Railing thru Europe: Stop 16.1 Hungary – Budapest
“When 2 become 1” does that phrase ring a bell? haha..it’s one of the songs by the Spice Girls back in the mid 90’s. It is also a phrase that best describes how Budapest got its name. It is formed by the unification of 2 towns by the river Danube, the hilly Buda (west bank) with its name-sake castle and Pest (east bank) the modern commercial core of the city.
During the long train ride heading to Budapest, we were chatting and talking about what the city of Budapest would be like when a middle-aged lady (whom got on the train halfway through our journey together with her elderly mother) interrupted us politely and ask us where were we from and where were we heading. We told her we were heading to the capital of HUNGRY, that is Budapest as it was part our plan to backpack around Europe. She laughed and kindly proceeded to correct us from our pronunciation as HUUNG-GAR-REE. It was a bit of an embarrassment on our part but the three of us did hit it off quite well and we received a wonderful history lesson on Budapest and Hungary as we listened to this lady speak so passionately about her country, how she used to grow up in a socialist country but that changed to communism after the Russians took over. She took out some Hungarian forints and helped us identify the notes. She was curious how our Singapore currency would look like and we would have loved to show her too but it was a pity we did not have any on us at that point of time. She also gave us some tips and insights with regards to the public transport, touristy places and even information not found in our Lonely Planet Guidebook. I wondered if i could do the same to educate others when being put in the same situation as her with regards to Singapore.
After arriving at the Budapest Keleti pályaudvar (East Railway) station the lady insisted to bring us to our lodging as there are many pickpockets lurking around and it wasn’t safe. We thanked her for her kind generosity but because we saw that she was with her elderly mother, we didn’t want to trouble her further so we parted ways and after some rift raft (due to an error on Google map), we managed to find our lodging.
The Budapest Keleti pályaudvar (East Railway) station is the largest among the three train stations in Budapest
Our rented shared apartment with kitchen for meals
Vörösmarty Square, so named after early 19th century Hungarian poet Mihály Vörösmarty
A sculpture of Hungarian writer and statesman Baron József Eötvös
The Chain Bridge with its two guardian lions
Roosevelt Square with its sculptures
A close view of the Hungarian Parliament Building
Some people sun tanning just outside the Parliament
Crossing the Chain Bridge towards Buda
Tram station with trams that brings you to the Castle
View of Pest and the Parliament Building from across while heading up the Castle
Getting a breather and ice cream!
You could even see St. Stephen's Basilica (Szent István-bazilika) from here
View of the Széchényi Chain Bridge over the Danube River from Buda Castle
The Mátyás kútja (Matthias Fountain) is one of the most frequently photographed sculpture and is sometimes called the ‘Trevi Fountain of Budapest’
This Sculpture kind of reminds me of a Magic the Gathering Card ‘Thieving Magpie’ haha...
Matthias Church
As with most of the churches in Europe, it is undergoing some restoration process.
Bronze statue of Stephen I of Hungary.
The Fisherman's bastion (Halászbástya)
These 4 fellows kinda reminds me of the 4 musicians from Titanic.
A Memorial to a boy named Mansfeld Peter who joined the freedom fighters against Soviet Oppression when he was 16. However, he was betrayed and arrested by the soviets and eventually spent 2 years in prison before being executed at 18
View of the Parliament Building from Buda
Szilágyi Dezső téri református templom
Nice Park in Margaret Island (Margit-sziget)
The Saint Stephen's Basilica (Szent István-bazilika )
A model of Saint Stephen's Basilica
The Hungarian State Opera House, Magyar Állami Operaház
On the way to Heroes' Square, we chanced across this building known as the House of Terror. It contains exhibits related to the fascist and communist dictatorial regimes in 20th century Hungary as well as a memorial to all the victims suffered during those times.
Heroes' Square (Hősök Tere), one of the most visit attractions in Budapest.
Kunsthalle Budapest (Műcsarnok), a contemporary art museum located opposite the Museum of Fine Art
The Museum of Fine Art
Archangel Gabriel, holding the Hungarian Holy Crown at the top of the Column.
As we walked further, we saw a castle inspired by the Dracula castle in Brasov, Romania.
Very cool looking statue...
Reception area for the Széchenyi Bath Spa.
Central Market Hall (Nagy Vásárcsarnok)
Gellért Hill (Gellért Hegy)
Gellért Hotel where the Gellért Thermal Baths are located...can't wait to jump into the pool!
That’s it for our little adventure in Budapest. After the splendid bath, it was time to head on to Romania!
Love, J and Yee
I lived in Hungary last year, specifically in Pecs, so I took the train to and from Keleti station many times. I never felt my personal safety was threatened here. Sorry someone gave you the idea this is a dangerous place. Keep street smarts just as any place. Ironically, my wallet was stolen when I got back to the States and was only about 4 miles from home!
Agree, we have to maintain vigilance no matter where we are. It could happen anywhere, even familiar places.