I arrived at the Nepliget International bus station, Budapest around 06.00 and then took a Metro to Kalvin Ter station (blue line) . On arrival, I walked to the Goat Hostel (Euro$14 dorm), located on the Vamhaz Boulevard. There were massive earthworks and re-tiling works around the Boulevard and the Erzsebet areas so it was dusty and noisy during the day !
For the next two days , I spent my time visiting the various attractions in Buda & Pest areas separated by nine bridges across the scenic River Danube. Up the hilly part of Buda, I visited the Castle Hill, Buda Castle, Fishermen's Bastion, statute of St Stephen, Royal Palace, Gallert Hill & Citadella. As for the flat part of Pest, I walked for 2-3 km and along the way, visited Hungarian State Opera House, St Stephen's Basilica & Hero's Square etc.
Standing on the Chain Bridge & Erzsebet Bridge , I had a good view of the famous River Danube and the various administrative, commercial and cultural buildings lining the riverside of Pest town. Tourists taking the Hop-on and Hop-off tour buses (ticket price of 4,000huf=Euro$12 per person for 24 hours) filled up most of the popular tourist sites. At night , many locals & tourists took an evening stroll on the river side or enjoying their evening meals or coffee at the various casual dining cafes operating near the Chain Bridge area. The night scene on both sides of the Chain Bridge was splendid and romantic - no wonder tourists enjoying seeing Budapest even for a short stay.
It was tough for me to walk my way up the Gallert-hegy garden to see the Citadella, perched on top of the hill, where I could have a panoramic view of River Danube , the bridges and the Pest center !
No pests were spotted when I visited Budapest so sleep well when you are in Buda & Pest !
1) Chain Bridge - the famous chain bridge and the lion head statue linking the Buda and the Pest ! Both looked grand from far and near; day and night; rain or shine !
2) Gallert Hill - I gave up after walking half way to see the Gallert Hill - too strenuous for me to finish the race !
3) Citadella - put on your Nike airwalk shoe as the Citadella statute is perched on the hill top - it took me 30 mins to walk past the Gellert-egy garden before reaching the top. Here you can have a great view of the River Danube and the Pest town from the top.
4) Buda Castle - take a funicular rail car to the top of the Castle Hill if you are lazy to walk . Here you can see the ol Trinity statute & the Royal Palace, National Gallery & the Budapest History Museum.
5) Fishermen's Bastion - a neo-Gothic structure built in 1905 with stunning views of Pest, River Danube & the Parliament.
7) Hero's Square - a great place to take pictures of the monument & Roman figures in this big square.
8) Museum of Contemporary Art - any famous artist you come to know in Hungary ? My knowledge on foreign art is zero !
9) The Opera House - maybe I should come back again to attend a traditional Hungarian soap opera or classical concert - any recommendations ?
10) St Stephen's Basilica - both the exterior and interior looked grand and splendid !
11) Central Market Hall - where I bought my groceries, fruit & vegetables, chicken fillets for my own prepared dinner meals
12) Statues - I need to do some home work in order to know what these statues stand for ?
Something to ponder in Budapest: I stumbled on this onion ring shaped stone statute in a small garden at the foot of the Castle Hill ! I am curious to know what the two aphabets KM ( see the bottom end ) stands for ? My surname is Cheng and my family name's initial is KM . Is KM on this statute stands for King Maker ?
" Minus the romantic River Danube, the beauty and charm of these two intertwine historical towns called Buda and Pest - are there any other attractions for tourists to visit this Hungarian city in droves ! Have you heard about thermal bath in Budapest ?
The Secrets of Life - Nothing in life is certain, except death & taxes"
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