What was so great about this trip to Budapest, was it was an extremely walkable city. It seemed everything was within walking distance of Warbucks pied de terre. Another day after relaxing for a day, he took me back up to Castle Hill where Fisherman's Bastion was. Also atop the same hill is Buda Castle... an historic castle and palace complex of the Hungarian Kings of the past. It was first completed in 1265, although the massive Baroque palace today occupying most of the site was built between 1749 and 1769. Today the castle now houses the Hungarian National Gallery and the Budapest Historical Museum. Buda Castle sits on the southern tip of Castle Hill and surrounded by a area which is famous for it's Medieval, Baroque and Neoclassical houses...a truly beautiful area. One afternoon was spent just milling about and walking those neighborhoods. the Hungarian National Gallery has the largest public collection to present the history of Hungarian fine art...and includes over 110,00 artworks. Exhibitions include medieval art, and wooden sculptures and paintings of the Old Hungarian Collection, a selection of 19th century art and the works of Mihaly Munkacsy.
Funny thing is, after all the stunning sights I saw, the one thing that endlessly took my breath away was the Szechenyi Lanchid, or the Chain bridge of all things. There was just something about it that drew me back several times to see. We saw it from the land and right on the Danube on a boat tour. Completed in 1849, this bridge was the first to be built across the Hungarian section of the Danube to connect Pest and Buda and is now considered to be one the city's major landmarks. Simple and majestic.
