Budapest

It may be hard to imagine this beautiful old city in Hungary attracts more than 20 million tourists year, as I am confident many people would have difficulty locating it on a world map.  A pity.  Comprised by the unification of two cities on the Danube River, Buda on the west bank and Pest on the east, this charming old city was once one of duo capitals of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Vienna being the other.  We were fortunate to visit both of these historic places as we traveled on our Great European Adventure in the summer of 2006.

Despite the city suffering through severe damage in WW11 and further demolished by the occupation of the Communist Republic, there are a number of sites being rebuilt and now listed by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites.  Among these is Buda Castle, which sits high on the west bank, overlooking the Pest side of the city.

 Although normally accessed by the funicular, we were on bicycles touring this area, climbing many stairs to reach the summit.  The old castle district is famous for it's medieval Baroque buildings.







The Parliament Building, which is one of the largest building in Budapest, stretches along the Danube on the Pest side, between two equally famous brides, the Chain and the Margaret.  It captures your attention from almost any angle in the city.

Chuck crossing the Danube on the Chain Bridge, from the Pest to the Buda side.  Notice the funicular on the left side of the photo.

No visit to a new city would be complete without a little shopping.  This antique store is where I purchased a Hungarian plate to add to my collection.