Castle Hill

Today, Castle Hill is recognized as a World Heritage Site, and has many must-see attractions, Gothic arches, eighteenth-century Baroque houses and cobblestone streets. Though Castle Hill has changed much since building began in the 13th century, its main streets still follow their medieval paths. Some houses date back to the 14th and 15th centuries, giving us an idea of what the Castle District may have looked like back then. Practically every house has a plaque indicating the century in which it was built, and providing details of its history. A surprising number of the buildings are still private homes, as Castle Hill is also a residential area. Cars have been banned - only people who live and work here are allowed to drive; however, public transportation is available.

Castle Hill

The Medieval Matthias Church named the Church of Our Lady!

The historic Matthias Church (Mátyás-templom) is over 700 years old. The church was the scene of several coronations, including that of Charles IV in 1916, the last Habsburg king. It was also the venue for the great Hungarian King Matthias' two weddings, hence its name.

A very impressive structure inside and out.

The Statue of King Stephen in Holy Trinity Square.

Fishermen's Bastion (Halászbástya) is only 100 years old, and is a favorite lookout. In medieval times, the fish market was nearby and the bastion was built to commemorate the fishermen who protected this part of the city. The seven tent-like turrets symbolize the seven Hungarian tribes that arrived to the Carpathian Basin in 896.

The bastion is a look-out terrace.   From its top you get one of the city’s best panoramic views.

Once again, Castle Hill would have been a great place to meander along the cobblestone streets. People still live here. Cars are banned from the area: only people who live or work there, guests of the Hilton Hotel, taxis and the Várbusz have permission to drive up.

Hungarian Parliament Building

Entrance to the visitor centre and the Tisza Istvan Memorial.

A Brief History of the Hungarian Parliament

The Parliament building, a magnificent example of Neo-Gothic architecture (although displaying Renaissance and Baroque characters too), is just over 100 years old. In the 1880's an open tender was held for the design of the Parliament building. Construction based on the winning plan began in 1885 and the building was inaugurated on the 1000th anniversary of Hungary in 1896, and fully completed in 1902. Both runner-up designs were also built facing the Parliament building. One is the Museum of Ethnography and the other is the Ministry of Agriculture. The Budapest Parliament building is the third largest Parliament building in the world. It has 691 rooms, 20 kilometers (12,5 miles) of stairs and at 96 meters (315 feet) it is the same height as the St. Stephen's Basilica. During the Communist era a large red star was added to the central tower above the dome of the building, but after its downfall, the star was removed. Unfortunately, modern air pollution constantly attacks the porous limestone walls, requiring frequent restoration. This also means that there is a good chance that you will see some scaffolding around the building.

One of the main halls 

The square where the Hungarian Parliament stands was named after Lajos Kossuth, a Hungarian lawyer, journalist, politician and Governor-President of Hungary in 1849. He was widely honored during his lifetime, including in the United States, as a freedom fighter and a bellwether of democracy in Europe. His memorial, as well as a memorial for the 1956 Hungarian Revolution can be seen in front of the Parliament building.

During World War II all of Budapest's bridges were destroyed and as a temporary solution a bridge was built between Kossuth Square and Batthyány Square. The bridge, named after Lajos Kossuth, was in use until 1960. A memorial next to the Parliament building marks the site on the Pest side.

One of the main halls in the Parliament Building.

Chamber of the Lower House of the National Assembly of Hungary.

The interior is very lavish and houses the jewelled crown and sceptre of King Steven. One of the oldest royal crowns in history.  Most impressive building for sure.

Another side of the PM Building.

Looking across the Danube River from the Pest side to Castle Hill.

Changing of the guards at the Parliament Building.

Statue of Count Gyula Andrassy, former PM of Hungary.

Bullet holes in the wall.

The bullet holes in the wall opposite the House of Parliament are there as reminders of the 1956 Hungarian Uprising by the people of Hungary against their Soviet backed government. At first the Soviets were tempted to acquiesce to a change in government. Then they changed their minds and invaded Budapest. Several thousand were killed, Hungarian citizens and Soviet soldiers.

Budapest, Hungary

Our small group of 7 Canadians, Melinda & Bill, along with Paula and our bus driver were headed to Budapest.  We're off, to experience yet another country!

As we travelled, the land flattened out and the fields seemed somewhat larger with more agriculture happening here.

A lot of wind farms.

The turul is a mythical bird resembling an eagle or a falcon. According to legend there was a woman named Emese who was visited by an eagle/falcon in her dream. She became pregnant and gave birth to Álmos (in Hungarian dream is “álom”), the man who eventually led the seven Hungarian tribes to their new homeland in the Carpathian basin. The legend was most likely born when the Hungarians lived side by side with Turkic tribes because the word “turul” is of Turkic origin. As time went by the turul wasn’t so much the symbol of the Hungarian royal house as of power, war, and nobility in general. Such totem animals are well known the world over as parts of coats of arms; one can even find an eagle in the Great Seal of the United States. To this day the turul appears in the coat of arms of the Hungarian Army and the Office of National Security.

Budapest is the capital of Hungary.  It is divided by the Danube River into Buda, Pest and Obuda (meaning Old Buda).  Pest is on the eastern shore, Buda on the western shore and Obuda is further into the hills.  Pest is the commercial and administrative centre.  That was where our hotel was located.  The cities are linked by bridges-Petofi Bridge, Margit Bridge, Freedom Bridge and Chain Bridge.

Crossing the Danube River on Freedom Bridge going to our hotel in Pest.

Pest, here we come!

Heroes Square, the largest square in Budapest.

The Millennium Monument in the middle of the square was erected to commemorate the 1000-year-old history of the Magyars. Archangel Gabriel stands on top of the center pillar, holding the holy crown and the double cross of Christianity. The seven chieftains who led the Magyar tribes to Hungary can be seen on the stand below. Statues of kings and other important historical figures stand on top of the colonnades on either side of the center pillar.

Bratislava continued

Central market is very large. It consists of many permanent structures for bakeries, butchers, cheese mongers, a roof structure covering the produce stalls and some random pop-up tables for people with small offerings.

Entrance to Central Market

Meat anyone?

Cheese please!

Enjoying the sights and smells as we walked through the Sunday Market...this would have been a great place to eat...so many different Kiosks.

A great day in Bratislava!

We gathered in the hotel bar for our farewell drink from Paula as most of the group was leaving to go home on Monday (next day).  There were the 7 of us and another couple, Melinda and Bill, going on to Budapest.  It was sad having to say our goodbyes to all the Americans, I think they kinda liked us, as we had a lot of fun and laughs with some of them.

This was our group for the wonderful 14 days!

Saying goodbye to our Polish bus driver, Machek!

Bratislava,Slovakia

We were up early to catch the high-speed boat which took us to Bratislava, on the Danube River.  We took our passports but didn't have to officially show them.  On our way we passed by Donau-Auen National Park and went through the border of Slovakia.  The ride was about 75 minutes long.

A very relaxing ride with good company!

Sights along the way...

Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, is located on the Danube River and bordering Austria and Hungary.  It's surrounded by the Little Carpathian Mountains and many vineyards.

A maple leaf floating around...I'm thinking it was to welcome the Canadians.

Bratislava Castle is the main castle of Bratislava.  The large rectangular building has four corner towers and stands on a rocky hill overlooking the Danube River and the city.

Looking up to the Bratislava Castle on the rocky hill.

Main entrance to the castle.

A great view of the Danube River and the City.  Our guide told us we could see 3 different countries from this lookout (that is if you knew what you were looking for).  To our far right was Austria, straight ahead was Slovakia and to the left was Hungary.

Here I'm looking straight ahead to Slovakia.

I'm looking to my left so that would be Hungary...next on our travels!

Old Town Bratislava is the historic center which is known for its many churches, a riverbank promenade and cultural buildings.  On our walk through Old Bratislava we entered at Michael's Gate and saw  Grassalkovich Palace, Primate's Palace, Bratislava Town Hall and several squares.

Michael's Gate

The oldest building in Bratislava...in need of reconstruction.

Stone Square 

The Vienna Ferris Wheel & The Traditional Viennese Heurigen Evening

At The Mozart Cafe in Vienna enjoying our Sacher Torte.

After the cake...it was go time for shopping.

The Wiener Riesenard, the Vienna Ferris Wheel, is 64.75 meters tall, and is at the entrance to the Prater Amusement Park.  The wheel was constructed in 1897 and was the world's tallest Ferris wheel from 1920 - 1985.  

We took a ride on the ferris wheel and at the top we had great views of Vienna.

After the ride we continued on to the picturesque village of Grinzing, where our Traditional Viennese Heurigen Evening was held.  

At Maly's, a local restaurant, our festive evening began.

Here we are enjoying the wine and the food is being served also.

Sorry thought of this once I was almost finished.  It was a great meal of ham, roast pork, chicken, sauerkraut, cold salads, dessert and wine from their own vineyard.  The food and wine were plentiful and very tasty.

The music while we ate.

And then the 'Beer Barrel Polka' began and we Canadians couldn't let that one pass us by!

It was a very festive evening of music, dancing, food and many laughs once again!  Fun times!