Seeing more of Pest

We went back to Kaj for breakfast today, preferring its vibe and the coffee to nearby Honey.

St Stephen's Basilica

We then went for a more thorough exploration of St Stephen's Basilica, getting tickets for both the church interior and the visit to the panoramic terrace around the dome.

The church was consecrated in 1905 so is relatively new. That shows in the richness of its decoration, art works etc. The gold gleams, the paintings are rich with colour. While not enthused by the dark red marble, I was much more taken with the many mosaics of saints, cherubs and Bible scenes that adorn the dome and ceiling.

After visiting the interior we took the lifts which in two stages take you almost all the way to the terrace (if you prefer to walk, there are apparently 304 steps in total). But the lifts don't do all the work; there are still several flights of metal stairs to negotiate.

Once outside the views are wonderful, especially looking towards the Danube and Buda beyond.

To descend we chose to use the stairs as that made it possible to stop off at the Treasure part way down. This was small but had a few interesting items.

The Jewish District

Back at street level we made a brief return to the apartment as I wanted to drop off my jacket. There was already quite a lot of warmth in the sun and yesterday's sharp wind had just about disappeared. Then we set off to explore the streets of the Jewish District. We zigzagged up and down its streets, but made a point of taking a few sights, such as the sculpture that commemorates Carl Lutz, a Swiss diplomat who saved many Jews during the Holocaust. The memorial was erected in 1991 and shows Lutz, in the form of an angel, descending to rescue a fallen victim.

I was on the lookout for street art and found some great murals, including one dedicated to Rubik (inventor of the eponymous cube) and another depicting the famous 1953 victory of Hungary over England - thanks for rubbing it in guys!

It was too early in the day to visit one of the famous ruin bars but we found a great street food market tucked in among some buildings where we enjoyed a beer in the by-now hot sun.

We didn’t go inside any of the three synagogues in the quarter but did pass a couple of them. The reason there are three in such close proximity is that the Hungarian Jewish community split into three in 1869 due to differences of opinion as to how far they should go in assimilating into broader Hungarian society.

We continued our wanderings towards the Trash Art Museum, a small but quirky museum in a basement which displays sculptures created from old car parts and other metal objects. We had fun checking them out and taking photos of our favourites.

Next we took the Metro to the stop near the Central Market Hall. We had a stroll through the market , which has a mix of stalls aimed at locals and others very tourist-focused. I took a few photos, but we didn’t buy anything.

We then walked along the river bank, heading south from the Liberty Bridge, until we reached an area we’d spotted from the boat yesterday, with a row of inviting bars. The first one we came to, Esetleg, had a table in partial shade, welcome now the sun was pretty hot. We relaxed here over our drinks for a while, soaking up the atmosphere and the views.

We detoured for a quick look inside the modern glass building known as Balna ('whale') which houses a convention centre, bars and restaurants. The exterior had struck us when we had seen it on the previous day from our river cruise, but the interior was rather empty and disappointing.

Then we took the Metro back to the apartment.

In the evening we went back to Basilica for drinks then ate in another of the area's smarter restaurants, Bistro Rezkakas. The atmosphere was lovely with live music (one violinist in particular was very good) and friendly service.

We were very happy to see a red wine from our favourite Austrian grape, Blaufränkisch, but from a Hungarian vineyard near Sopron, and both ordered a glass – it was excellent. I enjoyed my starter of a savoury strudel filled with chicken in a paprika sauce, and Chris likewise his beetroot salad. Our mains both tasted good, but my duck was a bit on the lukewarm side as was Chris’s chicken. They redeemed themselves with a super chocolate mousse, rich but not too sweet. On the whole a great evening to round off our stay.

Savoury strudel