From the Synagogue it is a short walk to Kazincz street located in the Jewish district known for popular nightlife.  The street is home to street food but also traditional Jewish cuisine. There is also a swarm of small taverns, ruin pubs, and clubs along Kazincz Street. Special events and street parties are also common here and it is also popular as it is reserved for pedestrians in the summer and at night time between Király Street and Rákóczi Street.

We stumble on this area full of street food.

It is not quite lunch time yet but we are checking it out...

Lots of food stalls..

Italian food stall...

Beer and burgers...too early for us to eat so we just move on.

We are still on Kazincz street, the busiest Jewish Quarter with narrow streets.

Szimpla Kert, the most Famous Ruin Pub in the City. Ruin pubs or garden pubs have become icons of the city's nightclub scene. 

Szimpla Kert is the first ruin pub to open in Budapest, opened in 2002 in a location a few blocks away from its current location. The idea behind the pub was to provide a relaxing environment to socialize and have a drink. In 2004, a dilapidated area located at 14 Kazincz Street that used to be homes and a stove factory was set to be demolished.

The four owners of the Szimpla Kert decided to save the area from demolition and move the pub to this location as there are more space and the structure of the building provided the environment they were looking for.  The new location opened as Szimpla Kertmozi (kertmozi translating to open-air cinema in Hungarian) because of the large courtyard on the premises that was used to watch underground and indie films.

The entrance of Szimpla Kert  as you can see is located in a dilapidated building. The pub started as a place for people to find a cheap drink in a relaxed environment, but has grown to become a tourist attraction and community center.

Local band playing... putting some ambiance to the place.

Beside being a pub, there is an art gallery, the Kazinczy Living Library, the Szimpla Farmers' Market, and the Szimpla Bringa bicycle flea market.

The is the open air area filled with artisan merchants selling local food.

Cheese sampler platter on the left and fresh truffles in a dome. 

A cheese shop

Local charcuterie..

Local food....

Fresh vegetables.

Loan checking out what they are selling...

Really fun atmosphere and lots of people around...

We walked back to our apartment as Loan and Minh are waiting for their luggage to be delivered this morning. 

Our apartment is located in the building on the left with the double brown door.  Our apartment was recently remodeled and it was really nice.

 Now that Loan and Minh got their clothes we are heading for more sight seeing and for lunch.

Check out the name of the store!

Who came up with this name?

The store specialized in street wear and sneakers.

St. Stephen's Basilica

St. Stephen's basilica (on the left) is located in Szent Istvan square.

There are lots of tourists in this area.

Obelisk fountain in front of St. Stephen's basilica.

West facade of St. Stephens basilica.

The dimensions of the church are extremely impressive: 180 ft. wide and 285 ft. long. The dome stands 314 ft. tall, making it the highest building in Hungary’s capital, along with the Hungarian Parliament building. The construction of St. Stephen’s Basilica was completed in 1905. It took over half a century to build, partly because the dome collapsed in 1868, due to inadequate construction works.

The church is named after St. Stephen, the first King of Hungary (c. 975–1038), whose "incorruptible" right hand is said to be housed in the reliquary.

St. Stephen's basilica is the largest church in Budapest, and the 3rd largest in Hungary.

Details of the portico

The basilica is huge as you can see..

EGO SUM VIA VERITAS ET VITA is a Latin phrase meaning "I am the way, the truth and the life". The words are taken from John 14:6, and were spoken by Jesus Christ in reference to himself.

View from the basilica over looking the square.

Next....Inside St. Stephen's basilica