Budapest (part 1)

Day One

Took an early train at 0634 hours from Neuchâtel to Genèva Airport. Bought a SBB train ticket at CHF 44 for both ways.

EasyJet flight

Glad that flight EZY 1331 took off on time without any delays. Same as the Copenhagen trip the previous week, magnificent view of the European mountains could be seen from the aeroplane (left photo below). Similarly, I also had my "caffeine injection" this time during my flight (right photo below).
We reached Budapest Ferihegy International Airport at about 10 am. After custom clearance, we then proceeded to get our Travel Card at the airport. It was a long queue at the ticket counter. Nevertheless, we then boarded Bus 200E and then took Metro from 'Köbánya-Kispest' to 'Kodály Körönd' station. Checked in to our hotel and after some wash-up we were ready to explore Budapest.

Lunch

Before our exploration, we needed to settle our lunch. Saw a Chinese Restaurant near our hotel and thus decided to have our lunch there. The restaurant did sell a variety of cooked food (left photo below). Ordered a plate of fried noodles with a side dish which cost HUF 560 (right photo below). Taste was acceptable; surely could not expect much for Chinese food especially in Europe.
We then took Metro to 'Hősök tere' station. It was drizzling since our flight landed on Budapest. Thus, we had to carry umbrellas during our exploration.

Heroes' Square

Heroes' Square, or Hősök tere in Hungarian, is a large square noted for its iconic Millennium Monument, Museum of Fine Arts and Palace of Art.

As part of the extension in 2002, the Heroes' Square has been added to the same list, together with its adjacent Andrássy Avenue and Line 1 of Metro system, as UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Millennium Monument

The Millennium Monument (left photo below) consists of a column in the centre, two matching colonnades and the Memorial Stone of Heroes.

Behind the Memorial Stone of Heroes stood a column topped by a statue of archangel Gabriel and at the base is a group of seven mounted figures representing the Magyar chieftains who led the Hungarian people into the Carpathian basin (right photo below). In the front is Árpád who is considered to be the founder of the Hungarian nation in 895.

The Museum of Fine Arts

The Museum of Fine Arts, or Szépművészeti Múzeum in Hungarian, (left photo below) is a museum for international art (other than Hungarian) which comprises of more than 10,000 pieces. This museum was built in an eclectic-neoclassical style and completed in 1906.

Palace of Art

The Palace of Art, or Műcsarnok Kunsthalle in Hungarian, (right photo below) is a museum that holds temporary exhibits of contemporary art. The large Neoclassical style structure was completed in 1896 was built originally for millennium celebrations.

The City Park

We then proceeded further into the City Park. It is the largest park in Budapest, located north of the Heroes' Square, and an area of 1.2-sqaure kilometers. The most important event in its history was the Millennium Exhibition opened for the 1,000th Birthday of the Hungarian State in 1896. There are many interesting statues and mock medieval castles, museums of Transport and Agriculture, the Zoological and Botanical Garden, and Széchenyi Baths.

Sculptures and Flower Bed

Several interesting sculptures can be seen in this park, such as the Archer's Statue (left photo below) located in front of the Ice Rink Building, and the Statue of Sandor Karolyi (right photo below) in front of Vajdahunyad castle.


The Statue of Anonymous, located in the Vajdahunyad Castle courtyard, portrays the anonymous and mysterious chronicler of King Béla III who wrote the Gesta Hungarorum (left photo below). This City Park is definitely well-maintained and the best evidence was the beautiful flower bed at the courtyard of Vajdahunyad Castle (right photo below).

Hungarian Agricultural Museum

Hungarian Agricultural Museum, or Magyar Mezőgazdasági Múzeum in Hungarian, (photos below) is a museum that displays the History of Agriculture in Europe housing over 200,000 historic agricultural tools & artifacts.


This museum is located inside a castle built in a variety of architectural styles including Romanesque and Renaissance, and completed in 1908 (photos below).
Besides its amazing architecture, the exhibits inside are equally amazing. Hungary was the main agricultural area of the Austro-Hungarian Empire; therefore, this Hungarian museum is one of the oldest and largest agricultural museums in Europe. Its tradition can be traced back to the 1896 agricultural exhibition. The exhibition halls are filled with thousands of farming tools and specimens, and the history and current situation of Hungarian agriculture since the new era are introduced in detail, including fishing, forestry, animal husbandry, and even hunting!

Only my colleague went to visit this museum during our second day and thus took photos of the museum's remarkable interior and exhibits (photos below).

The Chapel of Jak

Located within the grounds of the beautiful Vajdahunyad Castle, the Chapel of Jak is a copy of an Abbey in Western Hungary (left photo below). The main gate of the chapel is decorated with elaborated geometric Norman style motifs on its carved Portal (right photo below).

Vajdahunyad Castle

The Vajdahunyad Castle, built in 1896 as part of Millennial Exhibition, is a copy of several landmark buildings of the Hunyad Castle in Romania. Further parts of the Romanesque style building include the Auditory, the 37-meters tall Tower of Torture, the Tompa Tower, the Lion Bridge, the Bastion Tower of Segesvar, and the Bridge Gate (photos below) which its mock bars cannot be closed.

After the brief walk in the City Park, we took Metro from 'Széchenyi fürdő' station to 'Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út' station for St. Stephen's Basilica.

St. Stephen's Basilica

St. Stephen's Basilica, or Szent István-bazilik in Hungarian, (photos below) is a Roman Catholic Basilica named in honor of Stephen (circa 975 to 1038), the first King of Hungary. Completed in 1905, this Neo-Classical building has a height of 96-meters, width of 55-meters and length of 87.4-meters with two bell towers.


The mosaic between the columns depicts King St. Stephen and the resurrection of Christ (left photo below). The ceiling above the main entrance lobby was also richly decorated with mosaics (right photo below).


The high altar has a life-size Carrara marble sculpture of St. Stephen and the bronze reliefs in the background shows scenes from the life of the first King of Hungary (left photo below). The Dome, diameter of 22-meters, is covered by mosaic with the Holy Father surrounded by the figures of Jesus, the angles and the prophets (right photo below).
The Basilica is rich in fine arts. Many of the alter paintings were performed by artists recognized in that era (photos below).


The beautiful stained-glass in this basilica should not be missed (photos below).


During our visit, there was a small exhibition on the architecture and construction of the basilica (photos below).
Chapel of the Holy Right

The left aisle of the basilica is open to the Chapel of the Holy Right. It is where the right hand of Saint Stephen of Hungary, preserved intact in a mummified state, is kept as a relic in a preciously decorated reliquary (photos below).

Vörösmarty Square

Vörösmarty square, or Vörösmarty tér in Hungarian, is a public square located at the northern end of Váci utca. This square can be reached by alighting at 'Vörösmarty tér' station of Metro Line 1.

Lion Fountain

On the east of the square is the Lion Fountain (photos below). The fountain was built in 1985 on the site of a well and the natural spring water streaming from the lions' mouths. The four stone lions surround an ornate iron lamppost, which dates from an earlier period. Often children are seen climbing onto the lion statues and tourists resting on the fountain's steps.

Statue of Mihály Vörösmarty

At the centre of the square is a sculpture of Hungarian Poet: Mihály Vörösmarty where the square is named after him. Vörösmarty's most famous work is a patriotic song "Be faithful to your country, all Hungarians" is visually depicted in the sculpture where a group of Hungarian citizens rise up and surround the poet seated over 20 feet above them (photos below).

"Free Communist Walk" Tour

Joined a "Free Communist Walk" tour in the afternoon. The tour introduces the past and present Communist Heritage where tourists will get a clearer picture about the daily life, personal cult, secret agents and the reasons for Communist collapse. The tour is conducted every Monday, Friday and Saturday at 1530 hours, and lasted for 2.5 hours. The meeting point for this tour was around the Lion Fountain at Vörösmarty square.

We were first introduced by the tour guide on the public housing during the communist period (left photo below). Next the group was brought to the Soviet War Memorial where this white obelisk commemorates Russian military who served and died in World War II (right photo below).
Across the Freedom square from the Soviet War Memorial is the MTV building (left photo below). Originally built in 1905 to house the Budapest Stock Exchange, this was later home to the Hungarian National Television: Magyar Televizio (MTV). The MTV has been used as a propaganda tool during the communist period. Final destination of the tour was a café, next to the Downtown St. Anne's Church (right photo below).


Our tour guide showed us several Communist Relics in this café, such as the old currency used (left photo below), the belt buckle of Communist meaning (right photo below), and several books, post-cards and documents during the Communist period (bottom photos).
Must applaud our tour guide who gave a detailed informative and enthusiastic talk on this Communist walk (photos below). Although it's a "Free" tour, we were still expected to tip. In appreciation, we gave our guide a reasonable amount of gratitude.


After the tour, we then took Metro to 'Opera' station to visit the Opera House.

Hungarian State Opera House

Hungarian State Opera House, or Magyar Állami Operaház in Hungarian, is neo-Renaissance building completed in 1884 and second largest opera house in Hungary. The Opera House was closed for visit during the evening, therefore we could only take photos of its façade (photos below).
While walking towards the 'Oktogon' station, we saw showcase of several luxurious brands near the Opera House (photos below).


Dinner at Fast-Food Restaurant

Decided to have a quick bite in this fast-food restaurant (left photo below) as we were all hungry after the walking tour. Ordered a Whopper Meal at HUF 1430 (right photo below).
Vigadó Concert Hall

After dinner we took Metro to 'Vörösmarty tér' station. While walking towards the Danube promenade, we saw the Vigadó Concert Hall (left photo below). The façade of Vigadó Concert Hall was cleaned and restored back in 2006.

Little Princess Statue

The Little Princess statue is a 50-cm statuette of sitting on the railings of the Danube promenade (right photo below). This is the original statue created in 1972, and was inspired by the artist's eldest daughter whom often played in Tabán wearing a princess costume and a crown made out of newspapers.


Danube Promenade

This Danube Promenade, or Dunakorzó in Hungarian, is located on the Pest side of Budapest. We took a stroll along this promenade and took some night view of Danube, Matthias Church and Széchenyi Chain Bridge (left photo below) as well as the Buda Castle (right photo below).
As our shoes were wet due to the rain, we decided to head back to hotel early to dry ourselves up and have a good rest.