Budapest
Apr 21-25, 2017
AC7714 IAH-YYZ, AC846 YYZ-MUC, LH1676 MUC-BUD, LH1675 BUD-MUC, AC847 MUC-YYZ, AC7713 YYZ-IAH
With work, I had the opportunity to visit Budapest a number of years back, but Tom had not yet had the opportunity to visit. Budapest is a beautiful city with lots to see and do in a long weekend. It also gave us the chance to get out to the country side and explore new areas for Hungary for myself. It was a beautiful spring weekend and we really enjoyed our limited time in the area.
Apr 22
Our connections worked relatively well, and we arrived in Budapest in the afternoon and made our way to the hotel. My company has a great corporate rate at a beautiful hotel right on the Danube, so we had the advantage of staying at the center of the tourist sites, right next to the subway with full access to the city. After checking in, we set out to explore the city for a few hours before dark.
Another city with their own big letter display
Local food at the Easter market
Statue in Vorosmarty Square
Looking across the Danube to the castle
Apr 23
After enjoying breakfast with beautiful view of the Danube we picked up the rental car to head north along the river and get out of the city. Driving was relatively easy compared to some of our destinations, and it was fun to see a different side of Hungary. Once back in the city we went to the very interesting Momento Park before dropping off the car downtown. Finally, we decided to chase the sunset for some well-lit scenery to end off the day.
Early start for one of the river cruises
The Elizabeth Bridge
1764 Belgrade Cathedral in Szentendre
Cathedral and surrounding town
Szentendre roof tops
Further up river at Visegrad Castle
Panoramic view from the castle
more of the Visegrad castle ruins
Turret view of the Danube
Royal Palace below the castle
Royal throne
Esztergom Basilica is the tallest building in Hungary
Massive interior and the 71.5m high dome
Beautifully painted cathedral
Some of the detailed statuary in the church
Making our way up the dome
Beautiful surroundings
Booking across the Danube towards Sturovo, Slovakia
Looking at the cathedral from the dome
From the lower town you can get a real sense of the scale of the cathedral
After walking across the bridge to Slovakia we made our way back to the Cathedral
Stalin statue removed from its city home to Momento Park on the outskirts of Budapest
One of the more impressive Soviet statues commemorating Bela Kun's birth
Captain Miklos Steinmetz (one of two Soviet officers that negotiated the end of the Budapest WWII siege
Very imposing communist statue
A little abstract representation of the people
Workers' hands statue
Giant soldier previously at the base of Liberation Monument
Parliament buildings at dusk and the end of a very long day
Apr 24
Back in the city for our final full day in Budapest, we had an opportunity to cover the key sites that we weren't able to cover on our first afternoon. It was a long day with lots of steps, aided by the wonderful train system, but we covered a huge amount of ground before collapsing back at the hotel.
Starting the day back at the Parliament Buildings
1956 Monument memorializes the victims of the 1956 Uprising against Soviets with bullet pox
Looking across to Buda
Buda's Castle
50 pairs of bronze shoes of the Holocaust Monument, recognizing the Arrow Cross massacre of Hungarian Jews, who were shot and thrown into the Danube
Interior of Parliament
Grand staircase entrance to the Parliament
Legislature
Monument to Imre Nagy, reluctant head of the 1956 Uprising
Reagan statue, erected in 2011 In Liberty Square to acknowledge his role in fighting the cold war
Monument to the Hungarian Victims of the Nazis
St. Istvan's Basilica exterior
The Great Synagogue’s 19th century Interior
Tree of Life monument to victims of Holocaust
Zooming into one of the many victim’s names on the tree
Continuing our busy tour at Castle Hill in Buda
Looking back at Pest, the Parliament and the Chain Bridge
The Parliament Buildings with the surrounding mountains in the background
Royal Palace
King Matthias Fountain
Interior Palace courtyard
13th century Matthius Church
More of the impressive Church Exterior
Statue of St. Istvan
Matthias Church Interior
More of the Matthias Church Interior
Promenade view from Fisherman's Bastion
Fisherman's Bastion on the edge of Castle Hill as we make our way down
Moving deep into Pest, the Budapest Sign in Heroes' Square
Arpad statue in Heroes' Square
Time wheel hourglass, rotated 180 degrees once a year
Vajdahunyad Castle in City Park
Exterior of the Terror Museum we visited on our first day
Fragment of the Berlin Wall with a literal iron curtin
Budapest Opera House, the end of our long tour and back to the hotel
After a very busy day of touring Budapest from top to bottom, we ended with a relaxing evening at the hotel preparing for our trip home.
Apr 25
After an early breakfast, we made our way to the airport and back to Toronto via Munich and finally home to Houston for me, ending out a great extended weekend exploring Hungary.