The journey home

My flight was late in the afternoon, so there were some hours between check out and boarding. The forecast was for rain later so I decided that instead of lunching in the city I would take it at the airport. Budapest doesn't have a metro connection to its airport but there is a dedicated bus service. When I got there the luggage check-in hadn't started so I took advantage of the prayer room to rest and recharge my phone. Some Muslims came to use it for a while, and we nodded in goodwill. Then a coffee to wake up, and finally I was able to go airside.

The departure lounges were more spacious. I got a fairly decent lunch of Japanese noodles, followed by dessert. The remainder of my forints and korunas I put in a donation box. The Euros from Slovakia I retained.

As day dimmed, I boarded my flight to Doha, where I would spend a day in stopover. It was quite a different experience so I'll blog that somewhere else.

And so it was goodbye to Central Europe. The countries I visited have had a long history in culture and science. Prague and Budapest appeared often in the itineraries of European composers for example. It is because of the last century of European history that we tend to associate Europe with the Western part. Central Europe is great for seeing buildings of other eras.

Budapest — Terézváros and Zugló

The plan was to have lunch in the vicinity of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music (Liszt Ferenc Zeneművészeti Egyetem). Ferenc is Hungarian for Franz or Francis.

The square named after him.

A quirky sculpture of Sir Georg Solti. There is a more traditional statue of Liszt in the middle of the square.

Unfortunately both of the restaurants I was interested in had a long wait list. So I gave up and had a lunch of a sub at a nearby outlet.

The metro has a station right in the middle of the city park which is not far from the Széchenyi thermal bath. It's a huge complex and the largest medicinal bath in Europe. Where city dwellers by the sea might congregate at the beach, Budapestians socialise at the thermal bath.

I was however here to stroll around the park.

Plenty of room.

Good suggestion.

Vajdahunyad Castle.

At the southwestern edge of the park, Andrássy Avenue ends at Heroes' Square.

The Városliget Café.

Another view of the castle. I think the space in the foreground becomes a skating rink in winter.

A piece of wood that took my fancy.

Just circumnavigating the park, thinking about going home soon.

According to Maps this is Sellők díszkút, but reviews say it's nothing to go out of the way to see, and it's in disrepair.

I was here because I had to pass the front entrance of the Széchenyi thermal bath to return to the metro station.

On the way back to my room, I passed the House of Terror. This was a building that was used to torture prisoners during the fascist and communist regimes in Hungary's history and is now a museum.

I didn't have the stomach for this dismal history. Instead I found a recommended strudel shop and had another poppy seed strudel.

Last picture for the day and for Budapest. After dinner, looking for coffee, I came across an elegant cafe. I ordered a coffee. There was a stage which by and by a harpist occupied. It was good to see that the musical tradition continues in Hungary.

Budapest — Belváros-Lipótváros

The plan for the morning of this last day was to explore district V, Belváros-Lipótváros, the latter named after King Leopold II, a part of Pest that I had not given enough attention to previously. Lipótváros holds St. Stephen's Basilica, government buildings, public buildings and high-end hotels.

I started at the southern part of district V, Belváros, at Fövám Tér. The intent was to walk up the Danube Promenade and turn inland.

Sun and water bathing locals.

Very long cruise boat, Liberty Statue on the hill, and Elisabeth Bridge. As you can see it was a clear day, but I recall it was a little nippy.

A better view of the bridge.

The Rudas Baths on the Buda bank, another thermal bath complex.

Buda castle again.

Somehow I missed the Little Princess statue, but I came across Dunai Szél (Danube Wind) on the grounds of a hotel. It's not well known as I had to search for it. A couple of reviews give details, that it was created in 1937, relocated several times, and the original is in the Hungarian National Gallery.

Fascinating how the sculptor has managed to suggest a translucent skirt in stone. Budapest would seem to be a treasure trove of sculpture from the number of results returned when I went searching.

The Vigado concert hall.

The fountain in Vigado square.

Deák Ferenc street lined with high-end stores.

Vörösmarty square with a statue to the poet.

The Café Gerbeaud dating from 1858. Budapest is also a treasure trove of cafes.

A search shows that this is the Hungarian Ministry of Finance on József Nádor square (page in Hungarian).

The quirky porcelain sculpture Herendi életfa is also here.

A passage within the Ministry of Finance building led me to…

The Budapest Eye.

Customers lining up.

Photographers at the Danubius fountain trying to capture the whole ferris wheel.

Lovers' padlocks probably.

St. Stephen's Basilica.

A frontal view.

And that was the end of my exploration of district V. A short walk found me at Elisabeth Square where Andrássy Avenue begins. I descended into the metro to teleport to another area for more adventures.

Budapest — Terézváros and Erzsébetváros

The street on which I was staying is the boundary between two Budapest city districts Terézváros and Erzsébetváros, districts VI and VII respectively. Between them they house many of Budapest's cultural establishments, shops, restaurants, cafes, and nightlife spots. I was really in the middle of things.

I headed for Erzsébetváros where the Dohány Street Synagogue is. On the way I passed this statue of Sisi.

Similarly, Terézváros is named after Maria Theresa.

Behind her are these connected buildings with an arch straddling the street. It seems to be the Arcadia Hotel according to Maps.

On the opposite side of Károly körút is the Deák tér Lutheran Church and the Budapest Eye, which we will meet later, which are actually in district V.

The other direction of this green boulevard continues to Astoria, where I left off several days ago.

Mural of Ángel Sanz Briz, a saviour of Hungarian Jews, on Dob street.

The octagonal towers with onion domes of the Synagogue.

The main entrance. I did not take a tour as it was quite crowded and a bit pricey, and I had to be back at the Opera in an hour for tour.

Lots of tourists waiting.

A pop art Rubik's Cube on Rumbach Sebestyén St, off Dob St. Rubik was Hungarian, of course.

This was actually taken after the Opera tour, but also in the Erzsébetváros district. It's on Akácfa St.

Close by is this mural of a woman with a strawberry hat enjoying a drink through a long straw.

I didn't know Budapest, and Erzsébetváros in particular, was such a mecca for street art. And it seems new ones are added all the time. I would have taken a tour had I known.

This is what I was after, walking through district VII, strudel filled with poppy seed at Strudel Hugó. I tried the traditional style, as well as with sour cherry and chocolate, which is not traditional, but works very well. I took one away to enjoy later in my room.

On the way back to my lodgings I came across this poster on an empty shop's window. It looked official but I couldn't believe what I was reading. Later a friend explained that this was a parody produced by the Two-tailed Dog Party (their logo is at bottom right). The poster was intended to highlight the disrepair of Király Street to shame the authorities into fixing it.