Central Europe Day 2: Budapest

After a wonderful breakfast at the Hotel Casati, we met with Dorca, our private tour guide. She was a young lady in her twenties who escorted us to key places in Budapest and taught us how to use the metro. We visited St. Stephen's square again then went inside the Opera for a quick look. We then walked to Nagymezo Street, which was like the Hollywood Boulevard of Budapest. Here we say bronze inlays in the sidewalk of the shoe prints of famous Hungarian film stars and artists. We also saw the original photography studio for the Habsburg royal family that has currently been restored to be used as a photography exhibition studio.

Traveling down Andrassy street, we visited the House of Terror, which was the former headquarters for Nazi and Soviet regimes who used to imprison, torture and kill anyone who disagreed with their regimes. There was a replica of the Iron Curtain in front of the building as well as part of the Berlin wall. Many small portraits were posted around the building. These were pictures of revolutionaries who were assassinated during the 1956 revolt against the Soviet occupation. We did not have time to tour the museum, but it will be top priority should we ever return.

Dorca next took us to Heroe's Square where we were faced with a statue of the Archangel Gabriel and mounted chiefs from the 7 Magyar tribes that founded the original Hungarian territory. Behind the statue are 14 statues devoted to various Kings and rulers of Hungary.

Next we headed by metro to Városliget Park and the Széchenyl Baths. The park was beautiful. It was filled with a re-constructed castle complex that depicted various styles of architecture. It was built for a millennium celebration in 1896. The baths were interesting, but we vowed before the trip that we would not be packing bathing suits in order to enter into the thermal springs of Budapest. It seemed like many seniors frequented the baths, although Dorca mentioned that she had been there a few nights past. To each his own.

From there, we ventured into a cafe for coffee, cake, and a restroom. This was a welcomed rest. It was such a hot day in Budapest. The shade felt good. We needed our energy for our next adventure took us by bus to the castle district on the Buda side. The bus took us up the hill into the district where we walked to the castle and saw mounted soldiers, quaint streets, and spectacular views of the city from the walls of the castle.

Dorca then led us to the Fisherman's Bastion and St. Matthias church. This was a beautiful area. The wall of the Fisherman's Bastion contained 7 towers that represented the 7 Magyar tribes. We got many beautiful pictures from this area. The white limestone buildings seemed extra bright in the hot sun. Dorca left us up here to explore.

We decided to make our way down the hill on foot rather than take public transportation. We made our way down the hill and spent some time at Buda Castle, which is now a museum district. We did not stay here long, as we were beginning to falter from the heat, so we grabbed some water and gelato before finishing the trek to the bottom of the hill. We crossed the Chain Bridge on foot an once again found ourselves on the Pest side. While walking back to our hotel for a rest and cool air, we came across some kind of international parade that ended up in St. Stephen's Square. There was also what appeared to be a feminist demonstration in the square as well.

It rained while we rested, yet it was still warm when we ventured out to see the Parliament building. We ran into the statue of Ronald Reagan on the way. I made Pam pose for a picture with him. After all, we must tolerate those who are of different opinion with us, right? The Parliament building was beautiful. We ended the day with a bottle of white wine, and dishes of sausage with ratatouille, stuffed cabbage with sausage, and baked eggplant. Yum!