
Happy roaming!
Welcome to the #RivieraSeries! During a week in July, I was fortunate enough to travel along the Italian Riviera and cross off several bucket list locations. Each post in this series will focus on an individual town (or set of towns: Cinque Terre). In today's post I will be focusing on the underrated Santa Margherita Ligure. I hope this will not only be informative but will also inspire you to finally start accomplishing your bucket list goals!
Santa Margherita Ligure is Portofino’s lesser-known neighbour, but still beautiful nonetheless. I may even be brave enough to say that it supersedes Portofino’s beauty.
My little sister and I stayed in Sabini Apartments, a well located hotel at a reasonable price (£370 for four nights) considering other hotels in the area were quoting upwards of £600 for four nights. As a family-run establishment, Sabini Apartments had a homely feel and the customer service was second-to-none. I would definitely recommend staying in Santa Margherita Ligure if you want to visit other towns along the Italian Riviera. Accommodation prices are much cheaper here compared to Portofino and Cinque Terre. From Santa Margherita you can take the bus #82 for 20 minutes straight to Portofino. This will set you back a whopping 2 EUR (spot the sarcasm). Or, if you’re feeling fancy and would like a journey with a view, opt for the ferry from Santa Margherita to Portofino for 7 EUR one way or 12 EUR return. You can find the bus and ferry timetables here.
Whilst strolling through Santa Margherita Ligure, we reached the coastline and saw an array of sea-front bars and restaurants. It was a tough choice but we finally settled on a restaurant called Kicks Santa Margherita. The waiter was welcoming and we were greeted with bread and limoncello before even ordering! Both my sister and I opted for the spaghetti with clams, mussels, shrimp, prawns and octopus (pictured below). Thinking about this meal weeks later and I am literally salivating. This was the best pasta dish that I have ever had. All of the seafood was remarkably fresh. With each bite I could literally taste the sea, unbelievable. This amazing meal cost us 14 EUR each! Insane.
How does one relieve themselves of a carb-induced coma? Get some gelato. We popped into Gelaterie Gepi and I got a medium cup of stracciatella ice cream for 3.50 EUR - yum!
Now time for the actual carb-killer. We walked up hill (along multiple, multiple stairs) to my future wedding venue, Villa Durazzo. Entry to the gardens is completely free! This picturesque garden (almost literally) blew my wig away with it’s panoramic views of Santa Margherita Ligure. I have already told all my friends to save their coins as my wedding will be held on these grounds. I’ll let them know sooner or later once I’ve found a husband. Every corner of Villa Durazzo is different. One section has a beautiful monochrome tiled floor contrasted with a rich terracotta and cream building. Another section is filled with palm trees (my weakness) and delightful greenery. Villa Durazzo is a must-visit and the perfect photo spot.
Villa Durazzo is a Ligurian hidden treasure. Built in 1678 as a summer residence for the Durazzo family, the grand villa overlooks the Gulf of Tigullio. In the 19th century, the villa was sold to Prince Centurion, who built the outbuildings and outlined the Italian Garden.
On another day during the trip after visiting Portofino, we stopped by Soleado Cafe in Santa Margherita for a quick drink. I ordered a frozen strawberry daiquiri (for 9 EUR) and wow, just wow. This was the first strawberry daiquiri I've had that was actually blended with real strawberries. With each sip, I could taste the chunky bits of sweet strawberry and also the very punchy rum (I'm not complaining...). The lovely waiter also brought a huge bread, cheese and prosciutto platter (pictured below) to our table which turned out to be complementary! A great surprise. I would definitely recommend Soleado Cafe for some drinks whilst the day is winding down and the sun is setting.
If you plan to visit Santa Margherita in the near or distant future, I do hope this blog post pushes you to book that flight! I will now leave you with some miscellaneous photos from Santa Margherita, can't let them go to waste! Happy roaming!
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