Budapest was awesome. A glorious city packed with things to do, see and discover. For reasons unbeknown to myself, I decided to keep a record of exactly how I spent my first 24 hours in Budapest, hour by hour. (I believe I have a thing for documentation; be it in photographs, journalling, and sometimes when I have the odd hour at night, actual scrap-booking; I am nine).
So here was my first day, copied from the notes on my phone:
Friday Night:
21:00 Tesco: to purchase bread, butter, milk, and water.
21:30 Arrive at the hostel (blog post on that here…).
DAY 1: Saturday:
6:45 Up shower prepare (watch my morning vlogs here).
7:45 Breakfast/journalling in the kitchen
8:30 Vlogged for a bit
10:00 Breakfast in Cirkusz (below)
10:30 Macaroons bought from cake shop (below)
11:00 Walk to River, past St Stephens Basilica, to Parliament, visitor centre, opera house, fashion street (all in next post)
13:30 Street food (Goulash) for lunch (below)
14:00 Bumped into Katie and Sam (friends from back home, below)
15:00 Uploaded vlogs to Instagram, took a nap
16:30 Wake up
17:00 Walk to river and vlog more, over bridge, beautiful views
18:00-19:20 Sit in Starbucks and journal/message Mum
20:00 Buy some dinner, go back to hostel, have dinner
21:00 Go out for drinks with Henry, Ruby and Phillip
00:30 Come back
01:30 bed time
I’ve probably had breakfast alone in public before numerous times. But it’s a little different when you’re potentially also having lunch and dinner alone too. (For me anyway, I’m used to a four year old asking to play the minute I’ve begun eating). I did think to myself “Now don’t pout. This is what you signed up for. Embrace it. You can enjoy your salmon without having to think about conversation, or what a slow eater you are when you’re with others. And for God’s sake: EAT MINDFULLY FOR ONCE.”
I was sat on a six-table in a place called Cirkusz with a group of two Chinese couples. They smiled as I sat down and I felt welcomed into the space. I enjoyed my bagel and quietly observed the couples taking photos of each other with their food. It went well for a first-time-dining-out-alone experience. I was only mildly irritated towards the end when it came to paying the bill, when I swear roughly three different waiters came along and asked if I was part of the group. “NO!..Can’t you see I’m on a solo-travel-adventure?! I AM NOT PART OF ANY GROUP”.
I stood in this cake shop for a while taking photos – and yes an Insta-Story probably too – by the time I was done I felt compelled to purchase something. I bought four tiny macaroons for my parents; placed perfectly in a little box and tied with a neat little ribbon. Of course they got crushed in my bag and I later ate them. (I bought way better gifts for the family later…)
Vegetable goulash for lunch. I would have liked more of the vegetables and less of the bread, but hey ho, the warm food was comforting.
…But what was even more comforting was bumping into Katie and Sam.. (Which, after both breakfast and lunch alone, was a welcomed surprise..)
And below: A couple of snaps from the streets of Pest ( Buda is on one side of the river, Pest the other. I was staying on the Pest side, where there seemed to be more happening…).
The Colourful Kind 
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