Budapest is the capitol of Hungary and Hungary's most populous city. It is a city that has been influenced by many cultures throughout history, most prevalent is the Austrian influence from the 19th century when Hungary was part of the Austrian Habsburg Empire. Budapest consists of two parts—Buda and Pest. The Danube River divides the medieval streets and Roman ruins of Buda from the 19th century boulevards of Pest. Many bridges connect the hilly Buda with the flat Pest. The most famous and first bridge ever built was the 19th century Chain Bridge. It was the first bridge to link Buda with Pest. In 1987, Budapest was added to the Unesco World Heritage list for the cultural and architectural significance of the banks of the Danube—the Buda Castle Quarter and Andrássy Avenue. You will find some great architecture in Budapest, especially the Art Nouveau style. Unfortunately, we only had two days to explore the city before I fell and broke my ankle. We arrived by train from Vienna on a Friday, a pleasant 2 ½ hour train ride. That night, we attended a concert in the St. Stephan's Basilica, the largest church in Hungary. It was a wonderful introduction to Budapest. This church was dedicated to the first King of Hungary. The next day, we took the Castle Hill funicular up to the castle. It offers a great view while riding up. The funicular links the Adam Clark Square and the Chain Bridge. The castle built on Castle Hill was meant to protect the city from the Tartars and Mongols. It was destroyed many times. Today, the Castle Hill area houses the Hungarian National Gallery and the Budapest City Museum. On Saturday, after exploring Budapest on a warm and sunny day, we had a wonderful lunch on an outside patio at Dunacorso, a restaurant that has been in existence for over one hundred years. We enjoyed the food and the ambiance with a view of the Danube. After being released from the hospital, I was well taken care of and nurtured by the Ritz Charlton of Budapest. The concierge was wonderful and so was the rest of the staff. I could not have survived this ordeal without them. The Ritz has a great spa with a swimming pool. The restaurant had a wonderful goulash soup that I had two times. It was the staff of the Ritz who saved us when I broke my ankle. I cannot thank them enough.
10 Comments
Gerlinde
11/15/2019 12:58:21 pm
It was scary Mimi, I hope I get back to normal when I get my cast off. The Ritz was over the top helpful and caring.
Reply
11/15/2019 07:25:45 pm
This was so interesting since my Dad was born in Pest. Thank you so much for sharing and I hope your ankle mends quickly. I can relate since I still have 3 plates and 6 pins in my ankle from a nasty fall/break.
Reply
Gerlinde
11/16/2019 07:52:53 am
Thank you for the comment Dorothy. I didn’t see much of Pest except for the castle. It was such a short trip. Did your ankle heel completely or do you still have problems? I hope I can resume my old life after I recover.
Reply
Christine Kiebert-Boss
11/17/2019 09:45:16 am
Sounded like a wonderful trip...until.
Reply
I'm so sorry about your accident, Gerlinde! Thankfully, your doctor at home confirmed your surgery was a good one, although it sounds like the hospital was far from it. I also hope your heal quickly, have good physical therapy, and that you will be able to resume all of your normal activities.
Reply
Gerlinde
12/2/2019 07:49:43 pm
I am doing so much better and can’t wait to start walking again.
Reply
12/15/2019 10:56:43 am
Thank goodness for the kindness of the people at the Ritz. I'm all too familiar with breaking something in Europe but your accident resulted in a fair worse break than mine. I know you are looking forward to being able to resume your normal life. Budapest is still on our bucket list...someday perhaps. Your photos definitely make me want to go there. Take care.
Reply
Gerlinde
12/15/2019 04:16:36 pm
Budapest was fun , but I loved Vienna.
Reply
12/30/2019 09:03:37 am
Wishing you a happy and above all very healthy New Year.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Categories
All
Archives
April 2020
|