As we cross the Danube we view Buda on the left and the city of Pest on the right.
A view of Buda Castle, the historical castle and palace complex of the Hungarian kings.
Fisherman's Bastion situated on the Buda bank of the Danube, on Castle Hill takes its name from the guild of fishermen that was responsible for defending this stretch of the city walls in the Middle Ages.
Statue and Memorial to the Independence War of 1848 in Disz square on Castle Hill.
1958 Jaguar MK IX sedan.
An old Soviet Trabant looking for donations.
Matthias Church (also known as The Church of Our Lady) is located in front of the Fisherman's Bastion in the Buda's Castle District. The first church on the site was founded by Saint Stephen, King of Hungary in 1015. The Holy Trinity Statue which stands next to Matthias Church.
Interior of the Matthias Church.
Main altar
St Stephen's Chapel
Bronze statue of St Stephen (Szent István), the first King of Hungary next to Matthias Church, which he founded.
A view of the Hungarian Parliament Building (on a drizzly day) from Fisherman’s Bastion.
Even the manhole covers at Fisherman’s Bastion are worth a photo and a public water fountain (the water is safe to drink).
Heroes' Square
One of the major squares in Budapest, noted for its iconic statue complex featuring the Seven Chieftains of the Magyars and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
The monument and its column. Side view of two of the seven statues of the Seven chieftains of the Magyars. Left: Huba. Right: Tas
After a full day of sightseeing we travel to the Vadaspark restaurant located in the outskirt of Budapest in a reservation surrounding, in a forest.
As we enter the restaurant we are greeted with a drink of home made grappa served in a special souvenir cup. Grappa is an alcoholic beverage that contains 35 to 60 percent alcohol (70 to 120 proof).
Pouring of the wine.
The main course. Goulásh soup served in cauldron, garlic chicken breast, roasted pork and turkey with bakony sauce and letcho, with vegetable rice and mashed potatoes.
Dessert, Sponge cake Somló-style
Entertainment of live gypsy music and folk-dancing.
Audience participation.
Everyone got into the dancing by the end of the evening.
Hungarian Parliament Building
The Parliament building is just over 100 years old and is the third largest Parliament building in the world.
The Grand Stairwell
Assembly hall of the House of Representatives.
Ceiling of the Assembly hall. 88 lb of gold were used in the construction of the Parliament Building.
Elegant hallways with red carpets, benches and stained glass windows
Some of the stain glass windows details
Cigar trays outside the meeting rooms. The slots are numbered, so that members could access theirs between sessions. No smoking these days.
Figures from the Museum of the National Assembly
Dohány Street Synagogue
The Dohány Street Synagogue, also known as The Great Synagogue or Tabakgasse Synagogue, is the largest synagogue in Europe and one of the largest in the world.
The interior of the Dohány Street Synagogue.
Just behind the Synagogue is the Raoul Wallenberg Holocaust Memorial Park and a memorial by the sculptor, Imre Varga, for those who died in the ghetto from hunger and cold during the winter 1944-1945.
The memorial resembles a weeping willow whose leaves bear inscriptions with the names of victims.
Jewish Museum
Central Market Hall
It's the largest and oldest indoor market in Budapest.
The building was built around 1897 and offers a huge variety of stalls on three floors.
Most of the stalls on the ground floor offer produce, meats, pastries, candies, spices and caviar. The second floor has mainly eateries and souvenirs.
Walking around Budapest
It's our last day in beautiful Budapest and we started walking to the Buda side from our hotel on the Pest side.
One of the many detailed doors we past (I have this thing about photographing doors).
One of the many life-size statues of everyday scenes found throughout Budapest.
Walking the Széchenyi Chain Bridge (A.K.A. Chain Bridge) that spans the River Danube between Buda and Pest. It was the first permanent bridge across the Danube in Hungary, and was opened in 1849.
River cruise ships docked on the Pest side of the bridge. As in many cities in Central Europe, "Love Locks" are attached to the bridge.
The Budapest Castle Hill Funicular links the Adam Clark Square and the Széchenyi Chain Bridge at river level to Buda Castle above.
The Hungarian Parliament Building viewed from the Chain Bridge.
The Margaret Bridge is the second oldest public bridge in Budapest, connecting Buda and Pest across the Danube.
One of the world's largest mobile Ferris wheels was in Budapest during our visit and our Tour Manager, Clare Murphy, obtained tickets for us.
Known as the "Budapest Eye" it is located in Erzsébet Square, the largest green area in Budapest's inner city. The square was named after Elisabeth, 'Sisi', wife of Habsburg Emperor Franz Joseph, in 1858.
Danubius Fountain next to "Budapest Eye" in Erzsébet Square. Boarding the "Budapest Eye".
A view of St. Stephen's Basilica at night from the "Budapest Eye"
All good things must come to an end and we are up early to catch our flight home. We fly out of Budapest with a 6 hour layover in Zurich, Switzerland. At one point we were the only travelers in the International terminal at the Zurich airport.
Mary preparing for the next flight.
Link to start of tour, Prague & Czech Republic
These photographs are spectacular. You must have had a fabulous trip. Everything just looks so beautiful. I'd love to visit Budapest some time. I have a friend and her husband who live there in their retirement. Thank you for sharing your lovely trip with us! Best wishes, Cassie P.
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