Margaret Island is smack in the middle of the Danube between two bridges. We decided to take a walk via a bridge over to this “peaceful” city oasis and take the 3-mile tramp around the island. It gave us a good perspective of both Buda and Pest. It’s hard to imagine how so much green space survived in such an old city like Budapest. The island is ban to all motorized vehicles. As you enter the island, there is a delightful musical fountain that plays Hungarian songs via a load speaker. Margaret Island is basically a recreational center catering to the locals. There is a beautiful hotel, thermal spa, olympic size pool, animal rescue center and soccer stadium on the island, as well.
Our next stop was a tour of the Parliament. It is the most recognizable building in Hungary’s capital and an icon of Budapest. Construction began in 1885 and it took 19 years to build! Getting to photograph the interior of the Hungarian Parliament came as a big surprise to us. 40 million bricks were used in the building process as well as half a million precious stones and 88 pounds of gold! We thought the interior of the building was spectacularly stunning. It is very palatial, exquisite and so detailed and intricate in its decor throughout it blows your mind. If some people think it is gaudy, then it is very well-done gaudy! The Hungarian Crown of Jewels was lost and stolen numerous times. Interestingly, the crown finally ended up at Fort Knox for safe keeping from the Soviet Union. The crown was eventually returned to Hungary by President Carter in 1978. It is on display in the magnificent Dome Hall. It was the only room on our tour where picture-taking is not allowed and two guards, that change hourly, stand at attention with their swords minding the Holy Crown. While the interior of the Parliament is amazing, we only were able to view 4 rooms out of 691 rooms. Unfortunately, the tour was a bit short on content.
Our last stop was the famous Central Market in Budapest which is about a 2+ mile walk from the Parliament. It is the largest indoor market in the city. Lesley always likes to visit the major market in each city to compare and contrast the flavors and local fare of each location we visit. Central Market is a three-floor bound on the outside in Neo-Gothic charm with a colorful orange brick facade and a brightly tiled roof which uses the same kind of tiles that we saw on the landmark Mathias Church in Buda. The market teems with a rich variety of produce, meats, sausages and a taste of Budapest life. The butcher shops display both fresh and cured port, beef and poultry which are key ingredients in some of Hungary’s signature dishes like chicken soup and goulash. Much to our dismay, we could not find a fish shop anywhere here although they do offer fish on most menus. Hungary is meat country! Hanging from every stall are the ubiquitous peppers from which Hungary’s signature spice, paprika, is made. It was great fun wandering around “inspecting” all the wonderful specialties.
