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Published: September 6th 2017
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Headed out for our kick starter coffee, this time at a hipster Coffee Shop where you could order coffee to your taste from major regions of the world. We chose Italiano, and the coffee hit the spot.
Next stop was to join up with the Free Walking Tour of Budapest, which covered both Pest and Buda. Our guide again was a young Hungarian lady, who provided a history lesson on the establishment of both cities and their development down through the ages and their eventual merger into the city of Budapesht (how locals pronounce the city name).
We then crossed the famous Chain Bridge and walked up the steep hill to Budapest Castle. Budapest Castle overlooks the city and the Danube River, and it’s history dates back to when it was a Roman Fort. The castle was built for the Habsburg Royal Family but was never lived in. It was of course commandeered by the Nazis during WW2 as it’s Budapest Headquarters, and as a consequence, it was targeted for bombing by both the Allies and the Russians. The castle was rebuilt by the Russians, but not to the standard of it’s former glory, which is only visible as
you walk around the castle walls.
Following the escarpment, we walked to the magnificent St Matthias Church, the roof of which has the famous Hungarian Szolnay ceramic tiles which were also used on the roof of St Stephens Church in Vienna. After taking photos of the stunning views across the river toward Pesht, we walked back down the hill to the Chain Bridge.
It is near the bridge that the Antique Funicular winds it’s way up a railway to the top of the escarpment. We had seen this funicular on Great Railway Journeys of Europe, and decided we had to take the ride. The antique funicular carriage is engineered on three levels for passenger comfort, to account for the steep slope, and is counterbalanced by another carriage descending as we ascend. After riding to the top, we took some more photos and caught the next funicular back down to the Chain Bridge.
We had a break back at the apartment for a few hours, and I googled to try and locate a GF friendly restaurant for dinner. Just a few blocks away was a totally GF restaurant named Drop. Kim enjoyed Swordfish with grilled vegetables and home
made sweet potato fries, and insisted on trying the traditional Hungarian Dessert made GF, which was also delicious. An unusual treat for Kim to have access to a high quality restaurant that exclusively serves GF meals.
After dinner, we ventured out to catch our booked night Boat Cruise on the Blue Danube River. The Blue Danube is the title of the world’s most famous waltz, composed by Johann Strauss. The river, being full of sediment, does not reflect the name of Strauss’ waltz. Budapest is renowned for it’s iconic buildings that are lit up at night, and the front seat of the upper deck of the Cruise Boat provided us with an uninterrupted view of these iconic buildings and the bridges that criss cross the Danube. The moon rising over the Hungarian Parliament provided some memorable shots.
On top of Gellert Hill overlooking the Danube, is the gargantuan Liberty Statue, which was erected in 1947 to commemorate the Soviet Liberation of Hungary. Originally called the Freedom Statue, the inscription read “To the memory of the liberating Soviet heroes. Erected by the grateful Hungarian people”. Following the collapse of communism in 1989, the statue was covered over for three
days, renamed the Liberty Statue, and was given a new inscription. “To the memory of those all who sacrificed their lives for the independence, freedom and prosperity of Hungary”.
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