Beautiful Budapest…Days 3 and 4

During our final two days in Budapest we explored the Great Market Hall and the Buda Castle District, took a tour of the Parliament Building, went on another Danube Cruise, and attended church on Sunday.

The weather in Budapest was good for the first three days of our trip but the last 24 hours were rainy and gray.

A Foggy Saturday Morning in Budapest
Since our room was just across the river from the Buda Castle, we usually had a clear view of the castle.  On Saturday morning however, we awoke to fog that partially hid the castle complex.

That morning, our first journey was a tram ride to the Great Market Hall….just a block away from the beautiful green Freedom Bridge.

The Great Market Hall, also known as the Central Market Hall, was built in 1897.

 The spacious, three-story hall is filled with booths where people sell produce, meats, baked goods, spices, flowers, souvenirs, and many other products.

We think this is a sign that gives the hours that the market is open.

A sign universally understood….


This is a massive and very popular shopping center….

….and one of its best features is how clean it is.

Fortunately, we arrived early, before the crowds came to shop.

Paprika is sold in abundance in Hungary.  Bundles of paprika hang from the tops of the booths.  These bundles were in so many shops….we concluded that Hungarians must cook with lots of paprika!

In the upper level of the market are places to eat and booths of souvenirs, folk art and crafts from Hungary.

I wanted to buy something from Hungary….a souvenir of some type….so I bought the ever popular Hungarian "secret box".  At least we think they're Hungarian, because we've not seen them in any other country.

It is a wood puzzle box that must be opened with a key that is hidden in the wall of the box.  Accessing the key and then the keyhole requires moving specific pieces of the walls in certain ways.  It is quite clever…and we saw these everywhere!  Lucky me…I found one I liked :)

The roof of the market tower is quite beautiful….made of ceramic roofing tiles made only in Hungary.

After the market, we took a tram back to the stop nearest our hotel and then walked the short distance to the Chain Bridge.  This time we walked all the way across the bridge in order to get to the funicular that would take us up to the Buda Castle district.

 Like all other bridges in Budapest, the Chain Bridge was destroyed in WWII....only the pillars of the bridge remained intact.

These sculpted lions guard both sides of the entrances to the bridge.

After the war the bridge was rebuilt, and the "new" bridge is an exact replica of the original.

 Crossing this bridge reminded us of walking across the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City.

As we reached the Buda side of the Chain Bridge, we came to this stone that was carved into the shape of a zero.  The reason for the zero is that all main roads of Hungary are measured from this point.…the numbers of kilometers shown on any main highway in the country are the numbers of kilometers back to this very point.

Our first destination on this side of the river was Budapest's funicular….the small but quick cable car that can take up to 12 people up the steep hill to the Buda Castle district.

I originally thought the funicular was the shape of a train car.  From a distance it looks like one….

 ….but a closer view shows that there are 3 different levels of compartments in the funicular.

It took about a minute and a half to go up to the top.

I was glad we could go up quickly…. more time to explore.

The Buda Castle District
We had been in the castle district the previous day, when the bus tour took us to Matthias Church and Fisherman's Bastion.  But we knew there wouldn't be time to see the castle that day, so we planned to return and see the castle this next day.

This bird is at the top of funicular….and we could even see it from our hotel window.  It is a sculpture of a Turul Bird….a mystical bird believed to be a part of the story of how the Magyars settled in Hungary.  The Magyars are an ethnic group that became the Hungarians.

We explored in front and behind the Buda Castle.  As we arrived, a small marching band of teenagers were performing….

….while adults dressed as royal guards waited on horses nearby.

We stopped to listen and watch for a bit.

Their music was quite good…though we were not sure why they were performing.

The Statue of the Horseherd trying to tame a wild horse originally stood in front of the riding school….
…. and now stands in front of the Castle.

The Buda Castle is now home to museums and a library.

Mark was ready for a Hungarian snack…hot chocolate and a muffin….Hungarian because we were in Hungary….not because it was unique to the country.

I continued exploring not too far away, and found the Matthias Fountain….

….with a sculpture that depicts a hunting expedition.

Behind the castle is an area that has been excavated.

We wondered how old this part of the castle was….and did any of it survive WWII?  (Wikipedia gives the answer….look up "Buda Castle")

I liked the long row of Hungarian flags….with booths of souvenirs and food behind.

The Presidential Palace…

….with guards at the doorway.

On the back side of the Castle District we found a quiet walkway….

….not crowded with tourists….

….that was so picturesque with beautiful fall leaves.

 We were looking for the one of the oldest cafes/sweet shops in Hungary, and we found it in the Castle District….Ruszwurm!

 This little dessert or pastry shop has been open since 1827, and has been very popular for almost 200 years.

It is a very small shop, no bigger than a living room in the U.S….so it is usually difficult to get a table.  But since we came in the off-season we were able to find a place to sit and eat.

I ordered a traditional Hungarian Kreme cake….

 ….a creamy vanilla custard between two layers of thin pastry dough…delicious!

Mark had bites of my cake…but he enjoyed his raspberry cake as well.

 While reading about this shop's popularity, we learned that the Austrian Empress and Queen of Hungary Sisi would send couriers to Ruszwurm to get breakfast cakes in the 19th century.

We enjoyed the sights around the Buda Castle area.

A young boy playing his accordian quite well….I wish I could have captured his smile when we dropped a few coins in his little yellow cup.

We returned to the Fisherman's Bastion one more time…walked up the staircases and saw beautiful views once again

Lovely Budapest….

Though a foggy morning, the sun was starting to break through….we took so many pictures of this beautiful scene.

It was a great morning and afternoon on the Buda side of the city….

….Budapest is "buda-ful" and I would love to return again!