The terracotta warriors have taken to the waters

The wedding ceremony was being held in the afternoon, so as Friday morning rolled around, Rich and I had plenty of time for exploring. I took Rich to Bregenz; it is a very short train journey from Dornbirn and was where I had spent the latter half of my year abroad.
We visited the Festspielhaus to take a look at the opera set this year and I told him about James Bond. He couldn't recall the scenes in question from the film, so it didn't mean all that much to him.
The current opera for the Chinese-inspired set is Puccini's Turandot, the opera from which the famous Nessum dorma comes. Perhaps one day I will visit the Bregenzer Festspiel. It would probably appeal to my sister.
On a far less touristy note, but to my own amusement, wishbone lake (not an official name) was still present and still surrounded by chairs.
It doesn't look like anybody has tried to rearrange the furniture recently.
From the Festspielhaus we walked towards the harbour along the lakeside. I was pleased to see that Beach Bar had been erected that week, even if we had missed snow by just a few days. It's not summer in Bregenz without the Beach Bar! I enjoyed regaling Rich with many stories of the town.
We perused the town centre, which quite honestly has not changed. At least, not that I noticed. We stopped for an al fresco lunch at San Guiseppe. Here we spotted our first beagle of the trip. After lunch I insisted that we get an ice-cream, because it was warm and sunny, but mostly because ice-cream in Bregenz is amazing and it's so cheap! Austria isn't famed for ice-cream, but it does border Italy, so perhaps they take some gelato tips.
We had no real direction and simply ambled around with our ice-creams. This wandering did however take us past both of the schools, at which I had worked, which naturally led to more reminiscing.
Since it was sunny and warm we had quite a pleasant morning. Bregenz though - still quaint, still picturesque, still really, rather boring!

We're punctual not polite, now get off the train

Preface

It had been 4 and a half years since I was last in Vorarlberg. Old timers may remember that I did my assistantship with the British Council here during my year abroad. I returned for a long weekend as a friend was getting married. In some ways I'd forgotten everything, in some ways I remembered everything.

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Even I have to admit that I was incredibly grumpy for our early morning flight to Zürich; it's something about being early, tiredness, lack of food and well, just too many people. However, despite my grumpiness, we did in fact make our flight.

I had tried to pre-book our train tickets, but neither OBB nor SBB gave return options on their sites, which meant that we had to queue up and buy in person. Lo and behold, the return is an option! Rich perused the suggested route and was perturbed by the quick changes. Of course here in the UK, one could never imagine having just 2 minutes to change trains and that not being an issue. Over in Switzerland and Austria, it's pretty normal. Most of the time, your change is a walk across the platform. Rich did point out later that the announcements don't have any of the niceties you might find on a British train such as the below, so maybe they save a few seconds that way...

• "Please ensure to take all your belongings with you." 
• "We wish you a safe and pleasant onward journey"
• "Thank you for travelling with XXX"

We arrived at our destination of Dornbirn without too much fuss, but finding the hotel was a whole different story, given that neither of us brought a map, directions, or had even written down the address. Helpful right? So we wandered around based on Rich's estimations from memory until my cranky side kicked off and I demanded that he purchase an internet booster for his phone. We had turned a 350 yard walk into a 15-20 minute search. This was at least quickly rectified and we checked into our hotel Harry's Home before deciding lunch was a great idea.

We strolled towards the centre, where as I remember most of the shops, bars and restaurants could be found. Walking around, you can see the mountains poking their heads above the buildings, the recent snows still visible on the peaks. It's stunning really. We settled on a café called 21, which I'm fairly certain Rich chose because somebody sitting outside had dogs with them. The menu was fairly limited. I made the mistake of ordering schwarze Tee; I did also specifically ask for milk, but this was so far from a good British cuppa and no amount of sugar could take away the bitterness. The waitress also disappeared for a substantial period of time, so getting the bill to be able to pay and leave, was far too much hassle. We eventually went back to the hotel for a nap.

In the evening Raffi and Vera had arranged for the English speakers to meet up for dinner and essentially get to know each other before the wedding. They had booked a table at Bierlokal (sorry your location might be blacklisted) and I’d sneakily checked out the location over lunch so I knew where to go, even though I’d been once before. Dinner was lovely; there were 3 others from English-speaking corners of the globe and a few others, who could speak pretty damn good English. Rich was relieved that he would be able to talk to people. Secretly me too, as I'm not sure my German would hold up to a non-work related conversation these days. After some tasty food and a number of drinks (gespritzter Weisswein, nothing too strong!) we did go back to the hotel in the end for some well anticipated sleep, 

All in a day!

Pest : Sorry, how many horses?

Ah day 2 of our city break. It really was a jam-packed few days and they really do merit individual posts!
We stuck to the Pest side of the river and had a rather easier morning, starting with a trip to the Széchenyi Thermal Baths. In case you weren't aware, thermal baths are outrageously popular in Hungary and there are a number dotted around, each with a different selling point. Széchenyi is (I believe) the biggest. The façade of the once-grandiose building is crumbling and the paint is peeling. The place probably hasn't ever been renovated. If you pay for a cabin, expect it to be small. It's essentially a cupboard. Based on first impressions, I was beginning to think the place was heavily overrated. Outside there are 3 thermal pools, as well as a number of various pools, saunas and steam rooms inside.
You might see some old men playing chess, half immersed in the warm water. You might see old ladies attempting aqua-aerobics around other visitors. You might see a young couple or friends floating around the jacuzzi bubbles. It's a very soothing and very relaxing place and it's easy to see why the Hungarians go on a regular basis.
After freshening up back at the hotel, we continued out day choosing to amble up Váci Utca. This is a pedestrian street full of shops, cafés and tattoo or massage parlours. I'll be frank - it's not worth seeking out for the shopping unless you are particularly interested in touristy tat. For upmarket shopping, you'd be better off near the Opera House. However, we did find a pleasant café, in which to lunch on Hungarian food. The weather remained beautiful, despite being mid-November and this enabled us to eat outside. I noticed lots of places have blankets for outside diners, so it must be encouraged whenever the sun is shining.

Országház

From Váci Utca, we moved across to the river and took the tram up to the Parliament buildings (Országház) If you want a quick fix on sightseeing, without the legwork, definitely take that tram (Number 2 perhaps) for the whole route. You get to see nearly all of the famous landmarks, as long as you get a good window seat!
The Parliament Buildings, as you might expect, are impressive. There are peaks of Christianity in the odd statue of Saints hidden in some of the alcoves. It's quite the work of art. By the time we walked around the outside, the sun was setting, which cast the buildings in a soft glow. There are an awful lot of statues of horses dotted around as well.

Matthias Church in sunset

We mused around in the twilight passing a handful of memorials. The one to the left here peaked my interest, but I have to say, I have no idea what it was for.

From there, we made our way towards St. Stephen's Basilica. We had seen it in passing the night before, but you missed the grandeur in the dark. Entry is free to the basilica, although you can pay to go up to the balcony. Essentially you pay for a panorama. I'm sure it's a great view, but you can get (superior) panoramas for free across the river up the hills. Save your pennies. If you do want to splash out, go to an organ concert and buy a ticket for a memorable event.
I'm a sucker for churches, temples and all religious places of worship. I love the sanctity. Inside the Basilica there is some beautiful artwork. Towards the back, in rooms behind the alter, they keep a relic of St Stephen (Szent Istvan) who was supposedly the first King of Hungary. You can press a button to light up the relic for a few moments in order to see it so as to preserve it from constant light. I'm not fussed about relics. I don't see why that's more of an attraction than the basilica ceiling!
Having completed our sightseeing for the day and dusk falling more rapidy, we sought out a "cat café". They have 10 cats wandering around the café for you to pet, stroke, play with (cats willing). The cats mostly aren't that willing and want to sleep, but you can buy some cat treats, which does attract more attention for the cats!
The cats are all very placid from what I saw, but one to avoid if you have any allergies.

Our final evening was rounded off by exploring the ruin bars dotted around Pest. Our favourite was El Lato, which is run by volunteers and often does goodwill work in the area. They have an "alternative" playlist, just in case European Pop isn't your thing.
For great cocktails, dip into the tiny Pharma bar. You can probably only fit 8-10 people in the bar, but they do make an incredible selection of cocktails

Buda - an awful lot of walking

Determined to fit in as much as possible in to our short trip as well as on a budget, I had lots of things planned.

Liberty Statue

Shortly after breakfast, we marched over the river to Buda towards Gellert Hill. The goal obviously to see the Liberty Statue and the Citadella at the top. There are many paths through the park up to the top; don't be fooled, none are shorter or less steep, but they will all get you to the top. Eventually, which is worth it.
You get a beautiful view over the city from the top, especially if it's a lovely day. For mid-November, it was rather warm and sunny!
We posed for a few photos, before aiming to stroll down Gellert Hill, this time on the other side.

Garden of Philosphy

This didn't go quite as well as we hoped, as we found ourselves wandering around a little aimlessly until we stumbled across  the "Garden of Philosphy" by Nando Wagner, featuring bronze statues of 8 famous philosophers or religious figures. It sits in a quiet park, almost totally overlooked by tourists, but the tranquillity only suits theme of the installation.

Upon getting our bearings again down by the river, we followed the promenade up towards Castle Hill. We took the funicular up; we'd already tackled one hill that morning, two seemed like a big ask! It brings you out right atop Castle Hill with the National Museum and the Palace to your left. We didn't go inside either of these, although I'm sure they have their merits. Perhaps with a longer stay or on a rainy day. We continued however, to circle the gardens and the castle walls, taking in yet more panoramic views over Budapest, as well as the sporadic entertainment of street performers. It did get quite crowded along the castle walls, which involved fighting/waiting patiently for a good photo opportunity.

Turret on Fisherman's Bastion

Coming back around the far (quieter) side of the castle, we came back out by the funicular and made our way past the theatre and museums deeper into Castle District.
Over lunch we planned our day before stumbling upon Matthias Church before we knew it. We bought our tickets first, strolled the Fisherman's Bastion before entry as we'd just noted a large tour group ahead of us.
Beautiful as the Bastion is, it's mostly just walls with the odd turret, merely hosting further stunning views of the city. That said, there was a wedding photo shoot taking place, so it must make an impressive backdrop for you wedding photos.
Having explored the Bastion, we entered the Church. Despite the tourists, it is serene inside and beautifully decorated. You can also make your way upstairs to the balconies for some museum exhibits and a bit of history.
Although there are many "attractions" in guidebooks and marked on maps within the Castle District, not a lot of it is worth seeing. We ambled around quite a bit before settling on the Labyrinth. The Labyrinth takes you underground and into the maze of natural caves below the hill and is set up to tell the story of Count Dracula. The displays are quite dated, but it is entertaining and educational enough. There is the option to tackle pitch black and explore a small part of the caves with only a rope to guide you. A large part of me wanted to do that, but then a small part was relieved when my fiancé refused. We cheated; we followed the rope around the caves using smartphones as a torch as well. I am intrigued as to how Vlad the Impaler became the legend we know today; he has a very interesting story growing up as a political hostage.
We moved on from the Labyrinth, we again strolled past the Matthias Church on our way to Faust Wine Cellar, where we had booked a wine tasting.  If you are ever in Budapest, DEFINITELY go to Faust wine cellar. It is small and really rather difficult to find, but worth it. It is small, which makes it intimate, having only a handful of tables. It is run by a husband and wife duo, who are very welcoming. For the wine-tasting you can try 5 local wines, and get some breads on the side, complete with full tasting notes and assistance from the hosts. They go into lots of details on the wines. At the end you can have another glass of your preferred wine. We spent hours here sipping our wines, before realising we should probably find some dinner.
Buda is much quieter in the evening than Pest so we crossed Chain Bridge (not worth further mention) and wandered around until we found somewhere just off St Stephen`s Square after following a beagle. Oh yeah, everyone in Budapest seems to have a dog.