Budapest, Hungary II

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Budapest is actually two cities combined, Buda on one side of the Danube and Pest on the other. The Buda side is where Castle Hill is located, which has spectacular scenery. We spent the better part of the day here, walking down streets and looking at all the buildings, each one a different color and design. The buildings here look like they have lived a good long life-- we admired old-fashioned mail boxes labeled "Post", heavy wooden doors with character, and the paint peeling off most of the walls, exposing different shades underneath.  

We stopped at Matthias Church which has a beautiful multicolored roof made of pyro granite tiles that are arranged in geometric patterns. The roof of the church was designed to look like a Turkish rug to remember when it was once a mosque during the Ottoman Empire. Religious tradition has it that the church was founded by St. Stephen in 1015. 

From there we headed to the Fisherman's Bastion which is a castle-like terrace overlooking the Danube River and Pest on the other side. The name comes from a guild of fishermen that guarded this stretch of river during the Middle Ages. Along the river, you can see several bridges in either direction and you can't miss the Hungarian Parliament building, the 3rd largest in the world. 

Hungarians love their first king, Stephen I, who later became known as Saint Stephen, and the Father of Hungary. The original Hungarians were nomad pagan tribes from central Asia. In the year 896, they settled in what is present-day Hungary. Stephan became their first king and led everyone to Christianity so Europe would accept them as a nation. Budapest has Stephen's statue in multiple places around the city. Next to the Fisherman's Bastion, there is a beautiful bronze statue of Saint King Stephen on a horse... with a halo around his head. Inside Saint Stephen's Basilica (which you saw in the previous post), the main statue in the middle is not Jesus, not even Mary, not any one of the twelve apostles, but Steven himself. This is also where you can see the famous relic, Saint Stephen's right hand, for a dollar.  

We had a great time exploring even though the cold made it impossible to stay outside for too long. 

-Yuriy








































14 comments :

  1. I already said to Julia on Twitter, but I'm going to Budapest next week and your posts have made me very excited about it! The photos are just stunning.

    I love your whole blog btw, you guys seem to be having such an adventure :)

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  2. i spy a little sumo wrestler that i LOVE! how funny!

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  3. My boyfriend has that same stress toy suma wrestler on his desk!

    I've always wanted to visit Budapest and, having seen your photos, I'm now even more keen than ever!

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  4. thank you for the history lesson as I did not know that about Budapest and their king. I love all the ornament photos and it does not look that cold until you see the photos of the both of you bundled up.

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  5. I honestly can't fathom HOW you pack for sun bathing in Greece AND street walking in Hungary in December! Please consider putting up a post on your lugguge, because I would be fascinated!

    these are beautiful, and make me miss Budapest very much.

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  6. Julia & Yuriy,

    I adore your blog - it's so beautiful...

    I've never been in Budapest, but... ;)

    Big hugs from Poland!

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  7. I just recently discovered your blog and I love it. Your detailed accounts and beautiful pictures make me feel like I'm there myself!

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  8. WOW! Budapest is beautiful!! love the photos :)

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  9. It certainly is a beautiful city - I was there in December for the Xmas markets and your photos make me quite nostalgic !!

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  10. Haha I had no idea what that sumo wrestler was! I thought it was so funny.

    Lorriane- That's a really good idea because people always ask about our luggage! I will get a post up about how we packed it once our camera is functioning again.

    manningroad- We were actually there in December too! We're just now getting around to posting it. We'll have a post on the Christmas Market up in the next few days. Wasn't it absolutely magical?!

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  11. Well captured. I remember when living there how cold, but beautiful those days were.

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  12. Szia,

    Very nice...you can see information about Budapest in www.budapestdreams.com

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  13. Beautiful pictures, you make me miss Hungary soo much..

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  14. Great to see. We will be there in Aug.

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