okay so now back to blogging about fall break! I wanted to try and get up to date before my next trip, this was a lofty goal that will NOT be happening... but it was worth the try. The fact that I have not had time to blog is just a another sign of what a great time I am having in Florence. (If I haven't made it clear how much I am enjoying myself)..
Budapest, capital of Hungary was our final stop as a group of girls traveling throughout Europe... Budapest is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, economic center.
Budapest is actually divided into two regions by the Danube River that enters the city from the north. The river separates the city into Buda and Pest. Pest lies on the flat terrain of the Great Plain while Buda is rather hilly. Our friend Bhavna from Bentley is studying in Budapest for the semester, so in our travels we had the opportunity to visit a friendly face! We arrived in Budapest on Wednesday night, found our way from the bus stop to the metro and looked for a stop with the that resembled Kalvin... Hungarian is not the easiest language to read,speak or attempt to spell. We met our friend Bhavna at the metro stop and she walked us to our hostel which conveniently planned was right down the street from her dorm. Since it was our only night to go out with her ( she was spending the weekend in Denmark) we checked into the hostel and got ready to explore Budapest!
Thursday morning came (quickly might I add) Christine Kiley and I were off to see as much of Budapest as possible before we all went separate ways. We snagged a map from the hostel that listed some of the major sights to see in Budapest - then needed breakfast and a strong cappuccino. We walked by the famous and busy market place, the Hungarian National Museum and met up with Bhavna on Vaci Utca (Vaci Street) which is one of the main shopping streets in Budapest. Bhavna brought us for a walk along the Danube River all the way to the famous Parliament building. Next was to cross the Danube over the famous Szechenyl Chain Bridge and reach the Buda side of Budapest where Buda Castle is located.
The tram to the top of the hill, where the castle is located wasn't running - which meant we had a long hike up Castle Hill to reach Buda Castle. The former Royal Palace is one of the main symbols of Hungary. Now it houses to museums and the National Szechenyi Library. Fun Fact: It was also home to the set of Katy Perry's firework music video! (i've watched the video several times since then- really cool to say I've been there/ know where that is) We walked around the castle grounds and got lunch at a cafe boasting some incredible views of the Pest side of town.
After lunch Bhavna had to leave to catch her plane and we ventured to the nearby over 700 year old Matthias Church and the Fishermans Bastion which looks like a castle wall, and opens out a panoramic view of the entire city and some incredible views of Parliament. The neo-Gothic Parliament building, is considered to be one of Budapest jewels and there isn't a question why when you look at the building from the Buda side of the river.
Matthias Church
Parliament
view from Fishermans Bastion
At Buda Castle we also had the opportunity to learn to play the violin!
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