Final Day in Budapest

Yesterday was our first night sleeping in our cabin on the boat,  but we remained docked in Budapest until 9:00 tonight.  The cabin room is quite comfortable and much larger than I expected.  Perfect for our needs.  The only downfall to the experience was that the ship was docked with another ship on either side, so there was no view except for the side of another boat.  But we weren't spending time in the cabin except for sleeping anyway, so I didn't think that was a big deal. 

Breakfast was in the on board restaurant, and we arrived earlier than most so we had a lovely view while enjoying our delicious meal. 

After breakfast, we had some free time, so we headed to the upper deck to take even more photos.

It's hard to resist with so much beauty surrounding us. 

This morning's excursion involved boarding an AMAwaterways bus which escorted us to the Buda side of the city, up to the mountain where Buda Castle Hill stands.   I featured this site from across the river a few times this week, but today we would be getting to view it up close.   And arriving by bus seemed much more practical than me trying to hike 4 1/2 miles, mostly uphill, in order to see it.  

Sunday traffic was quite light so the trip across the bridge and up the hill took very little time.  Along the way, Lazlo, our guide for the morning, gave us some more interesting tidbits regarding the history of Buda.  We drove by the Budapest University of Technology where professor Erno Rubik is credited with creating the first version of the Rubik's cube in 1974.  

Another famous name, Houdini, was born up in this area on the hill.  His family emigrated to the United States when he was a young child. 

Buda Castle Hill is a UNESCO World Heritage site, perched at the top of a hill overlooking the Danube and the counterpart of the city known as Pest.  The castle was built in the 13th century and it is where the Prime Minister of Hungary lives. What we would actually see today was the series of buildings that make up the complex surrounding the castle. 

The bus dropped us off and Lazlo led us on the trek up the hill to the charming streets of Castle Hill. 

The building that you see in the distance is not the original, but one made to replicate it. 

When the Russians liberated Hungary from the Germans during World War II, they did not make much effort to expel the Germans from Budapest.  They found it easier to just bomb the areas where they occupied the city, and as a result, 90% of the castle area was destroyed.

But renovations began in the 1950's and 1960's to attempt to restore this area to the splendor that it once had. 

Here you see a plague statue located in the center square.  We had seen many of these when we visited Slovakia in 2010, as it appeared that nearly every village erected one to thank God for saving them from the Black Plague.  This one stands directly in front of St. Matthias Church. 

From here we began our walk to Fisherman's Bastion, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Here stands a statue of St. Stephen of Hungary, the first king of Hungary.  The statue was commissioned in 1896 and completed in 1906.

The significance of St. Stephen was that he converted to Catholicism in the year 1000.  He is credited with turning the once pagan, nomadic land, to a Christian kingdom.

There are seven towers, each representing one of the seven tribes that settled in the Carpathian Basin in 895.

The original walls were built in the 1700's as part of the walls of the castle and have been reconstructed since.  It offers amazing views of the city below and one can easily see why these towers would have been defensive holdings as part of the castle. 

St. Matthias church stands in the background.  I found the tiles on the roof to be exceptionally beautiful.

The experience almost seems like part of a fairy tale castle. 

At this point, we were given free time to just walk around and enjoy the beauty of our surroundings. I couldn't get enough of the architecture and details of the buildings. 

Just on the next block from the church stands the Hilton Hotel.  There was some question as to how this Hilton hotel could have been built next to a church during the Russian occupation.  Lazlo explained that this could be credited to Zsa Zsa Gabor, who was Hungarian, and was once married to the owner of the Hilton hotels.  She managed to convince the government to sell this piece of land to her husband.  

During the construction of the hotel,  the remains of a Dominican Abbey were discovered during the renovation of the building, and many of the features were incorporated into the present day building.  

The hotel decided to keep these artifacts as part of the building which now consists of old as well as new construction, honoring the origins of the building.  

Across the street from the hotel stands a statue of who appears to be Pope Innocent, although I can't be sure.

Walking back to the bus, I couldn't resist taking one more photo of this unique building. 

We boarded the bus for the trip back to the ship, and Marty and I enjoyed lunch with a Hungarian theme.

 Well, Marty actually enjoyed the Hungarian food.  I couldn't taste most of what was offered because it contained paprika, which, unfortunately, is an allergen for me. But Mohammed, the food coordinator on board, has been extremely attentive, and I can't seem to walk into the restaurant without him suddenly appearing and checking to be sure that the food is safe to eat.  He certainly takes his job seriously!

After lunch, Marty and I headed to the Market Stalls, which is a huge venue stuffed with countless vendors selling their wares.  But since today was Sunday, many of them were closed.  But Marty and I enjoyed walking through and marveling at some of the unique Hungarian foods and creations. 

Marty purchased a tube of Paprika paste.  I'm not quite sure what his plans are for using that, but I might have to hire my own Mohammed to keep me safe when I get home!

From here we decided to check out the Hungarian museum, passing some unique statues along the way.

The architecture of the building reminded me of the British museum, only on a much smaller scale. 

There was a special exhibit featuring Attila the Hun, but our time was limited so we just picked the normal museum admission.   I had expected to see a wide range of history, but the one wing was closed for renovations, so anything from the 11th century forward was missing.

When we purchased the tickets, the woman pointed to a door and directed us there to begin our walk through the exhibit.  But Marty noted that we were in the 10th century.  That really didn't bother me in respect to looking at the artifacts, but Marty was insistent that we find the beginning, so we walked through the entire exhibit to year one before slowly making our way back to where we had entered. 

A woman nearby heard Marty fussing about the confusion of the order, and she came over to tell us that she and her husband who were both from South Africa, had also been victims of the wrong order. She had wondered if it was a language misunderstanding, as had I. She was equally confused and we had quite a chuckle over it.  They were really quite delightful. 

So, Marty began studying the placards in the correct timely order, and I just kind of meandered about.  The displays were really top notch, but I really didn't see much behind glass that piqued my interest.  The cases were filled with artifacts that were dated from the 1st century forward. 

I did take note of this jewelry from the 3rd century that had been found in Slovakia. 

And there was some reference to the Romans, but not really much.

Honestly, I felt that I had learned much more from the tour guides whom I had been with the last two days.   But Marty was enjoying himself immersing himself in the various collections, and I was fine with that.  

But I did notice while I was waiting, that even more people walked through the exit door where we had been directed, so they, too, would be on the backwards path.  But none seemed to really mind.  I'm thinking that the ticket woman is not detailed oriented, or she just figured we wouldn't notice. Who knows? 

We exited back out the door from when we had come, and took a quick peak at the hallway where the Attila the Hun collection was presented. 

Pretty ornate, isn't it? 

Actually, I think my most entertaining part of the museum was the lady's room.  I walked in  and was very confused at first.  

Certainly wasn't expecting that!

We decided that it was time to return to the boat, where we had a lovely "sip and sail" hour before heading to the restaurant for dinner. 

Then, around 9:00, the boat began to move out of the port.  And I must say, it was definitely an awesome experience.  The ship was playing a lovely melody as we slowly cruised by the array of lights reflected through the city. 

Honestly, I have never experienced anything like.  It truly was magical.

So now we are moving along the Danube throughout the night. Here's one bridge that we passed early on.

And there are scattered sites to see along the way.  But I'm pretty sure that I should be sleeping instead of staring out at the horizon.  So on that note, I'm going to call it a day. 

Tomorrow should bring even more excitement. 

I'll keep you posted!

 

Hidden Budapest....and So Much More!

This morning began with an awesome breakfast that surpasses just about anything I've seen in a hotel setting.  It was tough just deciding what to choose!  But I will admit that I treated myself to a muffin of some sort that was utterly delectable.  Smooth, rich, chocolatey with some of cream cheese filling that was a complete surprise. Wowser!  

We met with some of our fellow cruise guests at 8:45 to head out on a tour entitled, "Hidden Budapest".  Obviously, nothing was hiding from us, but the tour was extremely informative and shed light onto a lot of historical facts about the country of Hungary. 

We headed out in very comfortable AmaWaterways bus where we drove across the river, then north along the river while our guide, Emmerencia,  gave us some interesting facts about this city of Budapest. 

The city itself, is made from two different parts:  Buda which translates into water, and Pest, which translates into oven. The two parts united into one city in 1873.  Along our drive, we could easily spot the spectacular Parliament building. It is the 3rd largest Parliament in the world.

Our guide told us that Hungary is the poorest country in the European Union.  It has no natural resources for energy and is dependent on other countries for oil.  On a happier note (for some), it has the cheapest beer in all of Europe. Keep that in mind if you're a beer drinker. 

What the Buda side of the city does have as a natural resource is water, and there are no less than 24 thermal spas and 140 springs on that side of the city. 

This area was inhabited by the Romans in the early second century with both Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius  being recognized as visitors.  A huge Roman army with 6000 men had been stationed here, and the ruins of this city, Aqvincum, are preserved as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

This property features the living, bathing and shopping quarters of the ancient Romans and our guide gave an excellent description of just what life would be like for those men who lived here.  

The thermal baths were heated from wooden fires beneath the brick, and stones held the heat for many hours. 

There were even some signs of Romans on site. 

The vertical stones in the picture below were set in place by the Romans to serve as a separator of the road from the sidewalk to maintain safety from traveling vehicles.  There are grooves in some of the stones from the transports that would have been used centuries ago in this place. 

A relatively large manor house had stood in this place.  Note the columns in the background. 

And adjacent to the house was its own small Roman bath. The building has a huge section of the mosaic floor which still stands intact.

The archaeological discovery of this Roman Camp began in the 1700's. A lot of pricey, portable items were removed to Vienna.  But much has been found since the 1970's and remains on the property in a lovely museum like setting.   Here you see a mosaic, depicting a sea scape, that stems from the 3rd century. 

And this octagonal floor comes from the 2nd century.  It was found in the eastern reception wing of the nearby palace. 

This 2nd century round mosaic was discovered in the 19th century in the same area. 

This fountain is a replica based on a dolphin gargoyle from the 2nd century. 

And, this prized gem was discovered during a dig in 1931.  It is a salvaged organ that dates from 228 and would have been used in the spa by the Romans.  It was repaired, and put behind glass in order to safeguard it. 

Our guide went on to explain to us about the Huns migrating from the north east, and eventually entering into the kingdom of Hungary.  The Romans considered the Huns to be barbarians.  And the reason behind that, so she claimed, was because the Huns wore underwear, which was something that Roman men did not have.  Is that true?  If so, that could be as simple as the Huns coming from a colder climate thereby needing more warmth.  But I'm fairly certain that Scots didn't don anything under those kilts back in the day, and we all know how cold it can be in Scotland.  So, of course, I'm a skeptic regarding her explanation, but I'll let you make up your own mind. 

What was known about the Huns was that they led a nomadic lifestyle and did not maintain farms nor build cities.  Their every day drink would be beer as it could be brewed quickly.  Romans would have had wine as they cultivated the grapes. Two different lifestyles.   

How lucky it is to witness first hand some of the handiwork that the Romans constructed in this area where Huns would eventually settle? I never expected to see such a find in this city, and, perhaps this was why the tour was called Hidden Budapest? 

After our heritage tour, we headed back into the bus which took us from the Buda section to the Pest section. 

Along the way, our guide delved a bit more into the history.  In the 1200's the Mongolians ruled this area.  In the 1500's, it was under Ottoman/ Turk rule, and eventually Hapsburg rule.  Wealthy jews lived in the city and constructed large, ornate buildings.   Soon we would find ourselves peering up at these well preserved creations. 

But prosperity would change hands.  Our guide kept telling us that Hungary lost 2/3 of their empire after World War I.  (What she failed to mention, is that most of that area had been previous independent countries of their own prior to being taken over by Austria Hungary.)  She went on to say that Hungary had originally sided with Germany during World War II, putting them on the "wrong side." 

In January of 1945, the country was liberated by the Russians. 

A memorial stands in recognition. 

What the people of Hungary did not know, was that the Russian liberation would last until 1989  during which time the people would find themselves under Communist Rule. 

She told us that it was a very "socialist" atmosphere.  There was no privacy.  Communist apartments were built with thin walls so that residents could report neighbors or family members who disagreed with the Communist regime. She said something that I found quite eye opening.  She said that under communism everyone is equally poor.   At least that is how she felt growing up in that realm and looking back.  

In one plaza there stands a statue of Ronald Reagan, with the Parliament building in the background.  President Reagan is recognized here due to his push to get Russia to renounce communism. 

A fountain nearby, stands in front of another memorial, this one to the victims of World War II.  Countless Jewish families just disappeared during that time period. 

Along the spraying fountain, there are sensors, so that when one puts a foot near the water, it stops flowing so that one can walk past. That was quite entertaining.  Kind of like parting the red sea. 

This wall facade stood directly opposite the fountain. 

One interesting fact that we learned about was the 1956 October Soviet Revolution that occurred in Budapest.  There is a park devoted to Elvis Presley on the Buda side due to his support of the Hungarians who had been crushed by the communist Russians.   He had been featured on the Ed Sullivan Show and devoted his song, Peace of the Valley, to help raise funds for the Hungarian Refugees. 

Emmerencia related to us the day in 1989 when Communism was relinquished in Hungary.  She said that she was watching television with her mother, and the show, Dallas, came on and that was when they realized what life in America was like.  And just how many people do we know that lived like JR?

We ended our tour, which freed Marty and myself up for the afternoon and evening.  We wasted no time getting back out to explore parts of the city.  We had wanted to stop at a famous french bakery for a bite, but the line was long, and we didn't feel like waiting.  But it did open up an excellent photo opportunity.

We settled on Cafe Kor, which is located near St. Stephen's Basilica. We both enjoyed a cup of soup:  mine was pumpkin creme, and Marty had Goulash soup.  Perfect for a pick me up.

We then headed to the magnificent St. Stephen's Basilica,  which is a practicing Catholic Cathedral.  Apparently there is some sort of saint relic at every chapel in the interior, which is quite unique in any other church in Hungary. 

The church dates back to 1851.

There is a magnificent organ opposite the sanctuary.

and seven chapels along the sides, each devoted to a different saint.

Part of the upstairs holds the treasury, which has various religious items dating back centuries.  This velvet covered missile is from 1890

and this turkish embroidered robe from the 1600's. 

Our ticket included access to the viewpoint, so we walked part way up spiral stairs, finishing with an elevator that took us to a metal catwalk that led us outside to this spectacular view. 

Here you can see the Parliament building from the opposite perspective from earlier in the day. 

By now you'd think we would have called it a day, but we decided to challenge ourselves to even more adventures, and began the two mile walk to the Heroe's Square.   Along the way, we found ourselves looking at a gray building with photos of deceased men, most having passed in 1956.

We soon realized that this was the "House of Terror" museum.  The building had been the home of the Communist secret police and had been used to imprison, torture, and kill Hungarians after the October 1956 uprising. 

It tied into the story that we had heard earlier in the day from Emmerencia.

Just a few more blocks, and we were finally at the Heroe's Square. 

It commemorates the first 1000 years of Hungary's existence beginning with the 7 Magyar tribes in the center.   

On either side stand seven national heroes, each with their own alcove.

This is one half of them. 

On top is this interesting statue of a woman resting her head on the shoulder of this man whose hand holds some sort of golden statue.  It looks as if she is saying "my hero".  But I will warn you....zoom in and you will see that although she is fully dressed....he is not. 

As you can see, a storm was rolling in.

And we were graced with this lovely sight directly behind the memorial.  

We never did see rain, though and the skies cleared up beautifully by nightfall. 

We opted to take an Uber Cab back to the hotel.  Having spent a full day cramped in a plane, and the next walking well over 5 miles, in addition to climbing up turret stairs, we decided that it was in my best interest not to test the limit any further, and hopefully I won't be regretting our long trek tomorrow morning. 

In the meantime, we enjoyed a lovely dinner outside at a restaurant near our hotel.  You can see Buda Castle in the distance. 

And as if that wasn't charming enough, we had this very entertaining quartet play for us, not once....but twice.  They were very talented and apparently know every song from Fiddler on the Roof as he was insistent on playing them all!

Now I ask you, isn't that the best way to end our stay here in the city?

We move from our hotel to the boat tomorrow, but will still have some more time exploring the city. 

I'll be sure to keep you posted!