Finally–Budapest, Hungary

Hello everybody,

well I’ve finally sorted through all the 726 Budapest pictures.

Budapest in a nutshell!!!

So here we go!!!

 

Arriving to the main train station in Pest.

The guy in the lower right hand side of the picture was trying to get me to exchange money with him, although I said no thanks.

In the picture below is the outside view of the train station.

Here we are exiting the underground subway and headed towards our hotel.

The Mitchell Sisters, well 2/3 of them anyway.

 

Pictures as we walked towards our hotel.

after arriving to the hotel, we headed back outside and braved the artic blast in search of…you guess it, beer.

 

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The following day.

Our view of Buda and the Danube River. The majority of our time was spent in the Pest part of Budapest. But don’t worry we do get over to the Buda side.

Budapest is home to 3,271,110 people.The city covers an area of 525 square 202.7 sq. miles within the city limits. Budapest became a single city occupying both banks of the river Danube with a unification on 17 November 1873 of right west-bank Buda and Óbuda with left east-bank Pest. (borrowed from Wikipedia)

This day we scheduled a stop at a local Therma and sightseeing.

 

The Hungarian State Opera House

We tried to buy tickets for the Nutcracker Suite, but the show was sold out.  Next time.

You know these goons.

Next we headed towards the HOUSE OF TERROR.

The building located on one of Pest most historic streets, Andrassy, heading towards the Oktogan, now called new America, because of all the fast food joints located there.

But, below is a picture of the museum entrance. I wasn’t allowed to take pictures of the basement. I managed one picture of the interrogation room.

The “Terror House” was home to the Hungarian Arrow Cross Party in 1944. Then it fell under Russian occupation and the Department of Political Police took over, later known as AVO and AVH.   It was also called, ‘House of Loyalty.’ 

At least from what I understood from the tour…

In an act of preservation, the Hungarian Socialist Party sided with the Nazi party in order to end Nazi occupation of Hungary, but instead the Nazis took over the building and developed the Hungarian Arrow Cross Party.  The Arrow Cross rounded up Hungarians and Hungarian Jews that were not loyal to the Nazis.  The Arrow Cross then either sent the prisoners to concentration camps or tortured them in the basement of the building and then dumped their bodies in the Danube River.

Because the Hungarians had supported the Nazis, the U.S.S. R. had no mercy and in turn set up the Department of Political Police, later called the AVO and AVH.  The AVO developed a network of informants and a shadow army, big brother stuff.  A silent terror roosted in the streets of Hungary and it lasted up until 1956.

As one walks along the sidewalk towards the building, you will notice the museum, it is the only building painted in a drab grey that has an imposing frame on top of it that reads, “TERROR.”  The building is a memorial to all the people that died during the occupations.

You can read more about it here : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Terror 

After we shook off the fright of the museum we headed to the spa…

But first, below is the Heroes Square, built during the Hungarian Soviet Republic reign in the 1919. 

Here is what it looks like now.

Here are a couple pictures I took for Mr. Rahn

Now to the Spa.

Here’s what it looked like from the inside…I can’t remember the name of this place perhaps  - The Mitchell Sisters can chime in if they remember the name.

 

Walking back the hotel with our internal temperatures set on high after the spa.

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Below are pictures of our walks around the city.

I can’t remember the name of this church either - Can anyone help?

 

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The Hungarian Grand Market

This guy was trying to show me his banana.

The Grand Market was quite a big place, we went twice, once to check it out and then a following time to eat.

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Evening walks.

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St. Stephan’s Basilica

Can anyone see the Mitchell Sisters?

lost?

Parliament

I called this place The Wax Church, but I wish I could remember it’s name.

Picture for the Sssmmmuuuusseessss.

I can’t tell if the Mitchell Sister were impressed…

I believe they were making cinnamon rollish sweets.

Back to the hotel

Check out the sweet hotel lobby.

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Buda!!!

In the distance you can see Parliament.

Fisherman's Bastion

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A view of Parliament from Buda looking towards Pest.

 

Buda Castle

Buda Castle Courtyard and some pictures for Mr. Rahn

Looking towards Pest from the Buda Castle

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Bridges

The Chain Bridge

 

The Elizabeth Bridge

 

 

The Liberty Bridge

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Walking along the Danube on the Buda side.

ST. GELLÉRT CAVE CHAPEL

We didn’t go into this church, but it was built into the side of a hill.

 

 

Walking across the Chain Bridge back to the hotel for our New Years Festivities.

L, trying to push the bridge over. If you recall from a previous post, she was struggling to push a church aside, must be a Mitchell thing.

 

The masses began to gather for the festivities and we prepared for the party of a lifetime…with paprika?

 

Paprika…really?

 

 

The firework display New Years Eve.

 

 

 

People gathering for the show

Then….

Happy New Years!!!!

Hugs,

M&L