Budapest, Hungary April 5-7

...We arrived in Budapest around 5pm. I had enough time to unpack a little, settle in and take a shower before the special dinner we were going to have this night, April 5th. We had a Danube river dinner cruise set up which I was looking forward to. We walked into the boat and there was a beautiful buffet dinner set up for us with traditional Hungarian food. The three main dishes were: pork wrapped in cabbage leaves, beef with a type of Hungarian cous cous, and lastly chicken with Hungarian pasta. There was also salad and of course dessert, three different types of cake. The food was delicious and after everyone had finished eating, our tour guide for Budapest, Andrea, told us about the places and history of what we were seeing as the boat rode down the Danube river. I went on the top deck (the part that was covered) to take pictures of what we saw. The city was beautiful because it was almost entirely lit up. I took many pictures and some turned out better than others, but you get the idea. Just for your information, to say "hello" young Hungarian people say "Ahoy!" How funny is that? Also, the way you pronounce the name of Budapest is buddahpesht...I had a lot of fun saying that too!
The wonderful buffet on the boat cruise.
This is the boat we ate dinner on.
The liberty bridge and behind it in the distance, the liberty monument.
The chain bridge
Castle Hill at night. There isn't a castle on this hill, but there is a great look out, a small town and a very beautifully constructed church.
The parliament building all lit up!
A protestant church (26% of Hungarians are protestant and 26% are catholic)

On April 6th we had a full day of activities. In the morning we had a city bus/walking tour with Andrea. Our first stop was Hero's Square. This is the main square in Budapest. It is in front of the city's park and on either side of the square are two museums, one of modern art and the other of classical art (which houses the second largest Spanish artist collection). In the middle of the square is a large pillar monument with 7 Hungarian warriors on horses around the bottom. These 7 warriors represent the rebellious and strong Hungarians that fought against the Turks to regain power of their own land. King Stephen became the first king of Hungary. Behind this monument are two half circle columns. Between each set of pillars there is a statue of all the rulers in Hungary and only one is a female- Maria Teresia (yes, her name will be repeated more than once in my blogs). She was Empress when Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic and some other countries were ruled as one state.
This is the monument in Hero's Square of the 7 brave Hungarian warriors.
This is the entire monument/memorial in Hero's Square.
Train station by our hotel.
This is the classical art museum with the second largest Spanish artist collection, after El Prado in Madrid.

After seeing these monuments the bus took us through the park, which is Budapest's version of central park, but nowhere near as large. We also passed by a large spa complex, Budapest's old castle, ponds, and many people taking a morning stroll. We saw the Opera House, which is a nice building, the old Jewish Synagogue (which is not used by Jews because a Christian built it), the shopping street, and several churches. We then drove across Elizabeth bridge to reach Castle Hill, which is on the Buda side of the city. On Castle Hill there is a palace, a small village with some really good coffee and pastry shops, St. Mathias church, and the Fisherman's Bastion. The Fisherman's Bastion is just a look-out point in which you can see ALL of Buda and Pest. Below the look-out point, there once was a fish market, but it wasn't there for long and doesn't exist anymore. Instead it is the perfect place to see the entire city, which is incredible!
Here is a picture of the State Opera House, which I took from the bus so you may see a reflection from the window.
This is a memorial to all the Jews that were killed and thrown into the river during WWII.
Driving on Elizabeth bridge to cross into Buda. The Buda side of town is known as the wealthier side of the city.
View of Buda and the Danube river.
View of the Parliament from the Fisherman's Bastion on the pest side.
I am standing on the look-out point with Pest behind me.
View of the bottom half of the Fisherman's Bastion.
The Fisherman's Bastion.

We had a little break so I went with Karen, Joanne and their mother, Corinne, to visit St. Mathias church, which has the most beautiful mosaic roof I have ever seen (I took a lot of fun pictures), and then we headed over to a pastry shop where I had a delicious cup of hot chocolate.
St. Mathias church's stained glass windows. Beautiful aren't they?
The roof of St. Mathais church...I just loved the mixture of colors that were used.
View of St. Mathias from afar.
Reflection of St. Mathias church in a nearby building...I love this picture. :D
St. Mathias' altar. It was very dark inside so it was hard to get a clear picture.
The pastry shop where I had a delicious cup of hot chocolate.

Our next stop was the parliament building. I was very excited about our visit to the Parliament because the architecture is just magnificent and Goran said that it is as beautiful inside as it is outside. We had a tour inside the Parliament, which was a lot of fun. We learned a little more about the past rulers and were able to visit the court room/voting room. There are three levels: the first is for the actual congressman (I'm not sure if they are actually called this); the second is for reporters, radio and TV stations; and the third for citizens just to observe. I could continue with other things I heard, but I don't want to bore all of you...hehe.
A view of the Parliament...the architecture is just gorgeous!
This picture is taken inside of the Parliament looking down onto the stairs in the entrance of the building.
Inside the Parliament building I also had a lot of fun taking pictures. Here I'm trying to be artistic, but I'm not sure if I actually succeeded...hehe.
The ceiling in the central room of the Parliament. So cool, isn't it?!
The central room in the Parliament building. This is where the crown jewels are located.
The blue room, named so because of the blue carpet.
The voting room in the Parliament.
Arches inside the parliament building.
In 1956 there was a protest against communism in front of the parliament building. The secret police came to stop the protest and ended up shooting and killing more than 100 people. This is a picture of the building across from the square where the protest was. If you can enlarge the photo, you can actually see bullet holes on the bottom part of the building.
This is a memorial for all the people that died in the 1956 protest.

We had an hour break for lunch; I had goulash soup, which I now love, and then visited a very quaint town called Szentendre, St. Andrews. This town was filled with shops for tourists and it didn't entice me at all; however, I did find two beautiful pairs of hand.made glass earrings to add to my collection. :o
St. Andrews village's town square.
St. Andrews village.

When we returned to the hotel, I went with Karen and Joanne to the mall down the street from us just to have something to do. Then around 7pm, the entire group went to a Hungarian restaurant where we were serenaded by Gypsy music and ate dumplings, red cabbage and a goose leg. Yes, I know what you are all thinking, but I DID eat the goose leg AND I liked it! It was a lot of fun and the atmosphere was just wonderful. :) It was a fantastic day.
The wonderful gypsy musicians!
Me with my plate of dumplings, cabbage and goose leg!
Hungarian dinner. This is the lovely couple Armin and Annette from San Antonio.
Here I'm mailing postcards...I just loved these mailboxes because they made me think of Santa Claus!

On April 7th we were leaving Budapest, which made me sad because I enjoyed the city so much and I truly want to return because it is so magnificent here, but not before our morning excursion. First, we visited St. Stephens Cathedral (named so after the first king of Hungary) and it is a beautiful cathedral. Everything is made out of marble and the architecture inside was fantastic for taking pictures.
The entrance to St. Stephan's cathedral. The faces of the 12 apostles are carved on the door. Above the door is an image of St. Stephan looking down on the people entering the church. The ceiling above the entrance has astrological symbols painted in a renaissance style.
St. Stephan's Cathedral.
The hand of King Stephan....yes it is real! Apparently King Stephan died during the crusades and when his coffin was returned to Budapest, his hand was cut off. No one knows the reason for this, but it has been saved as a relic ever since.
The dome of St. Stephan

We were then taken back to Hero's Square where we had a short walk to Budapest's castle...the entrance reminded me of Disneyland! Here we walked around the front part of the castle and then went inside the small church on the Castle's grounds where we had a short organ concert. It was very nice. Then we walked through the park, which was amazing because the sun was shining, and passed by a pond and an adorable toddler riding his tricycle as his puppy followed him (yes, I got a picture and no, I'm not a stalker!). We ended up at Gundel's restaurant, which is one of the most expensive restaurants in the city and is famous for its chocolate pancakes (crepes). They looked so good I HAD to take a picture and they tasted even better! After our little morning snack, we hopped back on the bus and headed for our next destination...
Me in front of the Castle's entrance...doesn't it remind you of Disneyland in LA?
The courtyard of Budapest's castle.
The church in the castle's grounds where we had an organ concert.
Budapest's largest park...it was a beautiful sunny day so it made it easier to take great pictures.
I saw this adorable little boy when we were walking through the park with his little puppy following him.
One of the ponds in the city's park.
Gundel's restaurant in the beautiful park of Budapest.
I just loved the way the pancake (crepe) looked so I snapped a photo. Again, this is in Gundel's restaurant.