On August 15 and 16, 2022, the exploration of Budapest continued in earnest. Over this 48-hour period, our undaunted travelers covered a tremendous amount of territory, exploring deep into Pest as well as crossing the Danube into Buda. There are countless sights on both sides of the river and its best to visit them on foot.
Gym and his dear wife logged 35,000 steps exploring numerous attractions over the 2 subject days but some of this was due to a miscalculation by Gym. On Monday morning, Gym explained to his fetching bride that visiting Buda Castle and the Fisherman's Bastion would be a short jaunt across the river and up the hill. But his reconnaissance sucked! He thought they would saunter over to cross the Chain bridge to get there and it was closed for repairs. This meant they had to go all the way down to the Margaret bridge and come back towards the Fisherman's Bastion. No big deal for Mrs. Gym, the marathoner but our hero didn't eat enough pancakes at breakfast to allow for that error.
The historic Buda Castle Complex lies on the west side of the Danube. It sits atop a high promontory that was a good place to build a fortress. It is a good workout if you climb up there on foot, so you know how hard it would have been to try and attack the fortress when you are out of breath and pooped-out. Gym very highly recommends climbing the stairs though, it is the coolest way to enter the Fisherman's Bastion. The entrance stairway is very scenic. It rises up out of Watertown, where the fishermen used to live and it is one of the most attractive stairways you'll ever see. After humping up those steps you are rewarded with an outstanding view of Pest, especially the old town and the Parliament. You have also entered the Castle District which is right out of a fairytale.
The Castle District with its cobblestone streets and Neo-Romanesque buildings is simply enchanting. At the top, one should scale the ramparts for the best view of the city and then turn around to see the impressive bronze of St. George and the stately St. Matthias Church. Take a walk around the district and make your way though the narrow alley ways to Buda Castle. Unfortunately, when Gym was visiting, there was lots of restoration work going on and it was hard to get near the castle. And don't go too early if you expect to be able to get a coffee up there, Mrs. Gym needed a caffeine fix and none of the dozen or so cafes was open at 9am.
The next day, our travelers headed in the opposite direction, deep into Pest. They walked down Andrassy Street towards City Park. This tree-lined boulevard is where you'll find all the chi-chi luxury shopping at one end and many of the larger Embassies at the other end. Right after passing the Turkish and Macedonian Embassies you cross over to Hero's Square. Gym and Mrs. Gym were very impressed by the central monument there. It is a large column with bronzes of the seven mounted Chieftains of the Maygar tribes at its base and Archangel Gabriel at the top.
Across the street is City Park. Our adventurers walked counter-clockwise around Vajdahunyad Castle and the lake that surrounds it. It is a scenic part of the park with nice mature trees, many bronze statues and a cool drawbridge on the entrance to the castle. It was a long walk to get this far from our hotel and they didn't have time to explore the whole park that includes a zoo and amusement park but that left a more thorough visit for their next trip.
Later on the16th, just before dinner, the Doheny Street Synagogue was visited. The main building is the largest synagogue in Europe. In the garden behind the synagogue are various memorials and graves and a smaller place of worship, used in the winter. The most unique tribute in garden is the Holocaust Tree of Life Memorial that has a leaf for each person killed by the Nazis in WW2.
After experiencing 35C temperatures since they arrived in Hungary, it rained hard as our hungry travelers sat down for pasta just off Doheny Street. Gym's penne alla arrabiata was very disappointing but as he ate it in spite of its mediocrity, he thought how happy the farmers and riverboat cruise companies must be to have the downpour.
The next day, the plan included a boat ride and a visit to the market.
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