The Ups and Downs of Budapest

Up the hill to Fisherman's Bastian
We woke up early and ready for breakfast. The rest of the family was going to be leaving today and we wanted to see everyone before they left. After breakfast, we hugged and kissed everyone as they departed to their destinations. Jane was sad that this part of our journey was coming to an end. The next leg of our trip, however, was going to be an adventure. We did not have any set plans on how we were going to get back to London, so this was going to be interesting.

The protest



First we have to back track a little...

We had purchased a one way ticket to Budapest because we were intending to sight-see our way back to London. A couple of weeks ago, while visiting Tom and Erika in Oxford, they let us know that they were driving back from Budapest after the wedding. They kindly invited us to tag along with them through Vienna, Prague and Germany. However, we did not want to impose on them after their wedding, so we left this option open.  Also, we were not sure which places we wanted to visit on the way back.
The view of the Danube,
Buda and Pest
As it turned out, on our way to Budapest, we were flipping through a magazine and came across some photos of the Croatian coast. "Wow" we thought "that is where we really want to go!".   During our stay in Budapest, we told several people that we had hoped to make it to Croatia.  Everyone we spoke with agreed it was a stellar place to visit. The family grapevine spread the word. Soon, Tom and Erika heard of our plans. They liked the idea of going to the beach and thought it would be a great road trip. Fortunately, they decided to take a massive detour and head to Croatia with us. Some times its better not to plan anything at all.  
 
As Tom and Erika had a lot of post wedding tasks to complete they wanted to leave on Tuesday. We suddenly realized we did not have a place to stay for the night. Luckily at breakfast, Erika offered to let us stay at her unoccupied family flat. Spending an extra night in Budapest would be great. It would allow us time to check out the parts of the city we had missed and figure out our route to Croatia. The flat was located in the center of the city, not too far from where we had been staying.

Tram along the Danube
After the last guest departed from the hotel, we drove with Tom and Erika to her family’s flat near Heroes Square. After arriving at the flat, we had a quick drink with the newlyweds before they left for their last evening with Erika's parents. Fifteen minutes later we also headed out the door and walked over to the metro at Heroes Square. Walking down the steps to the metro we rode the train to the end of the line to Vorosmarty Ter.
Looking down to the Elisabeth
Bridge from Gellert Hill
Walking up out of the station we found ourselves on the east bank of the Danube River. The area was very lively with lots of activity. We walked around for a while getting our bearings. As we passed in front of Roosevelt Square and Gresham Palace we came across a protest. There were hundreds of people. Many playing kazoos which we found sort of funny. Although we could not understand the signs it was clear they were upset with some aspect of the government.  

Statue of St Gerard looking
down on the city
Walking along the river towards the March 15th Square, we reached the Elisabeth Bridge and crossed over from Pest to the Buda side of the river. The bridge was named for the well liked Austrian-Hungarian Queen Elisabeth, who was assassinated in 1898. The current bridge follows the path of the original 1890’s suspension bridge that was blown up during World War 2. The Buda side of the bridge ends in a sharp bend that has caused countless car accidents over the years. The odd curve is the result of past political corruption. The land was owned by a member of the city council, who wanted to gain additional wealth from the bridge project. He managed to sell his land to the city at a steep price, despite the fact that the road had to curve sharply around the base of Gellert hill.

Heading up on the
 funicular
After crossing the bridge, we arrived at the base of the Gellert Hill. Down the front of the hill runs an enormous man made waterfall. In the past, the hill was home to several large vineyards. Today, it is part of a world heritage site. We began climbing up the hill which was much steeper than it looked. About 1/3rd of the way up we came to a statue marking the location where St. Gerard was said to have been thrown to his death by pagans. After a quick break to catch our breath, we walked on until we reached the top. The weather was hot and humid. From the top, we were able to look down upon the most amazing view of the Danube, Buda and Pest.
Buda Castle detail
Behind us was the Citadella. This intimidating U-shaped fortress was constructed in 1851. It was constructed after the Hungarian Uprising as a strategic location to discourage any future revolutions. It was occupied by Austrian troops until Budapest gained control of it in 1899. Then in 1952, Soviet troops took the fort and used it to fire down on the city.
Buda Castle detail
After admiring the view, we walked back down the hill and started walking along the western side of the Danube. We soon came to Buda Castle. The castle also sits on a hill, so back up we went. This time instead of walking, we rode a Furnicular up to the top.

The top of Castle Hill has historically been the seat of Hungarian Kings. Originally constructed by King Béla IV in the 1200’s, it has been destroyed and rebuilt many times. The oldest surviving portion now dates from the 1400’s. Each new ruler of the region wanted to demolish the previous rulers work and make their own mark. Over the centuries the palace buildings have been rebuilt in medieval, baroque, renaissance, neo-baroque and modernist styles. Many times the new structures were constructed directly on top of the old. During World War 2 the palace was again destroyed and then rebuilt only to be again demolished by the soviets. 

Writing down thoughts
in the condolence book

This senseless destruction still continues to this day. In 2008, a failed underground parking garage project destroyed more of the original palace walls. This project is now on hold indefinitely, leaving a gaping hole on one side of the hill. Nonetheless, the existing buildings are still beautiful.
Walking past the entrance to the presidents palace we noticed a short line of people, some of whom were holding bunches of flowers. Just inside the door we could see a guard standing at attention. Next to him at a small table was a man scribbling something into a large book. Also, on the table was a framed picture of a man with some dates written on the photo. We soon learned that the former Prime Minister had recently died and that his supporters were lining up to write a personal message in his condolence book.
Looking up at Mathias Church


After walking around the various buildings we headed back down the hill. A little further along the river, we reached Fisherman’s Bastian. And guess what? It was up another hill. By now we were starting to fade but we decided we were too close not to climb the stairs.

Fisherman's Bastian
We reached the top of the hill by walking through an old building and climbing several flights of stairs. When we walked out onto the courtyard above, we were surprised at how lovely the sight was. Built in the late 1800’s, the name of the hilltop commemorates a legion of fishermen who defended this part of the city wall during the middle ages.

In the middle of the terrace sits a large bronze sculpture of Stephen the 1st on horseback. The seven minaret-like towers surround Matthias Church which sits in the center of the hill. The church has a colorful, intricate tile detail on its roof and was spectacular.
The
Stephen the 1st Statue

Looking down at the Chain
Bridge from
Fisherman's Bastian
Getting hungry (in Hungary) we went down winding our way through the old neighborhoods below the hill. We crossed the river this time via the Chain Bridge. Designed by William Tierney Clark, the bridge was the first permanent crossing over the Budapest portion of the Danube. Built out of Iron, it was, at the time of its construction in 1849, the longest spanning bridge. The stone lions at each end are smaller scale models of the lion statues at Trafalgar Square in London. Once back on the Pest side of the city, we returned to our starting point. Near the metro station, we found a restaurant to eat at. We rode the metro back to Erika’s flat. Our day of ups and downs had ended on an up note.

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