Traveling from Vienna to Budapest I was surprised to see terrain that reminded me of California. The trees and the hills of Hungary were very reminiscent of a mix between Northern and Southern California. Once in Budapest there wasn’t much trace of California left. The train station was not very welcoming and gave the appearance of arriving in a small town in Latin America! Once out of the train station I quickly realized it was not a small town but in fact quite large and spread out.
My hotel in Budapest lay on the Buda side of the Danube river. The Danube cuts the city in two with the Buda on one side and Pest on the other. I was pleased to have a room with a view of the river and Margit Hid, a bridge spanning the Danube (http://www.panoramicearth.com/405/Budapest/Margaret_Bridge_(Margit_hid). After getting settled in the hotel I took advantage of a beautiful day of sun and warm temperatures. I’d seen the Parliament building (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_Parliament_Building) from the hotel, the two were directly across from one another, and the view only improved as I walked along the river. I could see the castle hill high above in Buda. I walked across the Szechenyi Ianchid, or Chain Bridge (http://www.aviewoncities.com/budapest/chainbridge.htm), reminiscent of the Brooklyn Bridge, and entered the Pest section of the city. The center of Pest is cut by the Vaci Ut, a pedestrian street with shops, outdoor cafes and lots of people spending their Sunday afternoon. Taking in the sites of the Vaci Ut I made my way to the Central Market Hall, which I’d heard was a large market with crafts and food stalls. Unfortunately it was closed, as was much of Budapest I quickly discovered.
Walking back to the Chain Bridge along the water front I could see the funicular that heads up to Royal Palace (http://www.budapest.com/tours/budapest-Royal_Palace.htm) which houses the Hungarian National Gallery. I figured this was a good way to get the lay of the land. The funicular is a quick ride but goes steeply up the hill and brings you to a plateau of sorts. This high point of Buda gives great views across to the Parliament building, St. Stephens Basilica and many other sites around the Danube. Matyas Church (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthias_Church) is just down the road from the Royal Palace and is an enormous structure. It has a similar roof to that of the Stephansdom in Vienna with colored tiles making unique patterns that can be viewed from all over the city. Unfortunately for my photo album much of the church was ensconced in scaffolding with the off-season renovations taking place. From here I made my way down the hill and back to my hotel. All this touring was beginning to wear me out and I decided it was an evening of rest at the hotel.
I awoke on Monday to another beautiful day, though a bit more haze and smog. I’d been a bit lazy and slept in today. I again headed out on foot and crossed to the Pest side of the river. I quickly made my way to what is one of the major sites to see in Budapest, St. Stephens Basilica (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Stephen's_Basilica). The inside of this church looks more like a place with ornate marble and gold décor. There were numerous frescos painted on the walls and a large dome topping it off…be careful the dome collapsed when it was built. My parents’ friend Bob and Carolyn Mills had traveled here early in the year and I’d seen a picture of Bob in the church where his choral group sang. What an incredible experience that must have been. One I’d love to have but I can’t sing and I hate being on stage so I live vicariously through Bob!
There was a lift to the top of the church that I took to see the view from this side of the river after seeing the reverse yesterday. The view was equally impressive with the ability to see the Royal Palace, the back of Parliament and Matyas Church. From here you could not tell much of the scaffolding on Matyas Church. After taking in the view for some time I decided it was time to have lunch. I made my way to the waterfront where I’d seen a number of outdoor cafes yesterday. Hungary is known for goulash so I felt I should try it. Ordering a beer and beef goulash I was a bit nervous about what it would taste like since it generally doesn’t have a very pleasant appearance. It was great! Beef, vegetables and mini dumplings are quite a good combination, especially when smothered by a delicious sauce. Topping it off with chocolate profiteroles and I’d managed to have one of the highest calorie meals I’d ever eaten!
I made it back to the Central Market (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Market_Hall_(Budapest). This place is huge. It appears as if it is an old train station and contains stalls of food and upstairs crafts. The crafts appeared very oriented towards the tourist so a quick wander through that and I’d kept myself from buying a number of things that I knew I’d question when I got home. I was now quite a distance from my hotel and decided I would walk on the Pest side of the river all the way to Margit Hid before crossing back to Buda. The walk was very long but well worth it. The sun began to set about halfway through the walk and made for a beautiful view over the Royal Place. I was able to get a close up view of the Parliament building and then walk across the bridge towards Buda.
Back in the hotel I am packing up for a very early flight back to London. I’ll get to see a few more things there and of course see Theresa before my European tour concludes.
