Wandering around Budapest

The dull landscape with just a few houses every now and again, will transform some four hours of driving, after crossing the Slovenian – Hungarian border. You’ll see the densely inhabited city of Budim! Finally we arrive! We leave the train at the station next to last, and descend down to the underground that takes us to our hostel. The hostel is set on the fifth floor of the old city villa, but seems quite annoying at first sight. As soon as we entered and saw the small but cute apartment, where we would spend the next three nights. We’ve only decided to enter the monstrous elevator the next day, when we were so tired, we preferred to get stuck in the lift than to walk all the way up to the fifth floor.

The flat Pest on the east left bank of Danube takes your breath away. It also features the most extravagant neo-gothic building in the world, which stands right on the embankment. The astounding parliament first opened its doors in 1902, where the decades of construction finally came to an end. At the time it was the largest parliament in Europe, today it’s third largest, right after the Reichstag and Westminster. The building is 268 meters long and 123 meters wide and features towers and arches, outside support, fialas and geometric details, with the precise asymmetry and architecturally and artistically stressed entrances, raises to the 96 meters heights of the dome and is a dreamy building every tourist loves to see. You can only see the interior as part of a guided group when the members of parliament are not in session. The last tour of the day way scheduled for 3 pm and we got there an hour early, still the tour was sold out and we couldn’t get in. If you are able to get a ticket available, you should show (if you have one) your student ID to get the discount.

This is seen by big squares, bright avenues and secession type of architecture. Here we can find many important buildings, among which we should point out the basilica of St. Stephen, the national opera, the Operetta theatre house, the largest European synagogue and the house of Ferenz Liszt, which is now a museum. If you want to feel the beat of the city, you should go to the Vaci street, which is the heart and soul of Budapest. It’s a street that lives night and day. Walking down the promenade you can see the beautiful architecture of the street houses as well as the HQs of prestigious companies based on the main street. Naturally there’s also man shops, cafés, pubs and so on, that make your mouth water and form a symphony of smells that joins the restaurants where musicians and candles will keep you company. Just a few steps away there will also be fast food chains that will tempt you with tasty snacks. Behind the stained glass there will also be a silhouette of a wiggling girl, seducing you to enter a night club. Just a few streets away is the Andrassy boulevard taking you to the national opera house, which gives the feeling of aristocracy, with the entrance and lobby. The columns, balconies and lounges on the facade are magnificent. Liszt and Erkel will greet you by the doors of the neo-renaissance masterpiece. The two musical masters invite you to the front door with a painted ceiling that, together with the architectural decoration, turns back the time for two centuries. You’ll get the feeling that the aristocracy just stepped off the carriages to see the premiere of a new musical masterpiece. The interior is boasting and luxurious, but you can only see it if you’re attending a show or a guided tour. Nearby there is also the theatre Operetta, which has been putting up one act plays since 1898. In front of it is a park with benches just waiting for you to sit down and soak in the avenue. You can talk to Emmerich Kálmán, a representative of the Vienna operetta from the previous century… or just admire the fountain.

The legend says that the desperate king Bela IV (from 13th century) promised to offer his daughter to god if the Mongols never return to the city. He sent his daughter to a convent at the age of 9, where she has spent the rest of her life and Mongols never did return. Today an island, named after her, represents a green oasis in the concrete jungle of the city. It attracts many tourists and locals. The locals use it as a recreation area and the tourists come to enjoy the nature and the remains of the Dominican convent and the Franciscan church. There are many people here today, so you can’t soak up on peace and quiet, but it’s still a nice walk among the flowers and fountains.

The originality and fantasy of club owners in Budapest is unlimited. Evening walk are interrupted by invitation to most unusual clubs, where you sit in a real horse stable and drink beer, or sit on a bike instead of a bar stool… or there’s class room rulers and pencils in much larger edition hanging above you. A special experience are the night clubs or so called ruins pubs, which started appearing after 2001. Today they are in abundance. Near the Andrassy street we see a club resembling a residence building with a large atrium inside. On narrow steps that hardly allow two people to meet, will take you down to the cellar, where you’ll notice the smell of damp and the sound of rap. The main room on the ground floor features a large table for drinks and smaller rooms where you can move away from the noise and even talk to people. The first floor features two large rooms with dance floors playing commercial and rock music. There are huge animals hanging from the ceiling, from a golden bull to a nice owl with a monstrous head. 

You can reach the top of hilly Budim by walking paths, or you can take the cart (3€) and save the energy to explore the castle grounds, which features most of the city’s sights. The entire area was places on UNESCO heritage list in 1987 and if you take the cart ride it will take you to the king’s court – the castle, that oversees the city. The castle of Budim was first built by Sigismund od Luxembourg, was enlarged by Matias Korvin and remade by Maria Theresa. There are several buildings to it, which now host both the national gallery and the national museum of history. A stone’s throw away is the Sandor mansion, the official residence of the president of Hungary. You can see it from the outside only, as the guards will only let you in if you have an appointment with the president. My favourite building of the capital, however, was the Fishermen’s bastion. It’s a small fairy tale place with a magnificent view of the might river and the Pest side of the city. It has many beautiful towers in a neo-Romanic fashion. The bastion was built in 1895 as a memory to the fishermen’s guilt that defended the city walls in the medieval times. Next to it you’ll see the tall church and the lord’s street, ending with the Vienna gate that used to lead from Budim to Vienna.