Budapest: My favorite sites

Fisherman's Bastion

Fisherman's Bastion received its name from a group of fisherman who used to defend this part of the city walls during the Middle Ages. This is my favorite place in Budapest. Not only is it a beautiful piece of architecture in itself, but it is a great place to see the rest of the city. We stayed here for several hours. We left to have dinner, then we came back after dark for some night-time shots.

The design we see today was built in the late 1800's (just like everything else in this city). There are seven towers that represent the seven tribes that came together to settle the region in 895. Take a look:

This is St. Stephen I, the first king of Hungary. He is considered by many to be the founder of the kingdom of Hungary, and he spread Christianity throughout the region:

Look! I was there. This may be the only proof I have:

Matthias Church

This church was built in 1255, and it was the first parish church in Buda. When the Turks took over, this building became a mosque, and much of it's interior was destroyed and white-washed. Most of the original structure was damaged by war. In preparation for the Millennial celebration of Hungary, it was renovated using the original plans from the 13th century:

Parliament

The design of the Hungarian Parliament building was selected through a competition. It was a common way for governments to look at many "bids" and select their favorite. The government opted to build it in Pest to balance the city with the castle on the opposite side of the river. The building was completed in 1902.

I absolutely love this building: 

Chain Bridge

This was the first permanent bridge to connect Buda to Pest. It was the second permanent bridge to span the Danube river. It was originally completed in 1849. Germans blew it up while retreating at the end of WWII. Only the stone pillars remained. The bridge was rebuilt in 1949, exactly one hundred years after it was built:

TJ is climbing up the stones on the bridge. It is a LOT bigger than it looks from a distance:

That's it. That's the last photo from our Budapest adventure. I hope it didn't bore you too much. I sure love this city. I strongly recommend that you visit if you get a chance. It is a beautiful place with such a challenging history.

Budapest: my favorite sites #2

Buda Castle

This fountain tells a story of King Matthias. He went out hunting and met a beautiful girl. They fell in love, but the king never told her who he was. She went to Buda and discovered that her love was the king. She went home and died of a broken heart knowing she could never have him. He returned later to fetch her... Sad story, beautiful fountain:

I thought the bird statue on top of the gate was interesting:

There has been a castle in Buda since the 13th century, though it may not have been located at this same spot. In the 1400's King Matthias built a beautiful castle. It was destroyed in 1686 when the Habsburgs liberated Buda from the Turks. A new castle was built in the 1700's and damaged again in a war for independence. The castle as it stands today was completed in the late 1800's with a new wing added in 1945:

Hero's Square

Hero's Square is a monument at the end of Andrassy Avenue. It was designed to imitate the grandeur of the Arc de Triomphe at the end of the Champs-Elysees. It was originally called Millennial Square because it was built for the Millennial celebration of Hungary in 1896. 

The four statues on top of the colonnades represent Knowledge and Glory, War, Work and Welfare, and Peace. The men underneath are famous men from Hungarian history:

At the top of the column is the Archangel Gabriel holding the crown of Hungary, who appeared to St. Stephen in a dream in which he offered him the crown:

At the base of the column are chiefs of the tribes that conquered the area that is now known as Hungary: 

Vajdahunyad Castle

This castle is located in City Park just behind Hero's Square. It was built in 1896 as part of Hungary's millennial celebration. It was originally built out of cardboard and wood. It is comprised of several different sections, each depicting a style of architecture found in the region. This castle became so popular that they rebuilt it in stone in the early 1900's.

Erick and the girls with Anonymous:

We had some fun in City Park surrounding the castle:

This area was all concrete last time we visited. It was fun to see everyone ice skating. We considered joining them but decided instead to do something warmer...

Széchenyi Thermal Baths

Instead of ice skating, we decided to hit up one of the famous Hungarian baths. It was seriously the best idea ever on this cold winter day. The outdoor baths were encircled by this yellow building. Inside the building are all sorts of indoor pools and spas, but kids are not allowed inside:

Checking in, we got a kick out of this fountain. The baby is peeing on the horseman. Not exactly a great marketing piece, I'd say... ha ha:

We weren't supposed to take pictures in the pool area (plus it was so cold, you couldn't have paid me to stand outside in my bathing suit long enough to take a picture), so I found this picture online at http://prettylittlepassport.com. We stayed in the warm water for hours. 

This kids had a blast! There was a whirlpool that would come on every 15 minutes or so. We all took turns swimming around in circles. It was such a fun, albeit expensive, morning in Budapest. If you get the chance to go to the baths, I strongly suggest it:

(photo from http://prettylittlepassport.com)

Walking around Budapest

As usual, I took way too many photos of Budapest. I haven't posted my favorite tourist places yet, but I will. No need to worry. 

This post is full of some of the fun things around town that we saw.

Liberty Bridge:

The Opera:

The Hungarian National Museum:

The Terror Museum:

The Terror Museum focuses on the fascist and communist regimes that ruled Hungary for so long. It is also a memorial to those who were killed at the hand of these regimes. We did not go inside, but we did see pictures of victims that line the outside walls of the building:

A depiction of WWI on the side of a building along Andrassy (Budapest's equivalent to Paris' Champs-Élysées).. and a cool street lamp:

Another view of Andrassy Avenue:

Bailey found a dog... I wouldn't let her bring it home:

Joey found a friend to "hang out" with:

Not much to say. TJ was in heaven:

Joey was determined to see through the center of this sculpture. She needed a little boost:

Crest from 1880 on a huge brick wall:

On a lamp post:

I didn't take pictures of our sit-down meals. Both Erick and I tried some traditional Hungarian dishes. We enjoyed goulash, paprika chicken, home-made noodles, Langos, a broken-up pancake dessert thing (hard to explain, but I'm going to tell the kids I made it for them the next time I forget to grease the pan before making pancakes.. ha ha!), and more.

The kids mostly stuck to safe items like pizza and plain chicken... though Joey did order calamari on this particular evening:

See this lovely green grass behind TJ? It's the only grass we saw in all of Budapest. Turns out it's artificial turf... you know, like what they use on a football field. Hilarious!

Bailey loved this bench. She decided to take a quick break and practice her piano lessons: