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Hungary

We awoke the next morning pulling into Budapest, Hungary. This was my second visit to Budapest and the country of Hungary. Budapest is cited as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe,ranked as "the world's second best city" by Condé Nast Traveler and "Europe's 7th most idyllic place to live" by Forbes.

River Boats line the Danube on both sides as you are closer to the Chain Bridge area, the enter of everything.

Budapest yokes together two formerly separate cities: Buda and Pest, on opposite sides of the Danube. Buda, on the West side of the river , the right in our photo, is hilly and semi-suburban, and has winding, narrow streets wending their way up into the hills. Pest is the flat area and to our left.

The infamous Chain Bridge. The Chain Bridge was the first permanent stone-bridge connecting Pest and Buda, and only the second permanent crossing on the whole length of the river Danube. It is one of the symbolic buildings of Budapest, the most widely known bridge of the Hungarian capital.

Heroes' Square is the largest and most impressive square of the city.

Heroes' Square is the largest and most impressive square of the city.

The Millennium Monument in the middle of the square was erected to commemorate the 1000-year-old history of the Magyars. Archangel Gabriel stands on top of the center pillar, holding the holy crown and the double cross of Christianity

When the monument was originally constructed, Hungary was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and thus the last five spaces for statues on the left of the colonnade were reserved for members of the ruling Habsburg dynasty. The Habsburg emperors were replaced with Hungarian freedom fighters when the monument was rebuilt after World War II.

Museum of Fine Arts

The seven chieftains who led the Magyar tribes to Hungary can be seen on the stand below

Statues of kings and other important historical figures stand on top of the colonnades on either side of the center pillar.

Heroes Square is the most visited tourist location in the city. Double decker tour buses stop many times during the day.

Entrance to the Budapest Zoo is close to Heroes Square

Gundel Restaurant famously stands for the history of modern Hungarian Gastronomy and hospitality. The food was created y Karoly Gundel,, "who tamed the Hungarian cuisine". A beautiful restaurant in Budapest.

Budapest has its Ferris wheel.

Crossing the Chain Bridge over the Danube River with River boats docked . Parliament is located further down the river to the right of the photo along the river..

Looking at the Buda side of town.

The winding cobblestone streets and leafy promenades of Castle Hill lead past baroque houses, Habsburg monuments and cafes including early 19th-century Ruszwurm.

Key attractions include Buda Castle, a palace razed and rebuilt over centuries, now home to the Hungarian National Gallery and Budapest History Museum. The turrets and terraces of Fisherman’s Bastion offer views over the Danube and nearby Matthias Church.

Roof of Matthias Church is very unusual tiles. Matthias Church is a Roman Catholic church located in Budapest, Hungary, in front of the Fisherman's Bastion at the heart of Buda's Castle

Chili Peppers grown locally

Fisherman's Bastion

View of Parliament in Pest looking from the Buda side on Castle Hill.

View of the church outside up close

Distant view from Castle Hill looking at Budapest, the Pest side.

Same view only more close up of the buildings.

Close up shot of Parliament

Fisherman's Bastion so named because the fisherman's guild was responsible for protecting this section of the medieval defenses, this isn't a building so much as a glorified wall.

Inside shot of the Hilton hotel next to the Castle looking out over the city..

Photos inside the Hilton Hotel

Public space inside the Hilton Hotel on the Buda side of Budapest.

Building at the top of the Castle Hill which over looks the city.

Wedding party entering St. Stphans Basilica on the Pest side of the river.

Looking out from the front of St. Stephe's Basilica

Inside St. Stephans Basilica

Bride and Groom we saw a few minutes earlier during their ceremony.

Inside the Basilica

Tourists renting Segwayss to get around Budapest.

Front entrance of St. Stephens Basilica. It is the third largest church building in present-day Hungary. The two towers have six bells altogether: five on the left side tower and one in the right side tower. .

Walking boulevard from St, Stevens Basilica has many outdoor restaurants.

Looking in the opposite direction towards the Basilica.

Budapest is a great city to walk around as you will see in the following photos.

Gerbeaud a well known expensive restaurant to dine at..

Dining along the Danube River

We had the opportunity to enjoy a Hungarian Folklore live show in the evening. It was walking distance from the ship.

Wow... . talk about talent.

Beautiful theater on a third floor of the building.

Intermission

Local costumes

Great Dancing

Walking back to the ship this building in town was lighted beautifully.

Chain Bridge with the Royal Castle in the background also lighted

Matthias Church and the Buda Castle lighted

Hungarian Parliament Building

Buda Castle is the historical castle and palace complex of the Hungarian kings in Budapest. It was first completed in 1265,

The Chain Bridge lighted at night with reflections on the river.

The Shoes on the Danube Bank is a memorial that gives remembrance to the 3,500 people, 800 of them Jews, who were shot into the Danube during the time of the Arrow Cross terror. The monument is located on the Pest side of the Danube Promenade,. It is about 980 feet south of the Hungarian Parliament and near the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. There are more photos a little further into the web site.

Daytime view of the photos you were just looking at in the evening on the Buda side of the Danube River. Matthias Church.

The Shoes on the Danube Bank is a memorial in Budapest, Hungary. Conceived by film director Can Togay, he created it on the east bank of the Danube River with sculptor Gyula Pauer to honor the people who were killed by fascist Arrow Cross militiamen in Budapest during World War II.

They were ordered to take off their shoes, and were shot at the edge of the water so that their bodies fell into the river and were carried away. It represents their shoes left behind on the bank.

That is what I call a party boat. At night time it is really illuminated.

Chain Bridge and the Royal Castle.

The Riverside of the Hungarian Parliament.

Buda side of the river with the church and Castle

Ministry of Agriculture to the right.

Museum of Ethnography. Ethnography is a qualitative study of social interactions, behaviors, and perceptions that occur within groups, teams, organizations, and communities. It’s all about thoughts, feelings and observations rather than cold, numerical data. I had to look it up. Had no idea what it was. Also the building is headquarteres for the MInistry of Public Administration and Justice

This is the downtown tram that must go everywhere.

The Hungarian Parliament Building also known as the Parliament of Budapest after its location, It is the seat of the National Assembly of Hungary, a notable landmark of Hungary and a popular tourist destination in Budapest. It lies n the bank of the Danube. It is currently the largest building in Hungary and it is still the tallest building in Budapest

The building is huge..

Reflecting pond in front of the Parliament building.

Always there are ceremonial guards in front of the Parliament building

Front entrance.

This central figure is Lajos Kossuth, one of Hungary’s most revered statesmen, who devoted his life to fight for the Magyars’ independence during the era when the country was ruled by Austrian powers, leading the ill-fated 1848 Revolution –

Monument to Tiszan Istav was a Hungarian politician, prime minister, political scientist and member of Hungarian Academy of Sciences. The prominent event in his life was Austria-Hungary's entry into the First World War when he was prime minister for the second time. He was later assassinated during the Aster Revolution on 31 October 1918 - the same day that Hungary terminated its political union with Austria.

Quite impressive.

Parliament Museum Budapest & Visitor Center - The 1000 Year History of Hungarian Legislation

Much of this was devoted to the 1920's

1930's to WWII

Lapidarium - Stone collections.

1956 Revolution. The southern ventilation tunnel under the square that used to cool the Parliament building on hot days gives home to the memorial to those who died in the bloodbath on 25. October 1956.

The Hungarian revolution 1956

Everywhere you turn it is photogenic

A bus boat for tourists

One of Budapests most moving memorials . Most of the murders along the edge of the River Danube took place around December 1944 and January 1945, when the members of the Arrow Cross Party police ("Nyilas") took as many as 20,000 Jews from the newly established Budapest ghetto and executed them along the river bank.

Our River boat the Concerto moored on the Danube in Budapest.

Since this was the first of May locals taking advantage of the sun and good weather along the Danube.

As you can see the Danube is a very wide river in Budapest.

The Concerto our river boat to the right

Now on the Buda side after walking across the Chair Bridge taking a funicular to the top of the hill.

Half way up the tram

St. Stevens Basilica in the distance on the Pest side.

View from the top spectacular

Yours truly with Budapest in the background.

Fabulous view from the to of Buda mountain at the top of the Funicular.

View of the Parliament house. It is almost impossible to take a photo of the entire structure.

Daytime view from the front of the castle so well lighted at night time.

Following sequence of photos is the changing of the guard at the top of Buda Mountain.

Entrance to the Castle

Looking up the Danube

The last night on board the Concerto with the staff circling the dining room with Baked Alaska with sparklers lighting up the dining room.

Center of the photo is the Head Chef on the Concerto.

On this last night after dinner saying goodbye to all the new friends made with guests and staff we sailed away from the morning up and down the river in Budapest.

Finally a photo shot of the Hungarian Parliament at night all lighted up by the river.

This has been a fantastic trip.. The Balkans, South Eastern Europe, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Hungary, including a stop at the Black Sea, provided us so many new learning experiences, new friendships made and memories for a life time.

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© 2025 Jim Schroder