We had an early start to the Sunday thanks to a thunderstorm, and we actually got up to enjoy it because you NEVER have thunderstorms in the Middle East, and very rarely does it rain...so it was nice to experience that again. And I do love the smell of the air after a good rain storm.
Due to it being a Sunday, and ridiculously early, we were the only ones out and about the city except for the street cleaners. Seriously, it was just us. Wonderful and a tad eerie at the same time. We had the entire city to ourselves, to explore in peace.
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| St. Stephen's Cathedral |
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| St. Stephen's Cathedral |
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| St. Stephen's Cathedral |
We knew our destination for the morning was to make it to the
Szimpla's Sunday Market, since it was only open on this day, and came very highly recommended. It is a bit tight and disorganized, but completely wonderful and worth the stop. Our breakfast from here consisted of 3 cheeses from one vendor, a meat platter from another, and a loaf of bread from the baker. We then took our piece-meal and sat at a table next to the entrance and people-watched while we ate. Honestly, this is my perfect morning.
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| Szimpla's Sunday Market |
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| Szimpla's Sunday Market |
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| Szimpla's Sunday Market: BREAKFAST! |
And then, once again, out to walk off our breakfast. This is the only way that we don't gain massive amount of weight when we travel....we walk EVERYWHERE. We never take taxis or cars, and only consider metro when it is more than a 4-5 mile walk one-way. This approach has us averaging 10-15 miles of walking a day and buys us the ability to eat without too much guilt.
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| Synagog |
And to the park we go! Unbeknownst to us, the park is home to
Vajdahunyad Castle, and it is impressive! You can pay to tour the castle inside (we didn't) or explore the grounds for free (we did).
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| Vajdahunyad Castle |
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| Vajdahunyad Castle |
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| Vajdahunyad Castle |
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| Vajdahunyad Castle |
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| Vajdahunyad Castle |
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| Vajdahunyad Castle |
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| Vajdahunyad Castle |
We happened upon a large outdoor "foodie park" that was set up for the weekend. It looked awesome, but we were too full from breakfast to even think about trying anything, so we decided that we would be back for dinner. It was worth the return:
We enjoyed cider and kriek, awesome sautéed cabbage, sausage fry up with vegetables, sausage with mustard, and ended with a baked cinnamon and sugar ring filled with ice cream.
