Budapest

Budapest is a huge city that takes a lot of effort to navigate the public transportation, especially with the Hungarian language.  But once figured out we could jump on and off the tram or bus to save a lot of walking.

we had a 72 hr pass for all the public transportation but no one ever checked tickets!

Anyone who has been to Budapest will rave about the magnificent architecture and nighttime lighting along the Danube River.
 

locals love to gather on the bridges for social times.  The bring picnics and sit on the flat railings 

The Parliment at night is the highlight

The Parliament was built from 1885 to 1902 - 1896 was the millennium year for Hungary and it's huge!!!  When it was built Hungary was part of  the Austro-Hungarian empire which was triple the size of today and they needed to make a statement of how powerful they were.  Today they only use about one-eight of all the space for their legislature.  The spire on the dome, and also the St. Istvan's Basilica spire, are 96 meters high and there are 96 steps on the magnificent main staircase.  

the 96 steps

Why?  Because the year 996 is significant in the history of the country when the Magyars, who were a nomadic Central Asian barbaris tribe, started to settle the area.  Many of the greatest monuments and buildings in Budapest were actually built to celebrate the 1896 date.  Even the national anthem takes 96 seconds to sing!  

Parliament interior is decorated with 84 pounds of gold & it's where the jeweled Hungarian crown is displayed

Museum of Ethnography - this beautiful building was the "runner up" in the design for the Parliament and is across the square

Ministry of Agriculture building was the 2nd runner-up in the design and sight of the 1956 Uprising against Soviet rule where some 200,000 protestors gathered calling for the demands against the communist regime. There are little "pegs" in the columns depicting the machine gun fire that erupted and killed more than 2,500 Hungarians and 700 Soviets. 

  

During the 1956 Uprising, protestors cut out the Soviet-style insignia out of the Hungarian flag

The Castle that really isn't a castle

We have gone to several of the Thermal Baths that are so popular in Hungary.  

Lukacs Thermal Bath-a historic 12th century indoor/outdoor heated naturally by hotsprings that was transformed in the 19th century into what today's spa . Mid-day it's mostly retired people enjoying "taking the waters" and enjoying the underwater effervescence, geyers, neck shower and other medically prescribed treatments

Lap swimming pools are separate from the "leisure" pools

Hot pools and ice pools-I don't know how you use this ice but there was a lot of it

 There was a little ice water foot pool to walk through that had pebbles on the bottom.  I guess it was a foot massage-type pool.  There were many rooms with signage that we didn't understand but people could stay for several hours in and out of the various pools.

You are given a water-proof "watch" that is used to lock the lockers and cabins (dressing rooms) - great system!

           

The famous Chain Bridge connects the Buda and Pest sides of the city over the Danube River.  We walked and biked over several of the bridges

Not sure what our AirBnB room would look like when this was the main door to enter off the street

fortunately it had a lift (elevator) because we were on the third floor-rather old and small

We had 4 locked doors (each with a different key or code) to enter our room.  Is the city that dangerous?? Don't think so...

                                       
We took a 2 hour bus to a nearby town of Eger for a few days



We walked all over the town and enjoyed the Market Hall some of the largest tomatoes and peppers!

Paprika!!  The quintessential ingredient in Hungarian dishes.  I bought some here at the Open Market

The many kinds of fresh mushrooms

fresh milk poured into your own bottle 

We stayed in the Hotel Senator-Haz, a unique small hotel in a 300 year old building (the hotel is "newer"-35 years after the fall of the Soviet Union)

Eger Castle is revered by Hungarians as the site of the great defeat of the Ottoman Turks by Istvan Dobo in 1552.  

Eger is a one of the best wine regions in Hungary and is known for the Bull's Blood (Egri Bikaver) a hearty red wine.  We went on a tour of the Bishop's cellars which is a huge 4 km long network of undergrown tunnels and caves that was used to store the wine that the Hungarian farmers were required to provide as a tithe or tax to the church.

cellars that were under the Bishop's Palace

Now back to Budapest to start our 8 day River Cruise on the Danube