The next morning I headed back to the river to check times of river cruise, there’s a choice of 4 cruises included with the Budapest card or around 12euro/£11 5000huf. Across the road there are some steps that took me up to the tram stop and I catch a tram heading towards the parliament area. I got off and headed towards one of the patisseries and restaurants and had a coffee, a croissant and my first try of pogacsa, these are little scone like balls made with potato, cheese or pork crackling and watched life in Budapest go by me while I ate. Feeling re-fuelled I walked back to the Danube and the “shoes on the Danube” This is a memorial to the Hungarian Jews murdered in the winter of 1944-45. There are 60 pairs of women. men’s and children’s shoes cast in iron, shoes being a valuable commodity at the time, so victims were made to remove their shoes before being shot and falling into the river.

Back in the parliament area it’s easy to lose track of time just wandering the streets and taking in the beauty of the parliament building and statues. Walking along the tree filled riverbank I’m now heading for Margeret Island; this is a spit of land in the middle of the Danube and reached by Margeret bridge. There is a bus that goes inside the island and back with stops to get off and explore different areas. Being another bright, sunny and warm day i took a walk into the park and was immediately met with an impressive fountain dancing surrounded by seats and benches, a nice spot to have a sit and watch the show. The trees where a mass of autumnal colours and well-kept gardens filled in the gaps. A little further up there is a strip of restaurants and bars with lots of outside seating and sunbeds for the warmer months and views back over to pest. The path alongside the bars was decorated with colourful hot air balloon lanterns. I imagine it would look nice here at night when they are lit up! A bit further you’ll find the ruins of a Dominican convent and a Franciscan monastery, you can enter the ruins to look around. There is a converted water tower that serves as a panoramic look out point with a cafe at the bottom but due to the time of year was closed for my visit but i can see Margeret Island being a lively place to be in summer. I caught the bus off the island which stopped at the Buda side of Margeret bridge and started the short walk to St Lukacs thermal baths and spa. This is not the easiest place to find so I’d say google maps for directions. This is also included by the Budapest card and dates back to the 12^th century, it includes use of the thermal pools, swimming pools, wellness section and saunas. St Lukacs is split over 3 floors and has lots of changing booths and lockers that are included in price and used by an electronic wristband. You will need to take your own towel with you and a swimming cap or you get told off by a angry lifeguard haha. If you wish to use the swimming pools you can buy one at reception but not needed for the thermal baths. After my morning exploring the hot thermal baths was just what was needed, there are jets for massage and different seating areas which surround you with bubbles or just get swept along by the water jets in the lazy river. I stayed here for a lot longer than i thought i would, this was very relaxing and a real mix of ages using the facilities. Feeling very relaxed and wishing i was closer to my apartment i found my route on the Budapest go app and made my way back for a shower and a change of clothes. I headed back out and down to the river for the 8pm river cruise, Budapest looks so pretty at night all lit up but even better from the river with the lights and sights reflecting off the darkness of the water. The tour takes about an hour and you go past all the main sights with the highlight having to be in my opinion the parliament building lit up in golden lights showing up every detail in this intricate building. As you get on there is a QR code you can scan for an audio guide as well. The boat tour is included with the Budapest card but if paying i believe it was about £12/14 euro. Having had such a nice meal, the night before and the hospitality of the staff i returned to Hungarian hell’s kitchen for something to eat and was met with a very warm welcome. I had been picking at food on and off all day so ordered a langos with cheese, onion and bacon thinking this would be a lighter option but was presented with a very large but very tasty langos, Langos is typical Hungarian food, it is a deep-fried plate sized bread dough deep fried and covered with different toppings and you can find this anywhere in Budapest but biased I’d say this was the best! After a farewell and well wishes for the rest of my trip i headed out into the night to one of the Pest’s famous ruin bars.

After another very comfortable night at the apartment and bag all packed i set off for the Final day of my trip, my flight was at 5.30 pm so I needed to be on the 100E bus back to the airport for about 3.30 pm. I got on a tram and headed towards the Central market hall, this place is huge with the ground floor full of stalls selling fish, meat, spices, cured meats, palinka and dairy products and paprika at every turn. The upper floor is crafts and souvenirs which most of is mass produced typical tourist stuff but with a search around there are a few stalls that have something a bit more traditional like hand painted eggs, secret boxes and lots of street food, every stall has all the dishes plated up on the counter so you know what you’re buying. The building itself has amazing architecture and patterned tiled roof, it was worth a visit and then i stopped across the road for a coffee and some more cheesy scone balls which I’m starting to get addicted to now lol. Back on the tram and heading for Deak Ferenc ter which is a very busy area with shops, restaurants and cafes with lots of outside seating and the upscale Fashion Street, from here it’s a short distance to st Stephens Basilica, a beautiful roman catholic basilica named after the first king of Hungary. The outside of this building is amazing but when seeing inside you can’t help but be blown away by the work that has gone into this place. Nearby there is a sightseeing Ferris wheel and i also stumbled