Buda and Pest

Posted on by Jon

(Date: Saturday, 11/19/2023) The original city of Buda lies on the southwest side of the river, and that’s where we started our day. We got on a neat Hop-On-Hop-Off-Bus-Tour and rode through the city looking at all the major sights. We rode through most of the city, and eventually took a stop at hat is called Fisherman’s Bastion, a large castle like structure built in the late 1800’s, but originally built in the 1700’s. Next stop was Buda Palace where we got out and toured around for a while, getting great view of the city from up high on the hill. We toured through the Buda Palace history museum which is now an art gallery/history museum for a while.

Next stop was a break at the hotel, before returning out to another market, this time, the Christmas Market of St. Istvan/St. Stephen aka Budapest Basilica. A lovely, yet extremely busy and cramped market, yet loaded with all kinds of neat shops at the base of the great basilica. Every 20-30 minutes or so there is a neat projector display shown on the front of the church.

It is cold. So very, very cold. The wind certainly doesn’t help. The original city of Buda lies on the southwest side of the river, and that’s where we started our day. We got on a neat Hop-On-Hop-Off-Bus-Tour and rode through the city looking at all the major sights. We rode through most of the city, and eventually took a stop at what is called Fisherman’s Bastion, with St. Matthias Church behind it. It is a large castle like structure built in the late 1800’s, but originally built in the 1700’s on top of a large hill, near Buda Palace. Next stop was Buda Palace where we got out and toured around for a while, getting a great view of the city from up high on the hill. We toured through the Buda Palace history museum which is now an art gallery/history museum for a while.

Next stop was a break at the hotel, before returning out to another market, this time, the Christmas Market of St. Istvan/St. Stephen aka Budapest Basilica. A lovely, yet extremely busy and cramped market, yet loaded with all kinds of neat shops at the base of the great basilica. Every 20-30 minutes or so there is a neat projector display shown on the front of the church.

After a bit, we headed back to the Vörösmarty Market from yesterday and got a neat Hungarian Dessert called Kürtőskalács, (chimney cake), a long thin strip of sweet donut like bread, curled and wrapped around a rod, and baked over a coal fire. It’s then covered in a seasoning, such as cinnamon, cocoa powder, vanilla, hazelnut, walnut and raspberry. When it is pulled of the rod baked and hot, it begins steaming heavily from the top, creating the illusion of a smoking chimney.

You can watch the video displayed on the church at this link here!
https://youtu.be/w7E89CIG-IA

Lots of pictures for this day!

The Széchenyi Chain Bridge which takes you across to the southwestern side, formerly Buda.
The Art Gallery. We did not visit it.
A neat church. Not sure which one.
View from below of Fisherman’s Bastion. This is not my photo. We didn’t make it down to this area.
Top of Fisherman’s Bastion.
A neat statue.
Howdy.
A view of the Országház, the Hungarian National Parliament across the Danube River on the Pest side. Taken from the Fisherman’s Bastion.
View of Buda Palace. Taken later on in the day of course.
Entrance to stairs down to Buda Palace.
Entrance to Buda Palace which was heavy destroyed in war and rebuilt, and is now an Art Gallery. We went behind it to the Budapest History museum. This is the hilltop palace seen from our hotel across the river.
Neat fountain before museum entrance. (Had no running water.)
Museum entrance.
Trying on some old replica Hungarian weaponry.
Historically accurate (replica) headpiece and matchlock firearm.
Home and working offices of the President/Prime Minister of Hungary just across the street from the Museum Palace. Notice the guard houses out front.
He means business.
The Országház from our Hop-On-Hop-Off-Bus across the Danube.
After a break at the hotel, and off to St. Istvan’s / St. Stephens Basilica and Christmas Market.
A neat mulled wine stand.
There is an ice-skating rink around the base of the tree.
Kürtőskalács (chimney cake) maker. As the coals cook them, they become oily and he slips them into the next slot over one at a time to keep them cooking.
Tasty yumz. For about a minute after, it was steaming heavily out of the top.
Eye of Budapest back near Vörösmarty Market.

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