Budapest, April 2009
Carlyn and Cari's Web Page
Carlyn and Cari's Guest book
Venice in November
Spain with Lin and Monica
The Louvre and Monet's House and Garden, September 2009
Disneyland Paris- The end to my month long 50th birthday celebration
London Skyride- September 20, 2009
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Switzerland- July 2009
Carlyn's Birthweek 2009- Fun, Food and Henry VIII
Sailing Trip on the Solent of the English Channel, June 2009
Istanbul, Turkey- May 2009
Aberdeen with Jacky and Steve
The Loire Valley with Mom and Sheri
Budapest, April 2009
The German Christmas Markets with Joyce, December 2008
The Lord Mayor Show, November 8, 2008
Madrid and Andalucia, October 2008
Krakow, Poland- September 2008
Cari's Birthweek- Germany
Dinner at Muspatts Farm celebrating Carlyn's
Italy, June 2008
The Lake District- May 2008
York- May Day Holiday Weekend 2008
Cornwall and Wales- Page 1
Cornwall and Wales- Page 2
Hever Castle
Blemhein Palace
Hastings and Battle- 1066 Country
Brighton
German Christmas Market
Fall in Provence
Paris in a Day
Visitors at Parliament Square
Amsterdam and Kuekenhof
The South West "Jurassic" Coast
Cambridge
Christmas and Canterbury
Normandy
Austria
Prague, Czech Republic
Belgium break
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Blog
We finally got away for the long Easter Weekend (both Good Friday and Easter Monday are UK National Holidays) and met our friends Rhonda and Georgia, currently residing in Germany, for a third annual Easter Holiday. This year we went to Budapest, Hungary.
The weather was outstanding reaching close to 80 and clear skies the entire weekend. Carlyn and I haven't seen 80 in our neck of the woods since one time in July last year. It was wonderful and Budapest was beautiful and full of history.
One of the world's most pleasantly sited cities, Budapest, is divided in two by the River Danube, into hilly Buda and flat Pest. The metropolis is home to a population of two million, and its panorama along the banks of the river is one of UNESCO's world heritage sites.
Budapest Central Synagogue is the largest synagogue in Europe and the second largest in the world after the Emanuel Synagogue in New York. Completed in 1859, it was built in a Moorish-Byzantine style by the Austrian architect Ludwig Förster. The building was partly destroyed by bombing campaigns during World War II, but has been the subject of much renovation to restore its two shining Moorish domes to their former brilliance
Buda Castle as seen from our hotel. Buda Castle Palace was first inhabited by King Béla of Hungary during the 13th century. The king, who fled to the Adriatic Sea in 1241 following the Mongol invasion
The Budapest Parliament was built in 1896. The Palace of Westminster in part inspired the design.
Parliament is home to the 1000-year old Holy Crown and the coronation jewels. The Hungarian Coronation Regalia is the most prized treasure, it includes the Holy Crown, the orb, the sceptre and a Renaissance sword. The crown is the oldest in Europe since both Britain and France had to redo their crowns after the reformation and the revolution.
Carved wooden figures representing the common Hungarian people in Parliament
The four of us pose at Hero's Square. In grand Heroes' Square, Archangel Gabriel raises the most sacred relic of Hungary's history - the Holy Crown - 36 meters high. The central figures on this millenary monument memorializes the seven founding tribes and their chief, Árpád. The colonnade contains statues of Hungarian kings, warriors who had fought for the country's independence and politicians, around a central group comprising martyrs who had given their lives for the homeland.
The view of Buda and Pest from below the Liberty Statue
Carlyn had to run up hill to get this shot since it was not on our tour. Liberty Statue - The 14-m-high statue, the work of outstanding architect Zsigmond Kisfaludy Strobl, was raised in 1947 in memory of the country’s liberation. And even though the post-war period also marked the start of Soviet rule, the statue on Gellért Hill was not removed even after the change of regime since it had become an indelible part of the cityscape. The two other sculptures at the foot of the female figure holding aloft the palm of victory: one is an allegory of progress, the other the fight against evil.
The Fishermen's Bastion (Szentháromság tér) is a Neo-Romanesque bastion system, consisting of seven towers built over medieval walls, affording an excellent view of the city. In its background lie the Dominican St. Michael's Church and its monastery, whose ruins date from the 13th-15th centuries.
Fine views of Parliament can be seen from atopThe Fishermen's Bastion
A veiw from atopThe Fishermen's Bastion
Sampling foods at the Easter Market
Hungarian egg painting at the Easter Market
Saint Stephen's Basilica (Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út) A Neo-renaissance church raised to the rank of Basilica Minor is the capital's largest, and the country's second largest church, with a church bell whose size is unparalleled in Hungary. The most treasured relic of the Holy Right Chapel is the right hand of the first Hungarian king, Saint Stephen (1000-1038), which has remained intact for 1,000 years. There are religious historical artifacts on display in the vault, and the tower balcony provides a wonderful panoramic view of the city.
Fruit based treats (no sugar added)
We rented a bike to explore Margaret Island, the Capital's most highly valued park. It is a green oasis some two kilometers in length, lying in the Danube, between Margaret Bridge (whose central pier offers one of the most beautiful night panoramas of the city) and Árpád Bridge. Here you will fin trees hundreds of years old, a colorful rose garden, and a romantic Japanese garden with ad thermal water lake and waterfall.
Enjoying a Kiddie Cocktail on the Danube River Cruise
Hungary's Parliament from the Danube. This masterpiece, 96 meters tall and 118 meters wide, houses 10 courtyards, 29 staircases, 27 gates, and Europe's first district heating system.
Carlyn with the view below the statue of Bishop Gellért, who died a martyr in the 11th century, stands opposite Elizabeth Bridge on the south side of Gellért Hill. According to legend this is the spot from where pagans pushed the missionary bishop, sealed in a barrel, down into the Danube.
Museum of Applied Art is one of the most attractive sights in the capital, designed by Ödön Lechner and Gyula Pártos, this Art Nouveau building is roofed in Zsolnay ceramic tiles.
Carlyn among the booths at selling folk art at the Easter Market
