Budapest & London
Budapest & London
October 16 to 19
We travelled from Vienna to Budapest by train. Because they are both in the EU, we didn't have to stop for Customs and Immigration. We spent three nights in Budapest.
Budapest is really two cities on opposite sides of a river, the Danube. In this photo, Pest is on the right, Buda on the left.
The Danube River in Budapest
On our first day, we took a "hop-on / hop-off bus" to get a sense of the city, but we stayed on for several stops until we crossed the river. The best views of the Parliament Building are
from across the river.
The Hungarian Parliament Building
We took a tour of the Parliament Building on our last full day and it was impressive. Although relatively modern (it was built at the beginning of the 20th century) the design is reminiscent of the Gothic style used in the UK Parliament.
The main entrance
One of many detailed sculptures on the walls
One of two debating chambers
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Back across the river, we walked around the Palace area. The Palace wasn't open but we did see the changing of the guard.
Also in the same area was the Matthias Church.
The Matthias Church, Budapest, on the Buda side of the river. Nearby was the Halaszbastya, built in the 19th century.
The Halaszbastya, with great views across the Danube
Once back across the Danube, we walked from the Parliament building to our hotel. We met a famous American along the way.
Apparently, Ronald Reagan is well liked in Hungary. He has a ground level statue. I wonder if he really was so tall !
On the banks of the Danube is a memorial of bronze shoes, to commemorate the 20,000 jews who were shot and then pushed into the river to float away.
On our last evening, we went back to St. Stephen's Basilica, which is effectively a Cathedral and is the largest church in Hungary.
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London - October 19 & 20
Next day, we left very early and flew first to Gatwick, where we spent the night. That evening, we went to the National Theatre for dinner and then watched "Translations", a play by Brian Friel about the English occupation of Ireland in the 19th century. It was an interesting play with a good cast, but sometimes a little difficult to follow.
Translations
Next day, we went to the National Gallery and in the afternoon, Paul went to see Sir Ian McKellen in his one man show, Kristine wasn't terribly interested so she made her way back to the hotel. Ian McKellen was superb, doing pieces from just about every play he had performed and several pieces form "Lord of the Rings". What fun!
In the evening, we went to Rules Restaurant, which we had visited on an earlier trip. Not a great meal, but enjoyable nevertheless.
Rules Restaurant
Yum, Yum (even if they were out of several items !)
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Next day we flew home to Orlando