Budapest Day 2

Today started with a delicious breakfast, with Mom and Dad, at the hotel. Certainly slightly different menu selections than we are used to, but a buffet breakfast helps you to realize that smoked meats and pickled herring can be quite an acceptable way to begin your day!

We had our first organized Avalon Tour today and it gave us a great overview of the city. We passed many of the sights David and I explored on our own yesterday and learned interesting new tidbits of significant cultural and political information. Two stops on our tour allowed concentration on Heroes Square (on the Pest side) and the Castle District (on the Buda side). Hungary’s history is indeed a troubled past! They have been invaded and controlled; lived through bloody ancient battles and played a significant role in two world wars; they have struggled under communist oppression and met the challenges and of freedom. What has resulted is a beautiful city of ornate structures a thousand years old; bullet riddled buildings being restored through the benefit of funds now available through the European Union; modern buildings erected alongside decorative flats surrounding a beautiful courtyard; statues erected to ancient leaders who were rolled down the hills of Buda in spiked barrels and modern brass art scattered throughout the city so that a delightful peek at something of interest exists around every corner! Not just the geography and the architecture are diverse. The people of Hungary are an eclectic mix of vivacious and accommodating folks happy to share their culture and their city in an animated and enthusiastic manner; extremely talented artists providing music and visual displays to enhance the atmosphere; efficient and helpful staff in all service industries who clearly take great pride in their work and gypsies who roam through the city adding lively colour to an already dynamic palate!

Making our way back to the hotel we noticed a British Pub and stopped as Dad treated us to another delicious local brew. After dropping Mom and Dad at the hotel, David and I continued on along Váci út, the local cobblestone shopping promenade that runs parallel to the river. Our final stop was the Great Market Hall – Budapest’s own St. Lawrence Market! Funny to be this far from home and visit what is considered a landmark only to discover its close similarity to what’s just outside your own front door!

While I make it a habit not to waste a holiday adventure with mundane things like sleep, occasionally the combination of jet lag, over stimulation and extreme heat make an afternoon nap an attractive option! Following showers and getting ready for the evening we managed to find time for another stroll around the neighbourhood and a frozen ice treat before boarding a bus for a Hungarian Dinner and Folklore show. The Meridian is considered one of the finest restaurants in Budapest. The dinner buffet of local fare was certainly delicious – flavourful, plentiful and varied. The quartet was, once again, very talented and played a vast array of music from Hungarian folk music to Broadway show tunes. The dancers were lively and colourful. We shared our table with two women, one from Australia and one from South Africa. The evening was a wonderful way to spend our last evening in this beautiful city – at least for this trip!

The Angel Gabriel in Heros Square. Ledgend has it that it was the Angel Gabriel who came down from heaven to crown St. Stephen as the first King of Hungary.

Mom and dad in Heros Square.

A building on one side of the road that didn't even warrant mention and across the road...

...an ultra modern Deloitte building!

Repairing bullet holes on the Department of Defense building left from the WWII. Only now with money from the European Union is there funds for this!

One of the many paths in the Buda Hills that link castles!

The Parliament Buildings across the Danube in Pest.

The ceramic glazed tile roof on St. Matthias Catholic Church. On the Buda side of the Danube, amoung the castles, it is the site of Hungarian coronations.

The entrance to St. Matthias.

A bronze model of St. Matthias designed as a Braille replica.

Architectural features on common buldings are unbelievable!

Dad with a local brew at a British Pub!

The Great Market Hall.