Budapest has been a sweet surprise for us. Until recently, we were unaware that Budapest is the result of an historic amalgamation of the separate cities of Buda and Pest. While here, we heard people referring to restaurants on the “Buda side” or “living in Pest”. The first thing we did upon our arrival was stroll along the Pest-side of the Danube River in awe of its views up to Buda, the bridges and the massive Gothic-style Parliament Building. It dominates the skyline and impresses from virtually every angle. Overall, Budapest has one of the most stunning city skylines of any city that we have visited so far. The fabulous architecture lining the Buda and Pest sides of the Danube totally justifies the claim that it is one of Europe’s prettiest cities – and we agree! The city has made so much progress in the past 25 years since the fall of the Iron Curtain; however, the large number of major construction and restoration projects is ever-present. Known for its wonderful Hungarian paparika, we were surprised that the hearty Hungarian fare is extremely well-priced and the Hungarian wine is delicious.
We took a 2 1/2 hour walking tour of the city on Sunday to give us an overview of the main attractions. We started out by walking by St. Stephen’s Basilica which is as grand a church as any you will find in Europe. We then proceeded to cross the famous Chain Bridge which connects Pest, the newer part of the city, with historic Buda sitting high on a knoll. Once over to the Buda side, we climbed up the many stairs to the famous Castle Hill area and the World Heritage site of Budapest’s Buda Castle District. Both these historical areas are very “tourist-heavy” and left us kind of apathetic in terms of visiting every venue on the hill. The panoramic views from the Fisherman’s Bastion (a neo-Gothic/Romanesque terrace) are picture-postcard perfect and quite dramatic. Right next to the Fisherman’s Bastion, is the Matthias Church which dates back over 700 years. It has one of the most magnificent church exteriors we have seen with a very intriguing roof made of Hungarian ceramic tiles. The interior is simply gorgeous with very beautiful stenciling on the walls. The church, when it was converted to a mosque, had its stencils walls covered to hide any faces on the walls. Once reverted back into a church, these stencils were uncovered in perfect condition.
After lunch, we took a tour of The Hospital in the Rock, a hospital under the Buda Castle. This small (60 beds) hospital was only used during the siege of Budapest and during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. It had upwards of 600 patients within the facility during these conflicts. The Soviets converted it to a nuclear bomb shelter during the Cold War. It was interesting to see this underground medical facility; however, we felt it was rather cheesy to have vignettes in rooms and other areas displaying oversized wax figures of nurses and doctors performing their duties. It was an old, underground facility looking for tourist $$.
