Budapest is the capital and most
populous city of Hungary. It is the tenth-largest city in
the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest
city on the river Danube. The city has an estimated population of
1,752,286 over a land area of about 525 square kilometres (203 square miles). Budapest,
which is both a city and municipality, forms the centre of
the Budapest metropolitan area, which has an area of 7,626 square
kilometres (2,944 square miles) and a population of 3,019,479. It is
a primate city, constituting 33% of the population of Hungary.
The history of Budapest began when an early Celtic settlement
transformed into the Roman town of Aquincum, the capital
of Lower Pannonia. The Hungarians arrived in the territory
in the late 9th century, but the area was pillaged by the Mongols in
1241–42. Re-established Buda became one of the centres of Renaissance
humanist culture by the 15th century. The Battle of Mohács, in
1526, was followed by nearly 150 years of Ottoman rule. After
the reconquest of Buda in 1686, the region entered a new age of
prosperity, with Pest-Buda becoming a global city after the unification of Buda, Óbuda and Pest on 17 November 1873, with the
name 'Budapest' given to the new capital. Budapest also became the
co-capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a great power that
dissolved in 1918, following World War I. The city was the focal point of
the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 and the Battle of Budapest in
1945, as well as the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.
Budapest is a global city with strengths in commerce,
finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and
entertainment. Hungary's financial centre, Budapest is also the
headquarters of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, the European
Police College and the first foreign office of the China Investment
Promotion Agency. Over 40 colleges and universities are located in
Budapest, including Eötvös Loránd Unirsity, Corvinus University, Semmelweis
University, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest and the Budapest
University of Technology and Economics. Opened in 1896, the city's
subway system, the Budapest Metro, serves 1.27 million, while
the Budapest Tram Network serves 1.08 million passengers daily.
The central area of Budapest along the Danube is
classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has several
notable monuments of classical architecture, including the Hungarian
Parliament and the Buda Castle. The city also has around 80
geothermal springs, the largest thermal water cave system, second
largest synagogue, and third largest Parliament building in the
world. Budapest attracts around 12 million international
tourists per year, making it a highly popular destination in Europe. Some of the buildings from the Soviet period are looking pretty shady and a lot are now in the process of either being renovated or demolished for something more stable and modern.
We were at breakfast just after 7am after a surprisingly good sleep; despite being woken at midnight by some thoughtless, people coming home after a night out. Other than that the night was mainly quiet. Breakfast fare was nothing flash but had the essentials: cereal, bread, croissants, butter, ham, cheese, tomato, scrambled eggs, baked beans, little sausages and fried mushies and onion, juice and coffee that was ok.
We then set off to find the bike shop. We found the Metro station and while trying to work out which platform was ours, a very friendly and helpful man showed us the way and told us what kind of ticket to buy. We were soon on the very clean underground Metro and eight stops later were at our interim destination. We could have caught a tram to the bike shop, but elected to walk the 1.4km as we were way too early for our 10am appointment. We were still too early so sat outside watching other people come and go, get fitted for their bikes, do test rides etc. A thriving business was going on.
They had our bikes waiting for us and set about adjusting them for us. They even changed our pedals for us. We rode away about 45 minutes after walking in. Most of the staff spoke decent English and we all got along very well. We were very relieved to be riding away, after having a little difficulty with email communications. We suspect that their spoken English is better than their reading and writing. The specs on these Giant bikes are not as good as those we have at home, however, we got both of them for less than the price of one at home = BARGAIN! The tyres are thinner and more off-road so even though we now have front shockies, the ride was still a little rougher, so Wendy thought anyway. When we got back to the hotel, we asked where to store them and could we charge them in that place as well. “No, but you can use the breakfast room to charge them, and then we can move them to the storage area.” We left our bikes in the breakfast room and went to our room for a nana nap before going back down to fit the various accoutrements we had bought along. That done, we plugged them in and charged them as they were not quite 100% when we picked them up.
After another rest, blogging, sorting luggage, etc, we went out for a wander into the city to seek out dinner. We fully intended to eat at a real restaurant tonight, however, we couldn’t find one that we were happy with so we resorted to our favourite salads again. We sat on a bench in a park and ate our dinner while watching people pass by. It was quite relaxing. Back to the hotel for the night time routine.
