With everything back on track after receiving all my stuff intact, I headed for a day trip to Budapest with significantly less weight on my shoulders (figuratively speaking, my luggage was still heavy as usual).
Budapest is the capital of Hungary and although it is part of the Schengen Area so no border crossing procedure is required, they have their own currency called Hungarian Forint, €1 = ~ 300 Ft.
Budapest is a 3hrs train ride from Vienna, the train will stop at Budapest-Keleti Railway Terminal.
First things first: Get me self some Hungarian Forint! DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT change money at the train station. I walked out of the station about 5mins and found WAY better exchange rates, the station was selling at about €1:2.5 Ft but 5mins walk away and they sell at €1:3 Ft.
The famous Budapest tram… which I’ll not be taking because I’m generally bad with trams, I don’t even know how to take trams in HK, lol!
So I’ll be taking what I’m good at taking, the metro! Budapest metro also happens to be the second oldest metro system in the world apparently.
So you had to buy a ticket from the previous machine and validate the ticket just like in Vienna before yoi board, and they DO check tickets rigorously here, so don’t try to cheat the system! And I dunno what the numbers on the ticket means, looks like a sudoku, lol.
Don’t trust the metro station announcements, I got off one station later because of a lag between the announcements and the actual station, but otherwise the metro is easy enough to work around.
I got off at the wrong station, but I went out anyway, and I was smacked in the face with the towering Országház (Hungarian Parliament Building) as I exited the station. I stood there with my mounth gaping for about a minute before I came to grips with the amazing architecture.
Arrived just in time in front of the Parliament building to hear some military music, then there was some ceremony where the guards sort of do this marching dance thing, you can see a bit of it here until I can figure out how to load videos to WordPress, lol. I can’t seem to find any information about this ceremony online but I think I arrived around 12:00pm to witness it.
The architecture surrounding the Parliament building is awesome, the buildings are not that tall, but still you fell so small.
They have guards standing under the flagpole guarding the flag.
And they actually move around every once in a while, much to the surprise of these tourists who were posing in front of them thinking they don’t move, lol.
I don’t know what they are doing here, some kind of pipe maintenance that lets out mists??? It was definitely not a show they put on, lol.
The Parliament building is the biggest building in Hungary, it’s futile trying to fit the whole building in one photo.
The Parliament building is surrounded by huge statues everywhere.
The Néprajzi Múzeum (Ethnographic Museum), wish I had time to go in…
More huge statues… Btw the Hungarians love their Aslans/Mufasas/Simbas.
Finally I can fit one of the facades of the Parliament building in one shot!
Around the Parliament building and along the River Danube.
Someone’s tiny toy sailboat.
Budavári Palota (Buda Castle) just across the river.
Across the river you can also see the Castle District at the top and the Calvinist Church just under along the river bank.
Shoes on the Danube Bank, according to Wikipedia, it’s an “honor the Jews who were killed by fascist Arrow Cross militiamen in Budapest during World War II. They were ordered to take off their shoes, and were shot at the edge of the water so that their bodies fell into the river and were carried away. It represents their shoes left behind on the bank.” Being the ignorant person that I am, I didn’t realise there were assholes apart from Hitler in WWII. Apparently, the Arrow Cross killed 10,000~15,000 civilians during their 5 month rule of Hungary. 😱😱😱
Closing in on Buda Castle, but turned left to check out Pest first (Budapest is split into Buda and Pest district by the River Danube).
Szent István-bazilika (St. Stephen’s Basilica).
Stunning dome inside.
Interior of the basilica.
Keyluminati stained glass.
The stained glass style is quite different from the ones I’ve seen before, this looks like some hippie mural from the 70’s, lol.
Erzsébet tér (Erzsébet Square), with it’s ferris wheel.
Walking across Széchenyi lánchíd (Széchenyi Chain Bridge).
After staring at it for so long, time to head to Buda Castle!
The funicular that takes you up to the Castle if you’re feeling too lazy to walk up (or time constrained like me). Btw, I bought a return ticket, but I didn’t take the return trip back down because it’s an easy walk from the castle district amd the metro station is closer to that area anyway.
I don’t know what this building is, it’s right next to the funicular statiom when you get off at the top. There’s two Hungarian soldiers guarding it.
Basically Buda Castle is one giant museum, including the Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest History Museum and National Széchényi Library.
Even if you don’t go into the museums, don’t forget to walk around it to see a great panoramic view of Budapest.
Here is a non-panoramic view with more detail.
Goulash is a famous dish of Hungary, unfortunately every time I spotted a restaurant with signs of goulash as hordes of tourists walking in, so I settled for this place with goulash soup, which is pretty good!
Walking north along the Castle District. I don’t even know what this fountain is, but it’s so elaborate.
More elaborate statues of people on horses.
Some kind of medieval game stand involving javelin throwing. Nope, didn’t see any on target, lol.
Once again, I don’t know what this is. 😂 Some kind of ruins???
Hungarian flags, Hungarian flags everywhere.
Mátyás-templom (Matthias Church) with its colourful roof tiles.
I thought this was just going to turn out to be another church but…
It was SO AMAZING inside. I just stood in awe of the colourful patterns and decorations surrounding me in the walls and ceilings.
I’m so sorry, my amateur photography skills just could not give justice to the beautifully colourful decorated walls and ceilings.
So apparently the latest restoration to this church was only finished in 2013, which explains why the decorations are in such perfect condition.
A random lamb stained glass.
Every inch of the church is covered by decorations.
Of course there is no shortage on stained glass either. (I’ve changed the white balance setting on my camera in case you haven’t noticed, but it still doesn’t do justice to the colours in this place)
Back of the church.
Front of the church.
A close up of one of the pillars just to show you some of the patterns and colours.
Some really old stone relic.
Even the floor is covered by colourful tiles.
I was seriously VERY IMPRESSED by this church, and I’m not easily impressed after visiting so many churches.
Love this archway and the angels.
Close-up of one of the wall patterns.
Another pillar with a different pattern.
The right foot of St. John… 😟
Don’t miss out on going up one floor to check out the church on higher grounds!
Close-up of the altarpiece and stained glass.
A vase in the same theme as the church.
Outside Matthias Church is the Trinity Square, which in itself is a beautiful area of stunning architecture.
If you head a bit north, just past the entrance to the Hilton Hotel, there’s this cafe where everybody’s taking pictures and you can get a great panoramic view of Budapest for FREE.
Parliament building, awesome even from afar.
If you want to go up to the top turrets of Fisherman’s Bastion, it’s 700 Ft, it’s not too much and you do get a great view of not only Budapest but of Matthias Church as well.
View from inside one of the turrets.
Panoramic view of Budapest.
You do get the Calvinist Church in the way if you look from the paid turrets however.
You can see the turret with the cafe that I mentioned earlier, whete the crowd is.
Walkimg back down towards River Danube.
One last look at the Parliament building, I SHALL BE BACK! *Waves fist*
Decided I HAD to have Käsekrainer one last time before I left Vienna so I went back to the first stand which was so delicious, but it was this lady this time and she was so busy chatting to another customer she didn’t toast my hot dog bun properly so it wasn’t as nice as the first time… 😦 (but still good)
Around ½ of The World in 80 Days 