budapest was glorious. so very different from prague. a bit more spread out, and for being a weekend i was surprised at how not crowded it was. there were many adventures to be had in the two short days that rachael and i were there.
above is the FISHERMAN'S BASTION and a view of PARLIAMENT from BUDA CASTLE. the view from the castle were staggering and the photos do them little justice.
the statue in front of the castle is spectacular, it depicts king matyas with a dead stag and his hunting dogs. just to the side is a woman who looks completely in despair. the legend says that one day while hunting he met a maiden in the country side and fell in love. he concealed his identity from her and only after did they return to the castle did she realize that she was to be married to the king. the mosaic is situated at the bottom of the hill where you take the funicular to the castle. it depicts the royal crest of the hungarian empire.
THE FISHERMAN'S BATION was built to celebrate the millennium (the turn into the 20th century) it was used as the fisherman's market for many years. the bridge is the famous cross bridge and also the spot of the spontaneous French/Hungarian wine festival!! free flowing wine and cheese from france and hungary? count me in, it was a lovely saturday!!
the sprawling building with the green roof is the BUDA CASTLE. it was so beautiful up there, removed and quiet, with gorgeous gardens that brought me back to reading THE SECRET GARDEN as a young girl. mom, i would have loved to walk with you throughout them :-)
i had to snap a shot of the BURG HOTEL. that one's for you cami ;-)
the church on the right is still in use. the roofing on the older buildings is magnificent, they look like small mosaics, and are mostly constructed out of wood and tile, their brilliant contrasting colors brighten up an other wise typical church. the church on the left has been turn into one of the biggest discos in budapest, it was crazy!!
so, while looking for a yummy place to eat racheal asked if we could try this mexican place we had passed earlier in the day. i was skeptical but i said why not. oh my goodness, some of the best i have had, it helps that the owner is from central mexico. it was so wonderful not to eat a meat or potato swimming with bread. a wonderful day without any gluten!!! tacos pastor, conchinita pibil sope, and chicken tostada....mmmmm.
my favorite part of the wandering was going to the NEW YORK PALACE. yipppppppeeeee, normal coffee, done correctly. this place was unspeakably grand! i started with a campari and soda and moved on to chocolate mousse cake that had a white chocolate cello adorning it and a double espresso. yup, heaven, i could have stayed all nite. if i ever win the lotto or come into a ridiculous amount of money, i will be staying at the PALACE.
the food in budapest was much better than in prague. in the huge CENTRAL MARKET on the second floor there are food vendors everywhere. rachael and i had to try the langos. langos is deep fried bread topped with spiced sourcream and cheese with hungarian salami, it was like savory funnel cake!!!!! then later after shopping and walking around we had lunch. i got the traditional stuffed cabbage, not as good as my mom's but yummy nonetheless.
lastly as we walked around i noticed that budapest had some of the best graffiti i have seen, it was more art than vandalism. there were murals everywhere in the subways and on the sides of abandoned buildings, i appreciated that the artists did not paint on more historical buildings.
i love budapest. the people were marvelous and friendly and the views were magical! i will be back and i plan on stocking up on salami, leather goods, and paprika!!
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