Buda as in Budapest

Today I was not sure that I liked Budapest.   I was so looking forward to coming to this city, probably with romantic ideas about it, but the reality getting into Budapest brought me down to earth.  

The start to the morning was not good,.   We woke to find our washing spread everywhere in the van, and it had not even begun to dry.   We had to return to the van twice to collect items we had forgotten.   Then there was confusion at the bus stop, which also doubled as a train stop.  The trains ran on opposite tracks to the rest of Europe and we had an argument.   

We finally caught a bus which dropped us off at the metro, and the train was crowded with very rough looking people, so I then worried about pick pockets.    When we tried to get out of the metro station, we had trouble with our passports.   We had the wrong ones, the Australian passports, which do not entitle you to free transport here. Walter produced his ASCI card, and we tried to convince the guard we were really EU citizens.  He got so confused that he let us through.   Don't ask as to why we did not produce our English Drivers License.   

We finally surfaced from the M2 metro station, to find absolute confusion, people everywhere, including Roma people selling all sorts of goods, including underwear.   By this stage I was ready to pack the van and head off elsewhere.

We caught the 16A up to Castle Hill, which is part of the Buda part of Budapest. This is where most of Budapest’s remaining medieval buildings are situated.    

Budapest was created in 1873 from three separate cities – Buda which is west of the Danube,  Obuda (Buda’s oldest neighbourhood) to the north and Pest on the eastern side of the river.

Hungary is called Magyar, which  is also the name of the people that live here.    However there are a large number of  Roma people who also live here.

Looking towards a very ornate fence surrounding the courtyard of one of the buildings.    A very stormy sky, but we had no rain, thank goodness.

We watched the changing of the guard which was very interesting, especially when the guards were using the goose step, that is the very stiff legged step.    Very difficult.  I think this building also houses the Military Museum, but I could be wrong there.   My apologies, but the guards are missing from the photograph.   At this point we were waiting on them to appear at noon.

A view over the River Danube towards the old town on the other side.   The Pest part of Budapest.

A statue of Zoltan Kodaly – composer, educator and researcher.   His method for teaching children to play a musical instrument is still being used today.

Walter relaxing by the wall.    The very ornate Parliament buildings can be seen in the background.

We had lunch in a restaurant beside a museum.   A very expensive lunch, considering we had Goulash soup, and strudel, filled with cottage cheese, plus a glass of wine, a beer, a bottle of water, and two espressos.   But it was worth it, as the setting was lovely.    We sat on the terrace and watched all the tourists walking by.

  A large proportion of the castle buildings were destroyed during WWII, and some of them were demolished in the 1960’s because the Hapsbergs had lived there.   Talk about being paranoid.

I took a photograph of the Neo Gothic Matthias Church with its colourful tiled roof and lovely murals inside, only we did not go inside as we would have had to pay an entrance fee.  Apparently Fanz Liszt’s Hungarian Coronation Mass was played here for the first time at the coronation of Franz Joseph  and Elizabeth in 1867.

There were museums in the castle grounds, the Military History Museum, Budapest History Museum and the Hungarian National Gallery.   It would have been great to go to the History Museum but we were not making good decisions today.

I am smiling in this photograph, so I must have cheered up.

We watched workmen laying new cobblestones.    They were very exact in their measurements.

Finally we travelled back down to the Metro station, visited a food market, and a shopping mall, then caught the metro back and visited another shopping mall.   Walter bought two T shirts and I bought some trousers, and we felt very happy.   Retail therapy helps.

I think part of my problem this morning is that I was suffering a bit from culture shock.   Budapest is so different from the previous three countries.    I just need time to adjust to the difference.   

    

We have found people here to be very friendly and helpful.  Yesterday when we were trying to turn into minor roads, in busy traffic, motorists stopped and waved us through.   People tried hard today to help us get onto the correct buses and trains, even though there was quite a language barrier..    The owner of the camping ground is extremely friendly, and very chatty.    He has just brought round red wine to all campers, and filled up our glasses.   A cabernet franc, and it was quite good too.

So on that note we are looking forward to seeing the Pest part of Budapest tomorrow.