Danube Cruise Part 2
A tour of Budapest. An
example of the old architechture.
The SzŽchenyi Medicinal
Bath, is the largest medicinal bath in Europe.
Its water is supplied by two
thermal springs, their temperature is
74 ˇC (165 ˇF) and
77 ˇC (171 ˇF), respectively.
HeroesŐ Square is one of the
major squares in Budapest,
Hungary, noted for its
iconic statue
complex featuring the Seven
Chieftains of the Magyars and other important national leaders, as
well as the Tomb of the
Unknown Soldier. On top is Archangel Gabriel.
Stephen I of
Hungary, King St. Stephen receives the crown from an emissary of the
Pope.
Ladislaus I
of Hungary, King St. Ladislaus slays the Cumanian abductor
The Museum of Fine Arts is
also on this square.
Side streets have a mix of
old and new.
Our trip took us over the
Chain Bridge to Buda. Budapest became a single
city occupying both banks of
the river Danube
with the unification
of Buda and îbuda on the west bank,
with Pest
on the east bank on 17 November 1873.
Built on a series of hills,
Buda is the site of a grand Hapsburg palace and has a detached,
imperial air of settled
wealth. In contrast, populous Pest -- as flat as a prairie -- is busy,
buzzing and bourgeois, with
an assortment of bars, cafŽs and gourmet restaurants.
Szt Gellert (Saint Gellert) Statue
on Gellert Hill is ahead.
In the early years of the
eleventh century, GellŽrt (Gerard in English), the Benedictine
Abbot of San Giorgio
Maggiore in Venice,
was on his way to Palestine on a pilgrimage
when he was detained by the
country's King Stephen, who asked the bishop to stay and tutor
his son Imre, and to help
convert the pagan Magyars to Christianity. GellŽrt agreed to take on the
challenge
and remained in the country
for many years under the protection of the king.
Easy to see the hilliness.
Nice places.
Our guide explains the area
near the Budai Varnegyed (Buda Castle District).
Roman Catholic Matthias
Church. Many tourists in the area. The current building was constructed in the
florid late Gothic style in
the second half of the 14th century and was extensively restored in the late
19th century.
It was the second largest
church of medieval Buda.
The roofs are gorgeous color
tiles.
Bronze statue of Stephen I of
Hungary mounted on a horse, erected in 1906.
Inside the church are
stained glass windows telling bible stories.
The main alter.
Walls and doors were
amazing.
Holy Trinity Statue stands
nearby.
The view across the Danube
to the Parliament building. Taken from the FishermanŐs Bastion.
A view of the hills of Buda.
Roman ruins. The ancient city of Aquincum, a
military base. Marcus Aurelius slept here.
The ruins are quite
extensive. Many historic artifacts from the city now appear in the Aquincum Museum.
The museum exhibits a
reconstruction of the hydraulic system, Roman houses and
paintings that have been
recovered on site. The ruins of a three-level aqueduct have been
discovered around the city.
Back aboard the ship. Our cabin
was cosy and had a French balcony.
We had a safety drill upon
our return.
The river awaits.
The river is not very deep.
Here a sand bar attracts boaters and fishermen.
The Basilica of Esztergom. It
is the largest building in Hungary.
Esztergom, the first
Roman village in the area,
was the first capital and birthplace of the first king, Saint Stephen.
It looks a lot like a
fortress. Part of this is Esztergom Castle.
A nice home on the river.
High enough to avoid floods. Everyone along the river grows grapes.
An interesting place.
Perhaps for loading coal onto ships.
After a tour of the
wheelhouse, which rises and falls depending on the water level and bridges we
had to go under, we had a
demo of strudel making with tasting. Followed by a presentation on Mozart
in period dress by our Program
Director, Cornelia, role playing MozartŐs sister.
At dinner we met the people
we would hang with for most of the cruise, a couple from Scotland and a
couple from Georgia who just
happen to have a place in Venice, FL like us.
Then we lounged until we got
to the first of many locks we were to go through.