Budapest

Last Day in Budapest, Hungary

Posted by Girl With Chalk

Enjoyed my last day in Budapest, I spent my day at the thermal baths, the Frida Kahlo exhibit, and walked around the Castle District.

I walked across the Liberty Bridge this morning on my way to the Gellért Thermal Baths (You can see the building on the left side of the bridge on the other end). The bridge is beautiful, it has two eagles at the top. The Liberty Bridge is the shortest bridge in Budapest’s center. Initially built as part of the Millennium World Exhibition at the end of the 19th century, the bridge features art nouveau design, mythological sculptures and the country’s coat of arms adorned on its side.
Part of the famous Hotel Gellért in Buda, the Gellért Thermal Baths and Swimming Pool is a bath complex in Budapest, Hungary.
The bath complex was built between 1912 and 1918 in the (Secession) Art Nouveau style. It was damaged during World War II, but then rebuilt. The “magical healing spring” was used by the Turkish during the 16th and 17th centuries.
The Gellért Baths include thermal baths, which are small pools containing water from Gellért hill’s mineral hot springs. The water contains calcium, magnesium, hydrocarbonate, alkalis, chloride, sulfate and fluoride. Medical indications of the water include degenerative joint illnesses, spine problems, chronic and sub-acute joint inflammations, vertebral disk problems, neuralgia, vasoconstriction, and circulatory disturbances; inhalation problems for the treatment of asthma and chronic bronchitis problems. The thermal baths are decorated beautifully with mosaic tiles.
After swimming in the baths, I enjoyed an iced coffee in the main hall, built in Art-Nouveau style.
Crossing the Liberty Bridge back, you can see Gellért Hill overlooking the Danube River. Gellért Hill was named after Saint Gerard who was thrown to death from the hill. The famous Hotel Gellért and the Gellért Baths can be found in Gellért Square at the foot of the hill. At the top of the hill is the Citadella (Citadel), from which a view is available down both directions of the Danube. (If you click on my blog post of Budapest from 2015, you can see pictures of the time I was up at the Citadel from my first trip to Budapest).
The entrance to the Hungarian National Gallery. The gate has a statue of a Turul bird, it presumably originated as the clan symbol used in the 9th and 10th centuries by the ruling House of Arpad.
The Frida Kahlo exhibit. Thanks to the Museo Dolores Olmedo in Mexico City, and several other Mexican art collections, more than thirty paintings and graphics of the artist was on display.
My ticket was 3200 Hufs, but don’t worry because that only comes out to about $12.00. What a deal!
The entrance to the exhibit.
Frida Kahlo, The Broken Column, 1944.
Frida Kahlo, Without Hope, 1945.
Frida Kahlo, The Abortion, 1932.
Frida Kahlo, Self Portrait with Small Monkey, 1945.
Frida Kahlo, The Deceased Dimas, 1937.
Frida Kahlo, Still Life with Parrot And Fruit, 1951.
Walking around the National Gallery grounds.
The Holy Trinity Statue can be found in the middle of Trinity Square. The column commemorates the people of Buda who died from two outbreaks of the Black Plague.
Waling around Fisherman’s Bastion at daytime.
Walking around Matthias Church at daytime.
Fisherman’s Bastion during the daytime, today this place is known for its beautiful views over the city.
Mailing off my watercolored postcard to the Chain Bridge to a friend in the United States.
Before leaving Budapest, I had to have a Trdelník or “chimney cake”, which is prepared with dough that is wrapped around a stick, before being baked on an open fire. The chimney cake is topped with a mixture of sugar and walnut, or cinnamon sugar and filled with ice cream.

Budapest, Hungary

Posted by Girl With Chalk

Arrived in Budapest on the train. The train station is so beautiful, it looks like a museum.

The building was constructed between 1881 and 1884 as one of the most modern railway stations of Europe. Inside the station are frescos by Karoly Lotz.
The Hungarian Forint is the currency of Hungary, by the way, all of these only totals to approx. $100.
The first thing I noticed when arriving at our Airbnb was a Frida Kahlo banner way up high on the other side of the river. I knew I had to go up there and check it out.
Our apartment in Budapest, which is located steps away from the famous Chain Bridge.
The Central Market Hall is Budapest’s largest and most expansive indoor market, built in the neo-Gothic style, offers a variety of food stalls, from fresh vegetables, fowl and meat to wine and liquor shops.
Traditional Hungarian dishes are primarily based on meats, seasonal vegetables, fruits, fresh bread, dairy products, and cheeses.
For lunch, I had my all-time favorite Hungarian Goulash. It is a stew of meat, seasoned with paprika and other spices. Originating from medieval Hungary, goulash is a popular meal predominantly eaten in Central Europe but also in other parts of Europe.
Walking across the Chain Bridge, a suspension bridge that spans the River Danube between Buda and Pest, the western and eastern sides of Budapest, the capital of Hungary. It was the first permanent bridge across the Danube in Hungary. It was opened in 1849.
View from the top of the lift or “Budapest Castle Hill Funicular”, which is a funicular railway. It links the Chain Bridge at river level to Buda Castle above. The line was opened on March 2, 1870, and has been in municipal ownership since 1920. Check out my video at the end of this blog post to see what it’s coming back down the hill.
The Hungarian National Gallery, located at the top of the hill. I made it up to find an exhibition of paintings and drawings by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, on loan from Mexico City’s Museo Dolores Olmedo. I will return tomorrow to see this show before I leave Budapest.
Matthias Church, a Roman Catholic church located in front of the Fisherman’s Bastion at the heart of Buda’s Castle District.
View of the Hungarian Parliament building across the river from the top of the hill.
Fisherman’s Bastion is a terrace in neo-Gothic and neo-Romanesque style situated on the Buda bank of the Danube, on the Castle hill, around Matthias Church.
The Buda side castle wall was protected by the fishermen’s guild and this is the reason why it was called fishermen’s Bastion. The guild of fishermen was responsible for defending this stretch of the city walls in the Middle Ages. It is a viewing terrace, with many stairs and walking paths.
Crossing the Chain Bridge back to our Airbnb apartment. Two stone lion statues guard both bridgeheads. I love the lion statues, they are beautiful.

Check out the video I took, riding the lift down the hill.

 

 

European Vacation Day 10 Budapest, Hungary

Posted by Girl With Chalk

Today we went on the hop-on hop-off Budapest city bus and boat tour. We visited the Castle District, the Citadel, all of the major monuments and then cruised on the Danube River at night. When we got back to the hotel, we entered a catholic church at the end of mass. The church was beautiful.

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The church in the Castle District.
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Lunch was cheese soup in a bread bowl with a beer at Miró Cafe in the Castle District.
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Castle District.
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View from the castle.
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Castle District.
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The boat cruise at night on the Danube River.
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The Parliament as seen from the boat at night.
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Franciscan Church which is one block from our hotel.
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Franciscan Church.

European Vacation Day 9 Budapest, Hungary

Posted by Girl With Chalk

Today we checked into a suite at the Hotel Danubius Astoria in Budapest. We got on a hop-on hop-off city sightseeing tour and it started to rain after the tour was over so we came back to our hotel. We plan on sightseeing tomorrow.

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View from our suite in Budapest.
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The inside of our hotel (Hotel Danubius Astoria).
Castle
A castle that we are visiting tomorrow.
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The money that is used in Budapest.
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The buildings in Budapest are very detailed, this building is so amazing! I plan on going back to this hotel tomorrow for a closer look.