Budapest- "the city of statues"
Following the M-1 motorway in our rented Opel Vectra van, my mother, brother, sister and I sped into Budapest, “The Paris of the East”, a busy metropolis of 2 million people.
Executing the “Latin style of driving technique,” as described in the “What You Need to Know” section of the Budapest Visitor’s Guide, “Driving in Budapest should never be approached lightly, and certainly not by the faint-hearted. There are a highway code, although few seem to give it much importance”. Armed with that important piece of advice, we followed the little blue signs with the white “i” (symbol for the tourist information center). Meandering over the Danube River that divides the flat “Pest” (pronounced pesht) side of the city’s mountainous “Buda” district, which officially merged to form Budapest in 1872, we arrive at a typical house in a quiet residential neighborhood. neighborhood.
After a brief wait inside the crowded tourist office, we were greeted by a portly gentleman. He preferred to serve us in German, since he spoke a little English. He showed us the available accommodation and we chose a small two-bedroom apartment in the heart of the city. For an additional 19.90 euros each (approximately 1 euro = 1 USD) we bought the recommended two-hour city tour.
We found our drab gray apartment building located on a narrow, one-lane street. There was no elevator. Our dark and dreary third floor apartment had very high ceilings but was incredibly quiet, even with a view of the open interior courtyard. Both bedrooms had more beds than we needed, and the kitchen included a separate dining area. The small bathroom had the necessary bath and shower arrangement, adequate for our needs.
Our next priority was to find secure parking to keep our car off the street for two nights. We had been warned that because thefts are a common occurrence here. After checking several of the official high-walled parking garages, designated with the white “P”, we found one near our apartment and paid the owner for two nights ($6.00 USD per day). As is the norm in many sole proprietorships or small businesses in Budapest, cash is the only method of payment.
That evening we explored the restaurant area near the opera house and stumbled upon Svejk Restaurant and Grill at 1072 Kiraly Ut 59/b. The server who greeted us when we walked in proclaimed, “You can eat as much as you want, as often as you want.” Yes, my kind of eating establishment! We sampled a delicious smorgasbord of grilled meats, seafood, vegetable dishes, pasta and a variety of pastries for dessert. Wine, beer, juice, pop, and coffee were included.
We woke up to a lovely warm beautiful day and headed out for breakfast. We stopped at the Hotel Unio, several doors down the street from our apartment, and ordered a breakfast buffet of scrambled eggs, cold cuts, yogurt, orange juice, and terribly muddy-tasting coffee.
At 10:00am we hopped into the little cab, included with our tour of the city, and our cabbie steered his cab through the crowded alleyways to the waiting tour bus at Andrassy Ut. This main street is Budapest’s answer to the great Parisian boulevard. Along its route are impressive consular buildings and stately mansions of Budapest’s wealthy class.
The city of Budapest is littered with statues commemorating many famous Hungarians, from Emperor Franz Joseph, who was crowned King of Hungary in 1867, to the Hungarian composer Franz Liszt, as well as other notable Hungarian artists, architects, and political figures. The statues are everywhere, planted in giant plazas, on hilltops, in hidden courtyards with barely enough space to place one.
Heroes Square at the Andrassy Ut terminus is one of the city’s most famous landmarks. This large granite-tiled plaza, dominated by the 36-meter (118-foot) column called the Millennium Monument, was built to celebrate Hungary’s millennium in 1896, though the project was only completed in 1929. Scholars arbitrarily chose 896 as the year in which Arpad led the victorious Magyar Accumula in the Carpathian Basin. The statues that make up the monument were renovated in time for the celebration of Szt Istvan Day in 2001, a national holiday in Hungary that marks the founding of the state. Two colonnades feature various Hungarian rulers and princes. They are topped with sculptures representing Work, War, Peace and Knowledge. In the center are Arpad and the other six main Magyar chieftains, grouped around the base of the column. At the top of the column is Gabriel, holding an apostolic cross and the Hungarian crown, meaning the archangel, who supposedly appeared to Istvan in a dream, urging him to convert the pagan Hungarians to Christianity. Flanking this square are two of Budapest’s main museums, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Palace of Arts.
Budapest has more than 40 museums and galleries, from agriculture, beer and military history museums to postal and telecommunications museums, banknotes, flags and mounts. There’s even a haunted house museum for lovers of the macabre.
Our bus then went up the steep Palota Ut in the Castle Hill district after crossing the Erzsebet Hid (Elizabeth Bridge) to the Buda side. We passed the Fishermen’s Bastion, which was a section of the medieval castle walls assigned to the Fishermen’s Guild for defense. Although it looks old, it was actually designed by Frigyes Schulek and built at the beginning of the 20th century.
The tour bus stopped in front of the imposing Citadel, built by the Austrians in 1851 as a public symbol of their authority over the Hungarians after the suppression of the 1848-49 Revolution and War of Independence. The 14-meter (46-foot) Liberation Monument, depicting a woman holding a Victory palm frond above her head as a symbol of “liberation” from the Germans by Soviet troops in 1945, stands at the forehead.
Getting off the bus, I took some photos of the amazing panoramic view of Budapest, the Danube river and its many bridges. I tried to negotiate a good price on a handmade magnetic chess set with one of the vendors, but before she and I could come to a mutual price, it was time to board the bus and continue the tour.
Adjacent to the Citadel is the pastoral Jubileumi Park, one of several large green areas in this city. The driver deftly maneuvered the bus around the narrow and steep hairpin turns, often braking for cars as we descended from Gellert Hill. This hill and the monument on the eastern slope of the hill are named after the Benedictine abbot Gellert, who was employed by Saint Stephen. According to legend, he was thrown to his death from this hill in a barrel of nails during a pagan revolt in 1046.
We pass through Castle Tunnel, the brainchild of Count Istvan Szechenyi, and recognized by his compatriots as the greatest Hungarian. After going around a roundabout, our bus passed the famous Chain Bridge, also imagined by Count Istvan Szechenyi. Designed by Englishman William Tierney Clark and designed by Scotsman Adam Clark, the Chain Bridge was originally built between 1838 and 1849.
Margit (Margaret) Island Bridge jogs at an angle in the center of Margit Island. This 2.5 km (approximately 1.5 miles) long and 500 meters (1,650 ft) wide green space in the middle of the Danube River is off-limits to vehicular traffic. The island serves as a recreational area for runners and cyclists, it has a stadium, sports field, Olympic size swimming pool, an adventure park and even a Franciscan church.
Our tour ended after a walk around the grounds of the impressive Parliament building. Imre Steindl’s design won the public competition to build a house for the Hungarian parliament. Work began on this massive structure in 1884 and it was finally completed in 1902. As expected, the project was well over budget.
We took a walk to St. Stephen’s Basilica, named after Hungary’s first Roman Catholic king, saint and founder of the state. Work began in 1851, and the original 96-metre (315 ft) dome collapsed in 1868. The cathedral was finally consecrated in 1905. The famous ‘Chapel of the Holy Right Hand’ is said to house the crumpled remains of the right hand. of the holy king .
Walking the flat “Pest” area is easy with a good pair of walking shoes, and Andrassy Ut is particularly pedestrian-friendly. After arriving at Heroes’ Square, an Australian student in front of the Palace of Arts sold us tickets to see a 3D video about Hungary. The 25-minute informative presentation featured various Hungarian historical sites and focused on the mineral springs, spas and caves for which this country is known.
That evening we dined in the stately elegance of the rococo-style Danu Theater restaurant. A small string ensemble, accompanied by a pianist, performed Viennese waltzes and other pieces of popular classical music for patrons. The atmosphere set the mood for the evening’s lively performance by the 30-member Danube Ensemble and the 5-member folk orchestra, presenting authentic Hungarian music and choreography. The folk dancers exhibited amazing stamina and frenetic energy as they kicked high, stamped their boots, twirled, clapped their hands and whistled in their native dress.
After the show, and still needing to get out of our big meal, we took a walk across the Chain Bridge, lit up in a golden yellow. The crescent moon hung above him, with the Citadel Museum, also bathed in a yellow glow, as its prominent backdrop.
We walked along the tram track that ran along the Danube River, the amber glow of the Parliament building shining like a beacon on the Pest side. We stopped for a drink in a Belgian pub. This popular nightspot was a meeting place for most of the young people. The couples were engaged in lively conversation, enjoying a drink after a night on the town.
It was midnight when we finally unlocked the iron gate in front of our building and trudged up the wide stone staircase to our suite. Exhausted, but happy with the day’s accomplishments, we realized that two days is not enough to see everything in this beautiful and diverse city. One day, perhaps, we will return… to the city of statues.
For more information about Hungary, please email [email protected]
If you want to know more about the city of Budapest, take a virtual guided tour of the city, check the program calendar, book your hotel online, check the city’s photo album, etc. visit the official site of Budapest at: http://www.budapestinfo.hu