After a slow start of the day with some research and blogging we would aim to do a bit of shopping today. We started with various chic design shops near Károlyi park pacing towards the Jewish district where Mona had spotted a skirt at Printa earlier. The design focused again much on recycling and many of the shops had bags made out of old bicycle tires, electrical cords, coffee bags or similar materials.

As we got into the Jewish district we paused to look at some weird statue looking like someone falling out of a house and onto the ground. A passerby explained to us it was a monument dedicated to some gentleman who saved a lot of Jews from death camps. The guy was very passionate about the statue and explained he lived in the area. I got a bit guarded and made sure my pockets were out of reach and my camera hard to snatch, he had sort of a disheveled look but who am I to comment on their fashion.

Mona was more at ease with his company and he kept talking and wanted to show us more things, and explained he worked with renovating/architecture and he was indeed well versed in the buildings. He insisted that he should show us various buildings, synagogues and things not mentioned in guidebooks or as he put it he wanted to show us “his Budapest” and since we were in no hurry we joined his “tour”. I guess we spent little more than an hour, including being let into a minimal synagogue where he apparently knew the Rabbi. As we left he asked for a small gift for his recent grandchild which put me off a bit – then again I guess it was fair so we gave him 10 EUR.

I realized that I had neglected my cardigan this day and was a bit cold though, we headed off to Printa where Mona tried the skirt (and bought it) and then came to the conclusion that we needed to eat something but it would be tight for us to visit Kiraly Baths today and then head out to dinner so we settled for a warm chocolate and a toast at Barbar Chocolate. Here we bumped into a Swedish couple we met on the trip from the airport as well as a couple from the Underground tour – they had just got back from a shooting session that they had enjoyed, small world 🙂 The chocolate so thick with dark chocolate it was barely liquid and my chili flavored one had quite the sting but it was a nice place.

When returning to the hotel we rested for a few hours before heading over to the Buda side in order to get dinner at the place Mona had visited earlier, Szatyor. It was cosy, grubby with some DJ playing in the background and I enjoyed a bean goulash while Mona had a lasagna. After a beer we walked home though, admitting we indeed are getting older every day…