Budapest

Faced with the prospect of getting around Budapest with Merryl not able to walk too far, we decided to buy 2 day tickets on the Red hop-on hop-off bus. This was the best thing we could have done. Apart from getting around to see all the tourist highlights, we scored a free one-hour river cruise and used the bus to get back as close as we could to our hotel numerous times. Still did lots of walking, but Merryl’s ankle stood up OK.
Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is the combination of 2 cities, Buda on one side of the river and Pest on the other side. It has an amazing history dating back many centuries and has experienced numerous foreign invasions, wars and uprisings. 70% of the city was badly damaged in the last world war, so the people have done a remarkable job in restoring the city and its buildings.
Highlights of our sightseeing trips included a visit to the Great Indoor Market, Sandon Palace, the Jewish Synagogue, the Buda Castle and Matthias Church, Heroes Square, Nyugati Railway Station and finally a night cruise on the Danube.

The Great Market was a great place to visit. Lots of interesting food and souvenirs and the building itself dates back to the 18th century.

We walked into Nyugati Railway Station and thought we had been whisked back 80 years in time. There were people everywhere dressed in 1930’s gear and a steam train belching out smoke and steam. It turns out we had walked in on the set of a movie shoot for an advertisement for Lacoste titled “Timeless Elegance”.

We visited Heroes Square (along with all the other tourists in Budapest) which features columns and statues commemorating former Hungarian national heroes and leaders. Like Sienna in Italy, the square hosts a famous horse race.

The Buda part of Budapest is on the hilly left-hand side of the Danube River (heading upstream) and is dominated by the Buda Castle. Apart from the amazing architecture of the castle, the views from the ramparts are quite amazing.

While visiting Buda Castle we were fortunate enough to get into Sandon Palace which was once the home of the King of Hungary. Now it is used for ceremonial functions and offices for the President of the Republic.

With Merryl’s Jewish background, she was keen to visit the Jewish Synagogue which is the second largest is the world behind New York. I had great difficulty keeping the paper Kippah on my head even with a hair clip.