Our first task on the morning of our third day in Budapest (which happened to be New Year’s Day) was to go outside the hotel for breakfast. To our surprise, it seems that there is indeed good breakfast in Budapest. No, not just good, it was phenomenal. Plus it was open on New Year’s Day. The small but charming bistro is located a bit outside the center of Budapest, but the journey there was definitely worth it. Anyone visiting Budapest should definitely go to “Escake Cake and Brunch.” They also serve really great coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice.
Afterwards we wanted to visit St. Stephen’s Basilica, but it was closed until 1 PM due to a mass. So we spontaneously decided to head to the Palace and visit the exhibition there. If you’re interested in the history of Budapest, that’s the place to go. We were also just happy not to have to walk around in the cold anymore. On the way down we stopped to take a few photos of the Chain Bridge, one of the many bridges that connect the Pest side to the Buda side of Budapest.
Since we had a relatively late breakfast we skipped lunch and went straight to one of Budapest’s older cafes, the Café Gerbaud. This meant a bit of waiting, because, of course, every tourist has to visit one of these cafes at least once. It ended up being one of the most expensive café visits we’ve ever had or will ever have. The cakes, which almost looked too beautiful to eat, were certainly something special and very delicious.
After our café visit, we still had time to visit St. Stephen’s Basilica. Because of the mass, the visit was actually free. We felt a bit odd entering the church while the mass was taking place in the middle of it. But it was still beautiful and something really special to listen to the sounds and singing of the congregation. We were surprised when suddenly a very modern song with drum rhythms started playing from the front. When we walked towards it we saw that a small gospel choir of Black people, with a keyboard and very rhythmic music, was singing a praise song. We had never experienced anything like that before. A very modern worship in the middle of a very traditional old Catholic church, and even during a mass. We really liked it.
There is also something unique in the church. The hand of St. Stephen is kept and displayed there. This hand is a Catholic relic, which is carried through the city once every year. It felt a bit strange to us.
After our visit to the basilica, we went to have Lebanese food. It was one of the best Lebanese restaurants we’ve ever been to. Anyone in Budapest should definitely check out Byblos.
