Day 25 - Oct. 15 - Thursday

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY

The list of places to see in Budapest was long, but we had to narrow it down because today was the last day here, in Budapest and in Europa.

We started very close to our hotel, in what used to be the Jewish neighbourhood before the war, visiting the Grand Synagogue. According to our tour guide, this is the largest synagogue in Europe and the second in the world, just behind one in New York City.

While I was in there, it just occurred to me that this was the first time I entered a synagogue. But this one, said the tour guide, it is similar to a Christian church, since the Jews at the time wanted to "fit in and not be too different".

We had explanations about the synagogue and Jewish traditions in Spanish and Portuguese. Good for my parents, who were visiting such a place for the first time as well.

During the war, the Nazi Germans turned this place into a barn, said our guide. After the liberation, the synagogue remained closed because the soviets didn't allowed religion to be practised. Just in the 90s, the Synagogue was reopened to prayers and visitors.



Outside, in the garden is a small cemetery, where some Jewish killed during the WWII are buried. This area used to be a ghetto where Jewish people lived in terrible conditions, without food and help from the outside world.

This sculpture was paid by Hollywood Hungarian-American actor Tony Curtis . Part of his family was executed here during the WWII. Each leaf of the willow tree has a name of a person killed in the holocaust. It is a beautiful monument.

Our next stop was the Market Hall. I remembered I visited it 11 years ago when I was in Budapest for the first time, so I wanted to see it again. It was a very pleasant couple of hours wandering around fresh fruits and vegetables, and Hungarian products. On the top floor, there are souvenirs, art crafts and good restaurants. The building itself is worth seeing too.

We had lunch at this amazing family owned restaurant called Bruni Salatabar. The sausages are to die for and the service is really good. Everyone tries really hard to speak English or German. My parents got a little of Portuguese from them as well.

For dessert, we tried (again) the traditional Hungarian crepes with nuts inside and hot chocolate sauce on the top. OH MY GOD!!!! I am glad I don't live here, otherwise I would have it all the time!

How about a super sausage??????

Our third and last attraction was the famous bath house. We chose the Gellert Furdo Budapest, one that I have tried during my last trip. Inside there are four pools with different temperatures each, from 20 to 40 degrees.

Outside is more fun in one of the three different pools. I had to convince my parents to go out, since they thought it was CRAZY to get out in your swimming suit when it is only 6 degrees! But they did it!

To warm us up, we had a hot chocolate on the way home. Do you think I had enough chocolate in this trip?????

Well, tomorrow I will go back to reality, so let me have some fun today! :)

Good night!