We now have Hungarian stamps in our passports after visiting Budapest this weekend. It was a beautiful, fascinating city, and we had a great time! We took a bus tour, 2 river cruises (one day, one night) and a fabulous walking tour. The weather was perfect!
(Above, a view of the city from Gellért Hill; below, the Hungarian parliament building on the banks of the Danube River)
(Above, a view of the city from Gellért Hill; below, the Hungarian parliament building on the banks of the Danube River)
Below is a photo of the beautiful St. Stephens Basilica. St. Stephen was the first king of Hungary, crowned in 1001; he's revered by Hungarians for bringing Christianity to Hungary. The architecture in Budapest was fascinating. The Basilica is Neobaroque; there are also a lot of communist-era structures, as well as TONS of art nouveau buildings.
I'm not generally an art nouveau fan myself, but I loved the hole covers all over Budapest streets. Aren't they beautiful?
We learned a lot about Hungary on our walking tour. Gábor, our guide, told us interesting stories about growing up in Communist Hungary. He painted a fascinating picture of the realities of living under Orwellian scenarios that seem bizarre to outsiders. On a lighter note, the below photo is one of the only remaining Communist statues in the city. It commemorates the 1873 uniting of the city (which used to be 3 cities: Buda, Pest and Obuda). Either the Communists were totally clueless, or they had a sense of humor. Either way...what were they thinking?!
Food-wise, Hungary is famous for its goulash (pictured below). We tried it, and it was well-seasoned and delicious. What we enjoyed more than the goulash was the pastries! Hungary's most famous pastry (also pictured below) is called a Kürtőskalács (don't ask me to pronounce). Its cylindrical dough is dipped in sugar and cinnamon before it's baked on a spit. The sugar caramelizes and leaves a crispy outside, with the inner dough remaining soft. It was amazing!
Just a few more photos: the city at night from the boat tour (Buda Castle and the chain bridge); Jacob next to the city's famous "Little Princess" statue; and the beautiful Dohány Street Synagogue (the second-largest synagogue in the world).
Just a few more photos: the city at night from the boat tour (Buda Castle and the chain bridge); Jacob next to the city's famous "Little Princess" statue; and the beautiful Dohány Street Synagogue (the second-largest synagogue in the world).
2 comments:
Ok, it looks like Melissa and I will add Budapest to our list of desired destinations on a trip to Europe!
What an amazing trip! You are right Rachel the street covers are rather original. I also think it is very interesting that with each tour of the same place you get different incite. Congrats on your new stamp :)
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