A Weekend in Budapest – part II

Next we went along the Andrássy avenue, known also as the avenue of culture, for many cultural institutions, among other the Opera. The avenue ends with the majestic square of heroes, with the statues of Hungarian kings.

Here you’ll find statues of tribal leaders and kings such as St. Stephen and Bela IV, or famous people like Lajos Kossuth, who led the national revolution in 1848. You can also find the statue of a king, closely linked with Slovenian mythology – Mätyäs, who defended Hungary from the Ottoman Turks.

The main monument, however, is a 36 meter tall column with the statue of archangel Gabriel, standing over the tomb of the unknown soldier.

On each side of the square stands a museum, one of beautiful arts and the other of contemporary arts. There are also embassies there, among other our former embassy (Yugoslavian), and on the other side is the zoo and the botanic garden, with the city park and a thermal baths, with the Vajdahunyad castle of various architectural styles and the famous Anonymous statue.

Among more imposing buildings in the world (apart from the parliament) is the huge synagogue in the Dohány street, second in size only to the one in New York. So we took the metro from Szecheny fürdö to Deak Ferenc tér where we changed from M1 to M2 line and got out at Astoria, to see this moor-byzantine building from the 19th century, which reminded us more of a mosque than a synagogue.

After this we went for a bit of cake and coffee at Vörös Marty tér, in one of the most famous pastry shops in Europe: Gerbeaud Cukraszda. And strolled around the square.

From there we crossed the Danube and went to see the fishermen’s village and the rest of the Budim castle. Slowly making our way up the hill from the Moscow square, and got to the arch at the beginning of the castle wall, where some youngsters were trying some adrenalin jumps. Unplaned we found a little forgotten attraction - the Evropa Liget. Here are plaques with names of European capitals (from mid eighties at the latest) in front of the trees in the park. Thus we can find Bonn as one of the capitals (Western Germany) but not Ljubljana (as Slovenia was not independent at the time). I’ve found three capitals though of “our” broader country – Vienna (from Austro-Hungarian times) and Belgrade (from our days in Yugoslavia) and Brussels as the “capital” of EU – even if its tree was missing (oh no!).

After entering the walls you see the mighty Orszagos Leveltar to your right and in front of you will be Budavari Evangelikus Templom, from where you reach the church of St. Marry Magdalene… but we went pass the Hilton to the Cathedral of St. Matthias.

I thought that was the highlight of our trip, for it was amazing, but the real pearl was behind it – the Fishermen’s Fortress.

And how to describe the fairytale beauty of this fortress? And the amazing view of the city? It seemed like a fantastic sand castle, made at the place where tides can’t reach it, just to put children in awe when they see it. Each of the seven towers symbolizes one of the tribal leaders who lead the Hungarian people in the Pannonia Straights. To really understand the beauty of this place it’s best to see it for your self. All we got to offer are these pictures.

Maybe the name could confuse somebody. This used to be a marketplace, were the fishermen brought up fresh fish from the river and hence the name. Although it’s called a fortress it was never meant for defensive purposes. It was built purely to enjoy the great view of the city and be beautiful.

In front of St. Stephan (on the horse) you can even have your picture taken with a live hawk (but it’s not free), or you can simply just photograph the bird. We hated to leave this place, but pressed on to see the rest of the Castle.

We saw the south wing yesterday and it was nice, since there weren’t hardly any tourists around, but couldn’t get to the main part. But today we got in at the other side entrance and got to the gate with the crow on it. It had a ring in its beak and I’m sure it’s connected to some legend, but we never found out which one. The hill under the castle should have a complete labyrinth underneath among everything else also the tunnel. From here you also see the less spectacular part of Pest, but still interesting to look at. Seeing the mighty courtyards where the nobility used to have parties and the hunting fountain, we got to the main entrance – closed for reconstruction. Full of impressions we took the cable cart ride down, which is not worth its price, with 840 HUF the view is not that special, compared to everything else, but it does ease up the pressure on the feet.

After getting back to the Lanchid, we realized how much more we could see in the city and how little time there’s left.

We definitely recommend a visit to Hungary’s capital to you and use all the public transport available, for it’s the easiest way to get around, even if you have a car (like we had). And don’t worry, the subway takes you to both sides of the river although the Budim side is not so covered. You can buy tickets at the machines all day around and the trains run until 11pm. To get to Budapest itself you can use the railroad system, with several stations in town, the international airport or the road, with the vignette for the highways (which are cheaper in the summer months).

There’s many things we didn’t get to see, like the underground caves or the public baths (with some 15 of them in the city).

There’s also a special feeling if you explore the city from the river, which you can even do with a river-bus: an amphibian vehicle that goes on shore and in water.

Food

Hungarian cuisine is famous for its paprika. The gulyás leves and csirke paprikás are the two most famous dishes and base on this spicy vegetable. You can find paprika in its sweet or hot form and they might even warn you about how hot it is in the restaurants.

All of you with a sweet tooth will also have a treat here. The Esterházy and Dobos are two of the most famous cakes in Europe and you can try them at the Gerbeaud Cukraszda- one of the oldest pastry houses on the continent. It can receive up to 330 guests, more in the summer time when the terrace opens up. It’s located at the Vörösmarty ter, at the beginning of the oldest metro system on the continent. You should also try the Zserbo dice which also originate from here.

Another thing we didn’t get to see was the island on the Danube, with many parks and recreational areas, where the Sziget music festival takes place as one of the biggest open air musical events in Europe.

But if you wish to explore the surroundings of the city, you should also visit Szentendre, the main destination for Serbian, Greek, Dalmatian, Slovakian and German emigrants in 17th and 18th century. It’s only 20 kilometers from the city and very popular to visit as a getaway from the city haste.

If you decided to visit the city, I recommend you to have your camera(s) ready and some comfortable footwear. As the red in their flag symbolizes the power and white the commitment, the green symbolizes hope – as we hope to return and see the rest of the city… not to mention the inside of the museums and galleries!