Thursday, June 20, 2019

Zuiderdam MegaVoyage 2018-2019, Budapest, Hungary, Part 1 of 2

Our arrival in Budapest we were very anxious to get out and about to see the sites. We walked to the Danube River and the Chain Bridge taking in the sites...and crossed the bridge to the Buda side of the Danube for panoramic views of Pest...Stopped for dinner and made our way back to the apartment...Looking forward to tomorrow. Budapest, "the Pearl of the Danube", stretches along both banks of the river. Buda is the most ancient, residential and hilly, while Pest is known for business and shops...Nine bridges connect Budapest. The next morning, we were picked up by our Tuk Tuk drivers...being that our apartment was the Jewish Sector of Budapest, we first toured this area and drove by the largest Synagogue of Europe, Dohnany Street Synagogue. From here we went to the Szimpla Kerry Ruin Bar...which is exactly what it sounds like, pubs built in abandoned/ruined buildings. Basically, after WWII many of Budapest’s buildings in the Jewish neighborhood were destroyed.... years later people moved into these buildings and turned them into secret underground pubs and bars. Just before crossing the Elizabeth Bridge, we saw the Central Market Hall, and the City Park. Crossing the Elizabeth Bridge, we started our climb up Gellert Hill to the Citadel, stopping to see the Gellert Hotel thermal spa. Once at the top of the Citadel we had a great view of the city of Budapest. Next, we went to the Castle District...We walked to Matthias Church and to the Fishermen’s Bastion with a beautiful panorama view...this area is one of the most historic districts of the city, with origins dating the 13th century. Leaving the Castle District, we drove along the river to the impressive neo-gothic House of Parliament...this iconic building is the largest building in Hungary...a spectacular site to admire from the outside. Crossing the Margaret Bridge on the Pest side of the Danube we passed the shoe memorial to Budapest’s Holocaust victims before boarding our Danube River Cruise. The weather was stellar and so was the cruise...this cruise made for great panoramic photos of all the sites we visited earlier in the day. After the cruise we walked towards the Central Market for shopping...unfortunately, I was the victim of the pick pockets.... they got most of my Hungarian money...could have been worse! Later in the evening we went on another river cruise, this time to see the lights of Budapest...a major thunderstorm and torrential rain hit just after our cruise started...Despite the weather, we enjoyed the boat ride...Budapest is a beautiful city.





























































No comments:

Post a Comment