...Still in "the East" (more thoughts on Budapest)

 

Fisherman's Bastion: array of towers built end of the 19th century to represent the seven Maygar tribes that settled in the Carpathian Basin in 896, later creating the first Hungarian state under King (Saint) Stephen.  It serves one main purpose: to act as the ideal lookout for a perfect photo opportunity and panoramic view of Pest. 

In my less than 6 days in Budapest, I managed to experience an array of emotions and sights, the amount of which was enough to fill two entries of this blog. I must say, for a city that left me so conflicted, I have to take a moment to acknowledge this phenomenon.

Budapest holds plenty for the picture-happy tourist, and even* in the dead of winter (*some might say, especially),  the the city offers herself up for a glamour shot or two.  She seems to be calling out from every mounted mosaic and dramatically-lit bridge, "It's time for my close up Mr. Demille."  St.Matthias Cathedral atop Castle Hill is a perfect example.  The church is extravagant enough when viewed from the outside, with its mesmerizing roof and ornate gothic decoration (mixed with others).  Take a step inside (for a small fee, of course, because even church visits cost money in this country), and you will immediately find that your 3 euros were well-spent.  Every inch of the interior is covered with art deco designs and images, intertwining into eternity and romantically evoking the mediaeval predecessors of the church (originally built in the 13th century but its interior has been changed with each passing era).

My personal discovery of St. Matthias occured about halfway through my trip, I was lucky to meet a lovely British couple on my way up to Castle Hill, and passed the day with them, the product being the most delightful day I spent in Budapest.  Tina and Trevor, as I now know them, are two of the most charming individuals I have ever had the pleasure to meet, and it is thanks to them that I had the chance to see the interior of St. Mattias, the Buda Castle, and even went for a ride on the famous funicular. Sometimes you need to be reminded that spending a bit of cash gives you more than its monetary worth, it grants you memories that you otherwise would not have had and allows you to experience things that you may never see again.  Life is too short to pine over a couple of euros when you are seeing the world.

I promised myself after this trip that I would officially begin making lists of the things I did not have the time to experience the first time around.  This task is do be done with each place I visit, because I believe there is always somethings glazed over, somethings under-appreciated, because there are never enough hours in the day to see it all.

For Budapest, this is the list: [Go in Summer!]

The ancient ramparts of Castle Hill

The Buda Castle Labyrinth

Mary Magdalene Tower on Castle Hill

The Vienna Gate

Memento Park and its Communist statues

The Museum of Fine Art & Palace of Arts in Heroes Square

The Botanical Gardens in City Park, and perhaps the Budapest Amusement Park

The Great Market Hall (remember not to lose the camera next time)

See a ballet or dance performance

Get a massage at the Gellert or Szechenyi Spa and spend more time in the pools

Eat authentic food (better goulash) at an authentic local restaurant (dont forget to make a reso)

Buy more hungarian paprika to give as gifts

+Take a river cruise at night

Things I enjoyed but did not record:

Traditional hungarian dancing lessons with locals (with DePaul group)

St.Stephen's creepy hand relic in the Basilica

Heroes Square and its awesome horse statues (especially the one with the antlers)

City Park and the Vajdahunyad Castle (representing different architecture throughout Hungary's history), and the statue of "Anonymous" writer of Hungary's history

The super cheap opera (La Boheme for 2 euros)

Learning the 7 words I managed to pronounce and retain: kosonöm (thank you), kerem (please), [beszélsz] angolul? ([do you speak] english?), hello (hello), igen (yes), nem (no), egy (1)

All photos taken from flickr.com in lieu of my own due to loss of camera.