Exploring Buda

Budapest is really two cities in one... Buda on the west side of the river and Pest on the east.  They remained separate until the Chain Bridge was built to link them.  Our hotel is in Buda, facing the Danube, just north of the bridge.  As we started our walk, this guy passed us riding what could best be described as a unicycle scooter.  That's him in front of our hotel.



We set out to explore the castle district, a UNESCO world heritage site which dominates the Buda hills.  A funicular takes passengers from river level to the castle... we watched workers climb the steps, then sweep leaves in between passing cars. 

The views from the castle area are spectacular.  It was a bit murky, but we got some good looks at Pest. 









Our ship came in while we were eating breakfast and tied up near the Chain Bridge.  As you look at the ship, our stateroom is the farthest aft (lower set of sliding doors/windows).  We have a "French balcony" ... that's full length windows without an actual balcony.

Chain Bridge, St Stephan's Cathedral, and Viking Idun 

Climbing up the hill, we got to the castle area.  This portion of Buda has been destroyed and rebuilt at least three different times, the most recent after WWII.  Some of the damage is still visible. 

The castle is surrounded with gardens and sculptures.

The Huntsmen

Fisherman's Bastion

From the castle, we went past the presidential office and the ruins of the royal riding academy, to Mathias Church and the Fisherman's Bastion.  When the Ottoman Empire captured Hungary in the 1500s, they turned the key churches into mosques... so this has a the flavor of being both. 

Mathias Church and Fisherman's Bastion from below

As the day drew to a close, I caught a few more shots of the Parliament Building

at sunset

at night