Page 234 - WDT MAGAZINE IRELAND ISSUE WINTER 2018

Three Days in
Budapest

story and Photograpy By Alison DaRosa

t was a whirlwind romance -- fast-moving and intense
-- but after only three days together, Budapest stole my
heart. I long for the day when we’re together again.
I I was booked on a Danube river cruise aboard the
sleek Viking longship, Vilhjalm. We’d sail from Budapest,
the capital of Hungary, to Passau in Germany. I signed up
for an optional pre-cruise stay in Budapest, treating myself
to sensory soaks, mouthwatering eats, plus an exhilarating
dip into history.
The area that’s now Budapest was first settled by Celts
well before 1 AD. Since then it has been occupied by a
series of conquerors who left their imprints, most notably
Romans and Turks. Think Roman baths and Turkish ham-
mams.
The city straddles the Danube – and it wasn’t until 1873,
that Buda (on the hilly western side of the river) and Pest
officially merged creating the new metropolis of Budapest.
The city began the 20th century as part of the Austro-
Hungarian Empire and spent most of the 1900s struggling
for independence. It lost two thirds of its territory and
more than half its population During World War II – when
much of the city was bombed. In 1945, the Soviets liber-
ated the city– and didn’t pull out till the early 1990s when
the Communist bloc began to crumble.
Today much of Budapest is a UNESCO World Heritage
site. At the same time, it’s a thriving modern city with safe,
efficient public transportation, modern hotels and trendy
eateries.
I stayed at the Hilton Budapest City, situated in the heart
of Pest, with plenty of attractions within walking distance.

234 WDT MAGAZINE WINTER 2018