Budapest might just be my favorite city in Central Europe. I finished my exams and flew immediately for the hot springs but I found a city that was incredibly vibrant and much more than just its waters. It was more expensive than people said, but I’m sure it’s manageable if you find the right places. I’m just utterly in awe at the atmosphere and the sense of longevity the city constantly gives off. I have no idea why this city isn’t considered one of the capitals of global romance. The galleries are world class (Bruegel, El Greco, Titian and more are all in the almost empty Museum of Fine Arts) and the hot springs are just immaculate. Everything from the wooden funicular up to Buda Castle to the riverside promenade was so wonderful. The city feels alive and lived in, and not just a Disneyland for tourists. Chess players at the Széchényi Baths, young folks sitting on the bridge, couples on Gellért hill. I think Budapest is easily on my top 5 best European cities I’ve visited. I had read about Hungary since I was 13 and studying the 1848 revolutions for a competition, followed by its communist era for another competition. I’ve finally seen the home of Kossuth, Széchényi, Petofi, and Nagy.
1 - Trams cross before Liberty Bridge
2 - The parliament speaks for itself at night, bathed in orange
3 - The blue Danube from Gellért hill at sunset
4 - Ivy-covered Gellért hotel
5 - Széchényi Chain Bridge gallops across the water
6 - June of love on Liberty Bridge
7 - Two men war in Széchényi Baths
8 - Frieze of St. Stephen’s Cathedral
9 - Frieze of the Fine Arts Museum
10 - Colonnade at Heroes’ Square
11 - Victory looms over the city at Gellért hill
12 - Vajdahunyad Castle points to heaven
13 - At the parliament, it’s still 1896
14 - The Buda Castle now houses the National Art Gallery
15 - Plague Column at Szentháromság
16 - Fisherman’s Bastion perches itself
17 - Trams saunter past Kossuth Lajos square
18 - Dohány Synagogue glistens
19 - Memorial Park houses the legacy of Bela Kun and Matyas Rakosi
20 - Bikers now speed past where the secret police once monitored the nation at the House of Terror