We returned home from Bavaria on Thursday and within 48-hours we were on a flight to Budapest. We flew on discount airliner, WizzAir for the first and last time after dealing with their bag policy. Let's say you have a bag of peanuts in your hand - well, according to WizzAir policy - that counts as your only carry-on item. Regardless, after some rearranging and much consternation, we boarded the plane and were on our way. We landed late in the afternoon and promptly collected our luggage. Before heading downtown, we purchased our 72-hour public transportation passes at a booth in the Arrivals terminal.
We arranged for a shuttle to pick us up at the airport with a drop-off near a Metro station in the city. We were staying at the Hilton on Castle Hill - which was on the other side of the Danube River. Supposedly, the closest Metro stop was less than a thousand meters away from the hotel, however; the entire walk was uphill - reigniting my
aversion to acclivities.
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| Mátyás-templom |
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| Matthias Church at night |
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| View of Országház behind Matthias Church |
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Consequently, all my Olympic training in Garmish-Partenkirschen didn't payoff - a single day of exercise doesn't prepare one for the hills of Budapest. After we gathered ourselves and could breath at a reasonable rate - we checked-in, but our assigned room was on the ground floor. Having upgraded to a "favorable" view in Bavaria, we thought we would inquire about a room overlooking the Országház (Hungarian Parliament Building) across the river. I believe we paid €20 more a night, but it was absolutely worth the price for the view. It was late, we were hungry in Hungary and our lack of adenosine-triphosphate resulted in making horrible jokes.
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| View from hotel room |
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| Where we had dinner on our first night |
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| Beautiful city at night |
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We ended our evening exploring the Mátyás-templom (Matthias Church) and Halaszbastya (Fisherman's Bastion) - two sites adjacent to our hotel. We didn't have to go far to forage for dinner, finding two restaurants near the Bastion - one was first-class fine dining; the other - Hungarian comfort foods. The decision was easy given our appearance and the lack of a reservation (although, we made one for another evening). The long day of travel and hauling luggage up Castle Hill had their lasting effects, drawing our evening to a close.
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| Matthias Church seen from bus stop |
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| Vigádo |
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| Concert Hall |
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The following morning we started with a wonderful breakfast and some of the best waffles we have had in a long time. Although, the amount of times I have had waffles all year could be counted on one hand. This isn't saying much, but it is worth a diatribe about my lack of waffles in 2014 - yet I do have a self-proclaimed refined palate for breakfast delicacies (it was indeed fantastic waffles). During our morning meal, we planned our travel to the meeting point for our day's activity - a "free" walking tour of the city ("free" implies the tour is free, but you pay your guide what you feel your experience was worth).
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| Szent István Bazilika |
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| Fountain in park |
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| Józef nádor tér statue |
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Conveniently, we had a bus stop near the hotel - across from Matthias Church. We soon learned that the precise timing of the public transportation was structured with German efficiency (a transit network that was easily navigated and punctual - buses and Metro alike). The meeting location was the Lionhead fountain near Józef nádor tér (a small courtyard). Momentary chaos ensued when the three tour guides has split the forty-plus tourist as equally as possible. To start, our guide asked if anyone knew anything about Hungary or famous people from Hungary. Her question was greeted with awkward silence, I knew Franz Lizst but remained mum - while Julie blurted out, "1956." Our guide was pleased to garner a response - acknowledging the historical significance, but reiterated the tour would not focus on Communism and the Hungarian uprising.
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| Széchenyi lánchíd - Buda side |
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| Chain Bridge - Buda in background |
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| Lions of Budapest |
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We started with a quick trip to the Vigadó (Concert Hall) overlooking the Danube. This was one our intermittent stops where we were briefed with history. Here, we learned about the unification of Budapest - connecting the cities of Buda (and Óbuda west side of Danube) and Pest (east side of Dabube). Throughout much of the country's past, Hungary was like a foster child who never found a home - a land continually controlled by another power. While under rule of other empires, Hungary gained from their respective cultural-overlords - for example, architecture (Austro-Hungarian Empire) and the Turkish Baths (Ottoman Empire).
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| Matthias Church entrance |
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| Gate across Presidential Residence |
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| Sándor Palace |
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Pressing on, our next stop was Erzsébet tér - a park close to our original meeting area. The square was currently hosting the weekly market where street vendors sell very similar food and products seen in most European markets. We then made our way to Szent István Bazilika (Saint Stephen's Basilica), named for the first king of Hungary - a highly trafficked tourist attraction. Therefore, our group didn't go inside the church, but Julie and I would return later at our own leisure. Ending our visit on the Pest side, we crossed the Széchenyi lánchíd (Chain Bridge) en route to Buda.
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| Returned to Saint Stephen's Basilica |
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| Peak of cupola |
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| All that glitters is gold here |
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The tour of Buda started with Sándor Palace, the presidential residence - albeit, the president of Hungary is more of a political ornament - holding no influential power. We ended with Mátyás-templom (Matthias Church) and Halaszbastya (Fisherman's Bastion). There was a slight haze in the sky, but the view from Castle Hill is always beautiful. We compensated our guide appropriately for her wonderful tour and then we made our way back to the bus station to return to Pest. We had a few hours to visit Saint Stephen's Church and eat dinner before returning to the hotel to get ready for our evening of cultural enrichment, an opera.
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Combining Julie's love of musicals and my affinity for classical music, opera is a common ground we could both enjoy. The Magyar Állami Operaház (Hungarian State Opera) is among the top opera houses in all of Europe. The quaint theater is aesthetically decorated and soundly designed. We had purchased tickets for "Die Frau ohne Schatten," (The women without a shadow) - an opera we didn't know was going to last over three hours. Some patrons left after Act II - I suppose they were tired of sitting or they didn't enjoy the staged interpretation.
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Allow me to divulge a little bit, the character Barak is billed as a dyer - information I retroactively researched. During our performance, Barak the Dyer laboriously pushed a large tire in a circle for most of the opera. Furthermore, Act III featured blindfolded children aimlessly gallivanting around the stage - later, finding out they were the "unborn children" who haunted the female lead. Some confusing naratives to say the least, nevertheless; the singing was good, the music great, and the tire - hilarious. Having felt like we sat in the wooden seats for a fortnight, the lengthy opera carried late in to the evening, ending a brilliant day in Budapest.
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| Saint Stephen relic |
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| Baptismal font |
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