Budapest – The Pearl of the Danube
The river Danube divides the city into the hilly side of quieter and residential Buda, and the vibrant, boulevard lined Pest. Each side has its own charm and is worth exploring.
We stayed on the Pest side at the grand Kempinski Hotel Corvinus.
Attending a dear friend’s wedding, we were fortunate to enjoy the gorgeous Ethnographic museum, the fascinating Railway museum and the grand Buda caste as part of the multi-day wedding celebrations.
THE BAR AT THE WEDDING RECEPTION AT THE BUDA CASTLE, OVERLOOKING THE BEAUTIFUL CHAIN BRIDGE AND PARLIAMENT HOUSE
We spent a little time on our own to explore and appreciate the beauty of this European capital.
We took M1, the historic Millennium Underground railway, which is known as the oldest underground railway in mainland Europe and has now been established as a Unesco World Heritage Site. It was a quaint and small metro line and we rode it to get to the other side of town to see Heroes Square. A splendid open-air square with a dramatic layout of statues alongside the colonnades, featuring the seven chieftains of the Magyars as well as other historical figures and kings. The center column depicted the Archangel Gabriel, holding the crown of St. Stephen.
We walked a little further into City Park and entered the grand Szechenyi Baths. Budapest is often known as the city of healing waters because of the many choices of thermal springs and natural baths.
We chose to visit the impressive neo-Baroque building of the Szechenyi Baths and were amazed at the vibrant canary yellow neo-classical designs. The baths are supposedly the largest medicinal baths in Europe – it comprised of 3 outdoor and 15 indoor pools.
We attended an organ recital at the splendid St. Stephen’s Basilica. This neo-classical church is named after Saint Stephen I, the first king of Hungary. .
The ornate dome is 315 feet high as is the height of the Budapest Parliament Building. No building is allowed to be taller than that. Keeping the dome and the Parliament building the same height was a symbolic translation of the balance between state and church in Hungary.
We then went to the stunning Budapest Opera house for a tour and an afternoon recital.
We then explored the exotic looking Dohany Synagogue, which was built in a Moorish style. The twin towers with the onion shaped domes signify the two columns of Solomon’s temple.
The synagogue was richly decorated in an Oriental-Byzantine style. Very similar to churches and basilicas, there was an organ, two ornately decorated balconies and opulent aisles. When other synagogues were destroyed during the Holocaust, several of the Torah scrolls were saved and 25 of them are found here in the ark.
This is the largest synagogue in Europe and a beautiful sight to admire with its stained glass, mosaic tiles and intricate woodwork
In the back courtyard there is a striking sculpture created by Imre Varga to honor the 400,000 Hungarian Jews murdered by the Nazis. This Holocaust Memorial resembles a weeping willow and the each intricate leaf has the name of a martyr inscribed on it.
Driving around in Budapest, it was easy to recognize this beautiful city as an architectural wonder. Without traveling too far one can see grand examples of Gothic, Baroque and neo-classical designs alongside boxy, depressing cement buildings from the communist era.
A quick visit to the unique and cool Rock church was calming and serene. This church was used as a bomb shelter during World War II.
We drove up the steep curvy Buda hills stopping to take in the views of picturesque Pest. The Buda castle was magnificent and the Gothic styled Matthias church was worth a visit too. Stopping at Gellert Hill we were rewarded with spectacular views of the river Danube and the famous Chain bridge and the grand Parliament building
