History of Budapest

12 July 2017, Wednesday:  We leave the Dobozi Kastélypark in Doboz at 9.30am and head up north to Szentes. We pass sunflower field upon sunflower field and stop next to the Tisza River approximately 2km from Szentes. The scenery is beautiful and we have time to upload 2 new blogs. After a nice relaxed lunch we proceed to a recreational area at Izsák. Emile goes on a scout and after a delicious meal prepared by Nikita, we head for a new site found by Emile one kilometre away. This is on the edge of the Kolon-To Nature Reserve. With its extensive reed-beds and swamps it has various look-out points from which you can observe the wild-life. We even see a small red deer. After sharing some watermelon with the mosquitoes and an outside shower behind Merzy, we retire for the night behind the mosquito screens, the BEST INVENTION EVER!!!

13 July 2017, Thursday: It’s a beautiful sunny morning, after some raindrops during the night. We fill up with water at a water-point next to the road in Izsák before making the 80km journey into Budapest. We head for our park4night stop which is at Varoslighet Park on the Pest-side. After a quick lunch we start our tour through Pest, starting approximately 2.30pm. We start off at the Kunsthalle and Heroes' Square. We then continue to Vajdahunyad Castle and Széchenyi Thermal Bath/Spa, which is situated at City Park. We head down Andrassy Avenue towards the Danube River. Along the road we pass the House of Terror Museum in front of which iron chains, replicating the Iron Curtain Era, is displayed. The Museum itself contains exhibits related to the fascist and communist regimes in 20th century Hungary and is also a memorial to the victims of these regimes, including those detained, interrogated, tortured or killed. Further down we pass the State Opera House and since Nikita’s voice is hurting and not able to perform, we move on. At St. Stephen’s Basilica we enter and explore the inside. The Basilica is named in honour of Stephen, the first king of Hungary, whose supposed right hand is housed in the Szent Jobb Kâpolna (chapel) inside the Basilica. In the square outside the Basilica my siblings try to master the future’s ‘legs’ by having a go on a Segway. We reach the Danube River and carry on along the Danube Promenade, a popular esplanade along the embankment of the Danube in Pest, until we turn up to Vaci Street which is famous for its shopping. We then head up Rákóczi Avenue in the direction of where we are parked. Along the way we want to visit the Great Synagogue, Budapest’s grand Jewish temple. We miss the turn off to the Synagogue and have to back-track towards it which takes us through the Old Jewish Quarter. On our way back up to Merzy our heels are starting to drag as we pass the Keleti Railway Station on our right. As the remaining distance to Merzy is approximately 1km, Dad gives up on the idea of catching a train. We are back at Merzy at 8pm. After a quick coffee and due to the noise and music from a music festival at the nearby Vajdahunyad Castle, we start Merzy up and drive across the Elizabeth Bridge to a park4night stop just below another park on the Buda side of the Danube River. We are knackered and sleep comes easy.

14 July 2017, Friday: We head off at 9.30am, descending the hill as the Buda side consists of hills and Pest is rather flat. We head to Batthyany Square. Directly on the opposite side of the Danube River bank is the Hungarian Parliament, the seat of the National Assembly of Hungary and the world’s third largest Parliament building. After passing St. Anna Church we head up the hill to the Fisherman’s Bastion and Matthias Church situated next to each other at the heart of Buda’s Castle District. The lovely look-out towers and decorative fortification of the Fisherman’s Bastion were built in the 19th century to serve as a lookout tower for the best panoramic views in Budapest. There used to be real castle walls from where you can now take fantastic photos, but the present day structure has never served as an actual fortification in Buda. Better known as Matthias Church, after the much-loved 15th-century Renaissance king contributed the towers and was married here, this famous landmark is officially named the Church of Our Lady. From here we proceed to the Buda Castle, which is the historical castle and palace complex of the Hungarian kings in Budapest. Often referred to as the Royal Palace, it is home to the National Gallery, the Budapest History Museum and the National Library. We walk downhill and then across Chain Bridge to the Pest side heading for Freedom Square. This spacious square is surrounded by several impressive early 20th century architectural landmarks and also the site of a monument to Soviet soldiers. Ronald Reagan is here to greet us and wish us well for the rest of our journey. We walk around the Hungarian Parliament and halfway across Margaret Bridge. We drop off at Margaret Island where we are entertained by a water display at the Margitsziget Fountain. This completes our exploration of Budapest and we turn back in the direction of Merzy across the 2nd half of Margaret Bridge. On the way back we treat ourselves to Gyros Pitas (the Hungarian version of a schwarma). We ascend the 330 steps uphill to conclude our visit to Budapest. We arrive back at Merzy at 4.30pm. Today’s Buda (and small part of Pest) tour lasted 7 hours. We fire Merzy up and cross over the Elizabeth Bridge, making our way out of the centre of Budapest to a small town, Gödöllö, 30km northeast of the city. Here we retire in a car park intended for the sports centre and train station. Some of us zonk out at 9pm.

Lunch stop approximately 2km outside Szentes next to the Tisza River

Sunflower fields everywhere

Mum can't resist taking another (hundred) photo(s!!!!)

Filling up Merzy's resevoir at Izsák

The Kunsthalle (Hall of Art) or Műcsarnok (in Hungarian) is a Neo-Renaissance building and an exhibition hall for the contemporary arts, featuring the works of local and international artists

Millenium Monument in the middle of Heroes' Square - erected to commemorate the 1000-year old history of the Magyars

Statues of kings and other important historical figures stand on top of the colonnades on either side of the centre pillar

Vajdahunyad Castle

Chapel inside the castle grounds

The Castle is a friendly museum of agriculture and has never been an actual royal or noble residence

Széchenyi Thermal Bath/Spa - the largest medicinal bath in Europe. It's water is supplied by 2 thermal springs, temperatures respectively 74 and 77 degrees Celsius 

Heroes' Square

Iron Curtain Monument positioned outside the House of Terror

The House of Terror

The Hungarian State Opera House is a Neoclassical venue, with ceiling frescoes and statues of composers, for opera and ballet

St. Stephen's Basilica, a vast cupola-topped Roman Catholic place of worship and a venue for regular concerts

Having a look inside the Basilica

Inside a chapel in the Basilica is a shrine with Hungary's most important relic, the hand of St. Stephen, the first Christian king of Hungary

Entrance to St. Stephen's Basilica

Chimpanzee riding on a segway,

chimpanzee riding on a segway,

chimpanzee riding on a segway, dara dara da da

The Great Synagogue, also known as the Dohány Synagogue is a lavish Moorish-style Synagogue with it's 2 tall, onion-domed towers. It contains a museum, cemetery and Holocaust memorial

The Parliament of Hungary is the world's 3rd largest Parliament building

The name of the Fisherman's Bastion dates back to the Middle Ages when this section of the castle wall was defended by the fishers' guild

It's cone-topped stone towers symbolize the 7 Magyar chieftains who once led the invasion of the Carpathian Basin and decided to settle down here

Matthias Church, for long the coronation church of Hungary, is one of the most important churches in Budapest

The original church was built in the 13th century. It's current appearance is the result of a 19th century restoration

Today Buda Castle, often referred to as the Royal Palace, is home to the National Gallery, the Budapest History Museum and the National Library

Changing of the Guard 

A Royal Performance 

Show's over

Chain Bridge - the first permanent stone bridge connecting Pest and Buda, and only the second permanent crossing on the whole length of the Danube River

Danube River - Parliament (right) and Margaret Bridge to Margaret Island (left)

Atteeeeeeeeeention!

Chain Bridge is one of the symbolic structures of Budapest, the most widely known bridge of the Hungarian capital

Buda Castle or Royal Palace is visible from everywhere in Budapest

At the time of its construction, Chain Bridge was considered to be one of the wonders of the world, with a total length of 375 metres

Mirror mirror on the wall, who's got the biggest tummy of them all? Nikita is disqualified.

Budapest's spacious Freedom Square is also the site of a monument to Soviet soldiers

Pleased to meet you, Ronald 

The Parliament building is a magnificant example of Neo-Gothic architecture, although the interior is displaying Renaissance and Baroque elements too

Having a quick break

Cool hat, dude!

Shoes on the Danube - The monument consists of 60 pairs of rusted iron shoes (each pair being modeled after a contemporary shoe of the 1940's) forming a row of about 40 metres. 

Crossing Magaret Bridge to Margaret Island

The Parliament is the biggest building in Hungary and the highest on the Pest side with a height of 96 metres.

The imposing Buda Castle overlooks the city from it's elevated position atop Castle Hill, rising 48m above the Danube

Margaret Bridge - the pillars are decorated with massive sculptures of galley prows. The prows are adorned with large figureheads in the shape of winged female figures

Ordering lunch... Gyros Pitas

Döner... that's big!

Munch

#Hungary