Our first night out in Budapest we took the metro and walked around Elizabeth Square, which has a grand Ferris Wheel and fancy fountain (the Fountain is no where near as large as the Ferris wheel, in case you were wondering).
We visited St Stephen’s Cathedral:
On the way back we walked past the famous Budapest Opera House:
Another evening, Jesse and I booked a tour on the Danube River, complete with bottomless Prosecco, which was a pure delight. We arrived at the boat about thirty minutes before, watching the last tour group exit the two-level ship while our group waited to board. Jesse and I made our way to the top deck, and snagged the last two person table; we had a great view and glasses of Prosecco were waiting for us (along with a large bottle of water). We started down the Danube, half listening to the recorded audio tour that could barely be heard above our fellow revelers, but we were here for the sites. It is really a great way to see both sides of Buda and Pest, with a lively atmosphere and all the buildings and bridges on both sides lit up. We first saw the Parliament Building from far away:
On the other side of the River set Buda Castle:
We went under many of the bridges, but the one that stood out the most was the green Liberty Bridge:
We returned from the hour-and-a-half tour and had a nice walk through the city, which is quite safe and took in more of the nighttime lights. Our final night in Budapest we visited Heroes Square, at the end of the M1 Metro line. Walking up the stairs, and reaching the street level, we see the square from across the street:
Approaching the statues of the Kings of Hungary surrounding the column, the heroes become clearer:
On both sides of the monument are more of the men who made Hungary:
Behind Heroes Square is the Városliget Park, which has a lagoon as well as Vajdahunyad Castle, finished in 1896.
Across a small bridge we entered the castle, and on the grounds there is a church, buildings and also several wedding receptions were going on as we walked through.
You may have noticed the hot air balloon in a couple of the above pictures; it is actually stationary and just goes up and down, and is a permanent fixture in the park.
We still had more day time to spend around the city, more to come from our Budapest trip!
Phil Barrington's WayPastCool 