We set our sights for the flight from Dusseldorf at 18:00 for Budapest from gate A63. It was easy leaving the flat at 15:30 to take the U71 from The metro to Werbahn station to S11 to the airport. We had plenty of time, cost was reasonable at 10.20 Euros for 4 pass for both of us round trip.
The boarding process for Eurowings was amazingly fast, go figure have multiple entry gates for passengers to manually check in and proceed to the plane and board. Efficient and stress free.
We went through the baggage area to be greeted by a smiling face, we recognized from photo of Raphael from his Couchsurfing profile. He took use to the ticket machine and we purchased our bus tickets on 100E into Pest. He made us a chicken and potato dish for dinner then afterward berry coulis with panna cotta. He made everything from scratch. Fantastic chef and flavorful meals.
We had a great time in Budapest with so many new experiences. First day we were off to Lake Velencei, getting off the train in Gárdony we went swimming and sunbathed with our host, Raphael Krausz, his flatmate Attila and friend Sam. The water was cool but refreshing. That evening we met Martin, Patty and Jeff at Buda by the Chain Bridge overlooking the Danube and Pest for National Holiday Celebration of St. Stephen's Day. We had an enjoyable evening with Raphael, Martin, Patty and Jeff watching the fireworks. We had palinka (traditional fruit alcohol spirit) after the fireworks. Then we walked along the Danube and across the Chain Bridge.
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| Lake Velencei, Gárdony |
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| Raphael, Keith, Attila and Sam |
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| Crowd walks toward the Chain Bridge for fireworks viewing |
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| Chain Bridge |
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| Buda Castle Tunnel, we followed the crowds out to a grassy circle where we found a place to sit |
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| One of the best fireworks displays we have ever seen |
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| Raphael and Keith |
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| Wayne, Raphael and Keith at Clark Ádám tér |
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| Patty and Martin |
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| Chain Bridge over the Danube back to Pest |
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| Hungarian Parliament Building |
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| Raphael and Keith walking across the Chain Bridge, closed off to cars tonight |
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| Hungarian National Gallery, Royal Palace and Buda Castle (UNESCO) |
Tuesday; 21Aug we started off a little late but had a very good day touring Pest. We left Raphael’s home and walked a couple of blocks entering City Park heading towards Transylvanian Castle and Széchenyi Baths. We decided to walk up the 56 steps in Apostles Tower to see the skyline, but cannot see Parliament, Széchenyi Baths due to the trees. It was a very hot and humid day with temperature hovering around 36-38c (90 degrees F)
We did walk over to the Szechenyi Thermal Bath and Spa (Széchenyi fürdő) but you can only see the water from inside the structure that is completely walled in. It is an impressive structure with gilded ceilings, we were able to catch a glimpse of the thermal baths from a window.
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| Vajdahunyad Castle is a castle in the City Park of Budapest, Hungary. It was built in 1896 as part of the Millennial Exhibition which celebrated the 1,000 years of Hungary since the Hungarian Conquest of the Carpathian Basin in 895. |
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| The architectural elements are Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque. |
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| Grof Károlyi Sándor, Hungarian politician and founder of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences |
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| View of Heroes' Square from the platform outside Apostle's Tower |
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| Looking towards Szechenyi Thermal Bath and Spa (Széchenyi fürdő) within City Park |
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| Vajdahunyad Castle |
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| The Széchenyi Baths are one of the largest bathing complexes in all Europe, and the only "old" medicinal baths to be found in the Pest side of the city. |
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| Széchenyi Baths entrance |
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| Iconology above the entrance desk |
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| Large dome in the entrance of Széchenyi Baths |
Continuing our first full day of touring, we wanted to make it to the Danube on the Pest side. We entered Heroes’ Square. The memorial of the 7 Magyar Tribe leaders who unified Hungary.
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| Heroes' Square (Hősök tere). The top of the column depicts Archangel Gabriel, who holds the Hungarian Holy Crown and the apostolic double cross in his hands. In front of the Column is the tomb of the unknown soldier. |
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| Unification of Hungary (Part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, with statues of the leaders of 7 tribes who founded Hungary) |
We took our time and enjoyed our walk along Andrássy Avenue (Andrássy út). We stopped at a pool, where Keith soaked his feet in the water and Wayne stood over an open brick area of cooled steam coming out of the ground. The day was humid and much needed, we spent as much time as possible in the shade.
Raphael recommended we walk down Andrássy Avenue rich heritage area tree lined with many older buildings fashioned in Neo-renaissance mansions and townhouses featuring fine facades and interiors, it was recognised as a World Heritage Site in 2002. These are the grand dams of Budapest now consulates and embassies connecting City Park towards the Danube.
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| Kodály Zoltán Emlékmúzeum és Archívum |
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| Shaded walkway, trees are suffering from the lack of ran this summer and extreme heat |
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| The construction of the Budapest Metro, the first underground railway in Continental Europe, was proposed in 1870, since the capital had always been opposed to surface transport on this road. Construction began in 1894 and was finished in 1896, so this new metro line could facilitate the transport to Városliget, the main venue of the millennium celebrations of Hungary. (UNSECO) |
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| Mixed architecture on Andrássy Avenue (UNESCO) |
A much needed stop for delicious cold Melon sorbet and banana chocolate ice cream. While sitting on a park bench a woman approached wanting to know where to buy some. We point and she smiles then walked off with her friend for ice cream.
We set off towards the Danube River and Parliament Area to see Shoes on the Danube. On our way we stopped and looked inside Gersham Palace, built by Gersham Assurance Company with an Art Nouveau architectural look. Gersham is now the Four Seasons Hotel.
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| Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace. It is located along the River Danube, adjacent to Széchenyi Square and the eastern terminus of the Széchenyi Chain Bridge (UNESCO) |
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| Gresham Palace is an example of Art Nouveau architecture. Completed in 1906 as an office and apartment building. |
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| Matthias Church (Mátyás Templom) Located atop the Buda Castle hill, it has been serving the citizens of the Buda Castle Hill since 1015, its foundation by the first Hungarian king. The church was used as a coronation church by Hungarian kings for centuries, also a mosque for over 150 years by the Ottoman Turks, once owned by Franciscans, Jesuits, now a thriving Catholic church. |
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| Keith and Wayne with Buda Castle District in the background (UNESCO) |
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| Shoes On The Danube |
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In October of 1944, Hitler overthrew the leader of the Hungarian government, Miklos Horthy, and replaced him with Ferenc Szalasi. Szalasi, whose ideology closely followed Hitler’s, immediately established the Arrow Cross Party - a fascist, anti-semitic organization.
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The Shoes on the Danube monument is moving as all the shoes are from Jews from the International Ghetto who were shot by Arrow Cross militiamen between 1944 and 1945.
The Arrow Cross government pursued to gain international recognition, initially the embassies of neutral countries (including Sweden, Switzerland, the Vatican, Spain and Portugal) could keep the Hungarian authorities under pressure and the protective status was largely accepted through issuance of passports to Hungarian Jews changing the nationalities to more protective status. The Arrow Cross persecuted these people as the Allied forces were moving towards the City.
Afterwards we walked back to Raphael’s place. We took the oldest metro line in continental Europe, (was built from 1894 to 1896) M1 line from Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út to Mexikói út but we were one stop too many and retraced by getting back on after realizing our mistake. Back on to Széchenyi fürdő then we arrived at Raphael’s, rinsed off and then moved to David Meier’s place. David was our second couchsurfing host and already had 3 Turkish Couchsurfers were staying with him. We arrived, met David and chatted with him for a while before the others arrived. We were treated to an incredible traditional Turkish meal.
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| Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út M1 Metro Station |
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| Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út still operating and in beautiful condition |
Wednesday: 22Aug. We rise early to meet Patty at Gerbeaud for breakfast at 9:00. The sun is already out heating up the day with temperatures high of 38C.
We arrive at Gerbeaud for wonderful breakfast and coffee. Patty had the traditional Hungarian Breakfast with selections of cheeses and meats, Keith had fantastic looking poached eggs with thinly sliced ham, Wayne ordered tapioca with coconut and fresh fruits. Patty’s plate with the large round bread and so much food was shared by all 3 of us over conversation and relaxing before we set foot to tour Buda Castle Hill area. Walking across the Chain Bridge over the Danube.
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| Former Budapest Savings Bank Building, Brudern House built 1909 and finished 1912 |
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| Another architectural gem in Budapest, the lighting is perfect to show off the tiles and busts coming out of the building. |
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| Café Gerbeaud, József nádor Square (József nádor ter) |
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| Keith's breakfast, eggs and hollandaise sauce |
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| Wayne's tapioca, toasted coconut and fresh berries |
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| interior of Café Gerbeaud |
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| Beautiful wood and marble with pastries |
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| Lion Fountain |
We were going to take the funicular but the lines were too long, so we walked the stairs up to the Palace (Hungarian National Gallery) for the Freda Kahlo exhibit. We spent several hours walking the exhibit and National Gallery permanent exhibits. Freda Kahlo exhibit was beautifully done, showing her humanity and frail ness from all she endured from illness, bus accident and her relationship with Domingo Riviera.
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| Walking across the Chain Bridge to Buda Castle District in the background |
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| Funicular Buda Castle District |
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| Gate of Buda Castle to Hapsburg Palace and Imperial Eagle |
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| Looking from Buda side to Pest on bridge over Budapest Castle Hill Funicular |
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| This is the work of stone carver Károly Senyey from 1912. It depicts two youths getting а fish. The fine workmanship of the angling net is astonishing. |
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| View of Pest from the top of the Hungarian National Gallery (Buda Castle) |
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| Wayne and Keith from the Tower looking at Margaret Island, Hungarian Parliament and Pest |
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| Patty with Pest in the background |
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| Presidential Palace |
Once we finished at the National Gallery, Martin had sent Patty a suggestion for lunch, so around 14:30 we are at Pierrot’s. The food and presentation was fantastic for each plate. Keith had the mushroom ravioli, Patty the poached pike and Wayne the spinach risotto. The price was higher than we normally pay but worth the value.
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| Matthias Church and The Holy Trinity Statue. This building was destroyed in 1241 by the Mongols; the current building was constructed in the latter half of the 13th century. |
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| Fisherman's Bastion (UNESCO) |
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| Pierrot's at Buda Castle and Buda Castle Hill |
We leave Pierrot’s and notice an antique car in front of a boutique hotel, St. George Residence. After doing some internet research, we found out the car is Soviet made 1946 ZIS-100 limousine. It does resemble a Packard.
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| ZIS-110 Limousine |
We had a great day with Patty, spending hours in the Freda Kahlo exhibit and the permanent exhibits staying out of the hot sun and getting to know each other.
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| The Wenckheim Palace (József Pucher, 1890), Szabó Ervin tér 1. Built for Count Frigyes Wenckheim. Since 1931 Budapest's municipal library. In the Palace District near David's flat. |
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| David's flat on the 4th floor, in former times open air laundry for the buikding |
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| Kálmán square Mikszáth, in 1900 it was called Reviczky Square , and after that Kálmán Mikszáth died - in the last years of his life he lived in house number 1 - in 1911 he was given his name today. |
Thursday: 23Aug We set off for Rudas Baths, we spent 3.5 hours going from 36c pool to cooler pools of 28, 30, 32 and 17 then to Steam Room and Sauna. Totally relaxed day then walked back to David’s, changed and off to Martin’s for cocktail party.
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| Inside Rudas Baths (taken from the web). Rudas Bath or Rudas fürdő is a thermal and medicinal bath. It was first built in 1550, during the time of Ottoman rule. To date, it retains many of the key elements of a Turkish bath, exemplified by its Turkish dome and octagonal pool. It is located at Döbrentei tér 9 on the Buda side of Erzsébet Bridge. The bath has six therapy pools. |
We met some of Martin’s local friends, Edith, Barbara and Mark. We saw Jeff and the girls again. The conversations moved comfortably from politics to sailing. Jeff's daughters were with us and they just loved the ice cream that Raphael made.
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| Great Market Hall or Central Market Hall |
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| Great Market Hall, Beautiful Zsolnay tiles cover the enormous roof structure, that make it the most spectacular element of the building from outside. |
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| Interior Court Yard Wenckheim Palace, now library |
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| Large Door Way to library Wenckheim Palace |
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| Jeff's daughter enjoying ice cream. Favorite photo of the trip. |
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| Yummy ice cream |
Friday: 24 Aug Our last full day in Budapest. We spent the day with David Meier and Raphael Krausz touring the Jewish Ghetto District starting with the Great Synagogue then viewing the Emmanuel Tree, silver weeping willow in Raul Wallenburg Square. The tree has names of missing Jews on the leaves. We took in all the areas with memorials or points of interest with David and Raphael. Had coffee and sweets at a Jewish Kosher Cafe, then took in the Ruin Club.
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| The Dohány Street Synagogue, also known as the Great Synagogue or Tabakgasse Synagogue, is a historical building in Erzsébetváros, the 7th district |
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| Front of Great Synagogue |
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| Raoul Wallenberg Holocaust Memorial Park, Emanuel Tree, Holocaust Tree of Life Memorial sponsored by Tony Curtis, has names of the missing Jews from WWII. Tree is the symbolic tombstone of Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat who saved thousands of Jews from concentration camps. |
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| Ghetto Memorial in Jewish Quarter - On 29 November 1944 the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Arrow Cross organization of Hungary – Gabor Vajna released the Decree on the Establishment of the Budapest Ghetto.The Budapest Jews had to move to the land of the 7th district enclosed by the Dohany, Kertesz, Kiraly, Csanyi, Rumbach, Imre Madach streets and the Karoly ringroad. On December 10 the area was locked down and at the entry the sign appeared: christians forbidden entry. By January the next year almost 70000 people were crowded into the apartments of the area, many simply being stuck outside on the streets. |
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| Map depicts the Jewish Ghetto Wall - map imprinted into the concrete the ghetto’s street structure can be seen, marking on it some of the important institutions of the area. If one goes closer pictures from the past can be seen through the peek holes, carrying the today’s passer-by into the gone-by past. |
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| Ruin Club, Szimpla Kert Huge pub with old mismatched items & a disused Trabant car, with music, food, market & a garden. |
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| inside Szimpla Kert |
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| Cake at the Kosher Restaurant, Fröhlich Kóser Cukrászda |
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| Layer cake with Walnut, Poppy Seed and Apple |
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| Ghetto Wall on Kiraly utca |
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| Gouba-Gozsdu Bazaar |
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| Drechsler Palota, From 1949 to 2002, the State Ballet Institute and its successor, the Hungarian Dance Academy , worked here. Neo-renaissance building. |
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| Drechsler Palace or Drechsler Palota |
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| Studio of Mai Manó House is located on the second floor, which visitors reach on the original carved wooden staircase leading up from the spacious first floor gallery. |
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| The daylight studio, The landing on the second floor is decorated by the windows of the famous glass-artist, Miksa Róth. |
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| The Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music (Hungarian: Liszt Ferenc Zeneművészeti Egyetem, often abbreviated as Zeneakadémia, "Music Academy") is a concert hall and music conservatory in Budapest, Hungary, founded on November 14, 1875. |
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| The well-known and popular Franz Liszt Music Academy is named after its Hungarian founder and first director who was a piano virtuoso, composer, conductor, teacher and whose legacy is still alive after 150 years. Franz Liszt is undeniably an immortal hero of classical music.
This prestigious conservatory was established in 1875 and had great professors like Erno Dohnanyi, Bela Bartok or Zoltan Kodaly among its teachers in the Academy’s history, making an immense impact on the development of the world’s musical scene. |
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| Franz Liszt Academy Stained Glass Window |
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| David Meir, Keith and Raphael Krausz at Franz Liszt Academy |
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Sir György Solti (Sir Georg Solti)
A modernist sculpture unveiled in 2013 at the front of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, designed by Párkányi Raab Péter (1967-) to honour György Solti (1912–1997). Solti was an alumnus of the Academy, emigrated from Hungary in 1939 and become famous as an orchestral and operatic conductor, knighted by the Queen of England. He was a long-serving music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, died in France. |
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Budapest Nyugati station
The station's beautiful facade, built by the Gustave Eiffel Company in 1877. |
You will not believe what is inside this beautiful building, the design is well done and does not distract from the architectural features of the building.
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| There's a McDonald's at Budapest Nyugati in what I believe is the original station restaurant of 1877. It's located in the building immediately to the right of the right-hand tower in the main facade as you look at the front of the station. |
We continue touring this area making our way to Freedom Square or Liberty Square with David. He has an appointment in the area and we will walk around while he attends to this.
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| Peter Falk as Columbo with his dog, interesting bronze. The boys behind this are doing some kind of hunt for small bronze artwork around the city. |
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| The newest guerilla statue of Budapest is situated next to the famous Peter Falk statue at Falk Miksa Street. Behind the Columbo sculpture, a small form of squirrel lying on the sidewalk, and it’s sure: it has been murdered. He holds a gun lying in a pool of blood made of marble. Interesting location behind the detective character. |
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| Hungarian Parliament |
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Hungarian Parliament building; Neo-Gothic architecture (although displaying Renaissance and Baroque characters too), is just over 100 years old. In the 1880's an open tender was held for the design of the Parliament building. Construction based on the winning plan began in 1885 and the building was inaugurated on the 1000th anniversary of Hungary in 1896, and fully completed in 1902.
Both runner-up designs were also built facing the Parliament building. One is the Museum of Ethnography and the other is the Ministry of Agriculture. The Budapest Parliament building is the third largest Parliament building in the world. |
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| Museum of Ethnography (originally the Palace of Justice). The grandiose Neo-Renaissance palace that houses the Museum of Ethnography (Néprajzi Múzeum) was built between 1893 and 1896 for the Supreme Court. The staircase and the richly decorated walls along with the ceiling art alone are well worth the visit. The museum's permanent exhibition, "The Traditional Culture of the Hungarian People", features about 3,000 items. Hungarian folk traditions from different eras, clothes, handicrafts, every day items, manuscripts, bridal dresses, folk music recordings and much more are on display. Besides the Hungarian finds the museum also features collections of European furniture, ceramics and textiles. |
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| Kossuth Lajos Tér |
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Liberty Square (Szabadság tér), Memorial to fallen Soviet Soldiers
During the 20th Century, the square was the scene of protest and revolution and war. It became a monument to communist liberation (and is still the home to the last remaining communist statue) as well as a symbol of freedom from communism in the form of a statue of American President Ronald Reagan. The square itself is a part of, and symbolic of, the history of Hungary and Budapest over the last 250 years. Last remaining Soviet relic in Libtery Square. |
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The Monument of German Occupation
Freedom Square (Liberty Square) The monument is dedicated to the victims of the German occupation of Hungary during WW II, after the country was no longer an ally of Germany. It was assembled overnight under police protection on Sunday, July 20, 2014. It is a collection of columns with a bronze eagle, portraying Nazi Germany, hovering over the State of Hungary represented by the statue of the Archangel Gabriel. The guard rail in front of the memorial is covered with handwritten signs, letters, flowers and memorial photographs. It has become the rallying point for many protests. |
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St. Stephen's Basilica (Szent Istvan Bazilika)
It is named in honour of Stephen, the first King of Hungary (c 975–1038), whose supposed right hand is housed in the reliquary. It was the sixth largest church building in Hungary before 1920. The architectural style is Neo-Classical; it has a Greek cross ground plan. The façade is anchored by two large bell towers. |
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| Door to St. Stephen's Basilica |
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| St. Stephen's Basilica altar and dome |
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| St. Stephen's altar and St. Stephen |
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Deak Ferenc Square with the Anker Palace
Palace designed by architect Ignác Alpár and built in the Eclectic style. |
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| District V Oldest tram in Budapest. |
Budapest was originally a Celtic settlement with an ancient history. Unified from three separate cities of Buda, Pest and Óbuda. Budapest has experienced a vast history experiencing wars, invasions and liberations over centuries of its existence. The City maintains a magnificent landscape and architecture to rival any of the great romance cities on the Danube that at times is unparalleled.
Budapest is a must see, not only visually but also experience her through cultural exchange. Walk the vast avenues and cobblestone streets. Experience Turkish baths that date back to the original baths of the Ottomans.
We thank our Couchsurfing hosts, people we have met and those we knew. We will return to Budapest.
