The JaYmes Escape

Budapest is a beautiful city and the weather here has been a bizzare alternation between clear, sunny, photogenic days and horrible cloudy rainy days. There is so much to see and do here, from thermal baths (highly recommended) to vast cave complexes in the Buda hills and incredibly striking architecture.

Major landmarks include the chain bridge, designed by an Englishman and completed in 1849, St Stephen’s Basillica, a church that doesn’t look like a church, and the Parliament building which took 19 years to construct and was completed in 1904; this was influenced by the design of the palace of Westminster in London and the riverside location certainly emphasises that.

I’m particularly pleased with some of the Budapest photos.

A picturesque train ride along the Danube yesterday has brought me to the Hungarian Capital, Budapest. There’s a lot to do here but the 8 night stop is also going to give me chance to take a breather and relax in some of the city’s famous thermal baths, plus do some more mundane things like laundry and online banking.

The new year celebration in Bratislava truly was fantastic, with four stages featuring live music and DJs around the city centre plus the incredible midnight display over the river. New Year, or Silvester as it’s called in this part of the world, is also Slovak independence day.