Final Day

Today we visit the Parliament. If you wish to visit book in advance as it was booked out yesterday and today also - and this is the shoulder season!! 

We took the no. 2 tram right along the Danube to the Parliament and joined the queue for the 12.45 visit. The tour was well organised and given in numerous languages. 

The Parliament building was commissioned when Hungry, under Habsburg rule was three times the area it is today. The empire fell after WW1 and the present parliament only uses a fraction of the building!  It is the second largest parliament building, second only to the Rumanian parliament in Bucharest. 

We had a choice - climb 130 odd steps or take the lift. On arrival, we were taken through grand ornate halls. 

Gold wasn’t spared but it is only a paint effect up to a height of 2 metres and after that it is the real thing.! 

The parliament had an Upper House for the aristocracy and Lower House for elected representatives. 

The Upper House no longer exists. The aristocracy had a beautiful staircase to access their chamber but today it is only used for distinguished visitors. 

The chamber itself was impressive 

We also saw the lounge where the aristocracy relaxed It had a blue carpet to reflect their blue blood!! However, the carpet is not the original as the latter was destroyed in the bombings of WW11 and a copy was made by the original carpet manufacturers.

Many of the stain glass windows were also destroyed during the War. 

We were brought into the room where the royal crown is kept - no photos permitted! 

We departed the building via the employees staircase -all 800 of them!! 

Outside, in the Soviet, the Parliament grounds were bedecked with giant statues of Lenin, Marks etc  These were removed after 1989 and consigned to an area outside Budapest. They were replaced by Hungarian patriots. The red star, once stop the building, was consigned to the Parliament’s museum

One poignant emblem is the National flag aloft a pole and guarded by two soldiers to commemorate those who died in the uprising of 1956! 

We departed the Parliament and walked back via Vaci  Utca to the hotel, where we collected our bags and returned to the airport as we had come! 

Budapest is a beautiful city, possibly the most beautiful in Europe, situated on both sides of the Danube. It has undergone massive changes since 1988 and with the return of democracy (though their Prime Minister remains in power indefinitely, while the President received a maximum of two terms).Western store and hotel chains have opened here. However, service is an issue still to be addressed.!! 

Well worth a visit! 

Day 4

Today, we continue exploring Budapest. 

Our first stop was the market. It would remind one of the English market in Cork. 

The food was displayed downstairs and clothes and trinkets upstairs. 

Our next stop will be the Parliament, picturesquely situated on the banks of the Danube. The architect submitted the drawings to Berlin for the Reichstag but they were rejected in favour of the present structure. Berlin’s loss was  Budapest’s gain! Dear readers those of you who have seen both buildings may agree !! Designed by Imre Steindl, it was commenced in 1885 and inaugurated in 1896 on the country’s 1,000th anniversary. It was completed in 1902

During the failed October 1956 Revolution against the Communist regime, protesters gathered outside the  Parliament, shots were fired and many died. 

Its limestone facade has been ravished by air pollution. 

During the Soviet occupation, a red star was erected over the building but this was removed in 1993. 

We eventually found the entrance to discover that all tours were booked out for today. We had to go online to get a ticket for tomorrow and it was printed off at the ticket desk!! 

We took tram 2, then walked to the Octagon, one of the oldest metro stations in Europe.  

Nect stop - the Opera. The Opera is closed for performances as the main hall is under renovation.  We are to see the remainder. 

                                The entrance hall 

The opera house was built when Hungry was part of the Austro - Hungarian  empire. Budapest wished to have an Opera House similar to Vienna’s.. It got one but it is smaller. 

On tour, we were taken to the Bar for the aristocracy alone. In the past the bourgeois had their own - Hungarian society was class conscious! A new bar has recently been installed which, in my opinion, takes from the room. 

As we could not see the Main Concert venue, we were permitted to take the Royal Staircase - even today  only the PM and Speaker of the House are permitted to use it., when attending the opera. 

There is a mirrror at the top and bottom of the staircase. Protocol did not permit royalty to turn their heads - the mirrors enabled them to see who was behind them!! 

We were then treated to a mini concert entertained by two excellent sopranos. 

Afterwards we quitted the Opera House disappointed at not seeing the main venue. 

We took the metro to Vaci  Utca, where we had stayed 30 years ago. As far as we could recall, we had stayed at what is now the Mercure hotel. CC reminded me that we ate in a restaurant by the river where a Soviet General was holding court. . It is hard to believe that the city was under Soviet control then and how it has developed in the last 30 years. 

We decided to try some local treats and had a glass of mulled wine and a Langos - bread with garlic and sour cream - though there are multiple varieties of toppings. 

Having traversed Vaci Utca, we returned to the hotel to collect our swim suits and crossed Liberty Bridge to the famous Gellért Thermal Baths. 

Constructed 1912-1918, during the final phase of the Habsburg Empure, the building was destroyed during WW11 and rebuilt in the 1940s.   

In addition to the indoor pool, there are smaller pools with temperatures of 36/40 degrees, a sauna and a steam room. From May to October similar outdoor facilities are open. It was 25 degrees here in Budapest a couple of weeks ago -today it was 8 reducing to -2 tonight!!

We returned to the hotel, dressed and went to dinner at Monks restaurant nearby. It was fine dining at its best 

             Starter - feta and beetroot

              Pike/ Perch and Langostine

                   Boston butt (Lamb)

     Passion fruit  and mango sorbets with Brazilian 

                               chocolate 

It was 23.00 as we walked back to the hotel. Vaci Utca was very quiet. 

Day 3 Bratislava

If it’s Friday, it must be Bratislava! 

We decided to take the 2.5 hour train trip to Bratislava, capital of Slovenia. Would you believe that it is the third richest area in the EU, though that statistic doesn’t include Slovenia as a whole, which is very poor? 

I have to again mention the fantastic public transport system. Budapest has a population of 1.7 million, not that much greater than Dublin, yet its pubic transport system would embarrass the latter. Metros, trams, cable busses and busses traverse the city. One never needs to wait for a means of transport to any part of city. Each system seemlessly links up with the other. In addition if one is over 65 years, one can travel free on any public transport system within Hungry and that includes transport from the airport!! (Your passport is all that is required should there be a ticket inspection).

The train departed on time. We took a 10 minute walk to the Metro - en route we met a guy from Dundalk who accompanied us to the station - three  stops and we are at the railway station 40 minutes early!! 

As we left Budapest the countryside was guarded by mountains - the Carpathians I think ? 

Later as we approached Slovenia,the valley widened - the mountains no longer to be seen. 

The Republic of Slovakia is the result of the breakup of Czechoslovakia into the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. Bratislava was established as its capital  in 1993. It is the only capital in the world located on the borders of three countries Slovakia, Austria and Hungry. Slovakia became a member of the EU in 2004. Unlike Hungary where the Florin is currency, the Euro is the currency of Slovakia. Unlike their Yugoslav counterparts there was no animosity and both countries continue to co- operate.     

We arrived just after noon. 

Bratislava, formerly called Pressburg was the former capital of the Kingdom of Hungry  and the coronation town of the Hungarian  Kings of the House of Habsburg -1563 -1830, where 11 kings and 7 royal spouses are crowned in St Martin’s Church - among them Marie There’s in 1741. 

 
Unlike Budapest, where tourist information is everywhere, there was none at Bratislava station. 

We took the tram down town and alighted at the historic town - an announcement in  English made on the tram. 

 

We took the 10 minute walk up to the castle - originally a royal residence - now home to the Museum of History with its 47m tower, where the coronation crown jewels were once stored.   

Back down the hill to the old town , where we visited the Primate’s Palace, where representatives of the French Republic and the Emperor signed the Treaty of Pressburg,  following Napoleon’svctory at the Battle of Austerlitz. 

The city was home to world famous artists, architects and inventors such as Mozart, Liszt, Beethoven Hayden and others. Their villas were not identifiable - Bratislava’s tourism is in its infancy!! 

Next we passed through Michael’s gate- the only remaining gate in the city’s 14th century fortification. Here is housed the Museum of Arms. 

Nearby is the narrowest house in Bratislava. Is it narrower than its challenger on the canal in Amsterdam?

We continued to the National Theatre, 

from whence a long avenue was graced with an X-Mas tree and beyond the X-Mas market lined Hviezdoslavovo nameste, the latter named after one of the city’s famous writers. Gluwein of all varitues were available for purchase here as were X-Mas trinkets. 

Many old restaurants abound - lunch of garlic soup in a bread bowl at one and a cup of organic chocolate and chili at another later in the evening were our culinary experiences.

We met second son in the latter - here on a stag party.  They are eating at UFO observation Deck  - a 95 metre high bridge pillar and tomorrow. 

  

Restaurant located at an elevation of 95m in the Bridge pillar seen on right side of bridge!!

They visit Vienna  tomorrow - a mere 57 km away with trains departing every half hour!! 

Night had fallen, the working  week was over for most and the streets were thronged with people in the crisp evening air 

It was time to return toBusapest. We took the No 1 Tram back to the station only to discover that the 17.53 departure for Budapest was delayed by 40 minutes!! We adjourned to the very Soviet inspired restaurant in the station to await the train.!!

 It had originatecd in Hamburg, travelled via Berlin, and Prague to Bratislava, eventually arriving in Budapest one hour late!! 

Day 2

We commenced the day with a breakfast consisting of a fabulous display of Hungarian breakfast foods - from a choice of cereal and yoghurts to sausages encased in rasher, scrambled and boiled eggs, cheese and smoked salmon together with a great variety of breads and a glass of bubbly to wash it all down!! 

We crossed the river and spotted the Gellert hotel where the famous baths are situated - on our itinerary Saturday or Sunday!! 

Opposite the hotel stood the Cave Church hewn out of the rock of Gellery Hill by the Pauline Order in 1926. 

It was closed during the Communist era, when in 1951 the Hungarian Secret Police arrested and imprisoned  the monks. The church was reopened in 1989. 

From here we took a tram along the Danube, alighting at the Chain Bridge- the first Bridge to link Buda and Pest. From here we took the funicular Railway up to Royal Palace, 

arriving just in time to see the changing of the Guard. 

This Palace now encompasses the Hungarian History Museum  and the Hungarian National Gallery

The Gallery is spectacular in layout.  I visited the Paintings of the School of London, comprising among others Bacon  and Freud - no photographs permitted!! 

Quitting the Royal Palace, we crossed the Chain Bridge 

and made our way to the Gerbeaud Cafe, 

established 1858 

where I partook of a piece of  a chocolate cake, specially commissioned for the 160th  anniversary of its foundation. 

Outside the cafe, the X-mas markets  were in full swing. We encountered an unusual bread among its offerings. 

We walked up Fashion Street and took a Metro to Keleti Railway Station (where we were to have been dropped off last night!) to purchase tickets for tomorrow’s trip to Bratislava. 

Tonight we are dining in the New York Cafe es Etterem. It’s ornate ceiling, delicate gold furniture and expensive food belie it’s origin as a cafe for impoverished writers!!