Friends! May 2016, my first visit to Budapest. Best in my Budapest was a Segway Tour around the city. 10 points! I was 8 years and 4 months.
Segway Tour around Budapest
BRIDGES, CASTLES, CAFEs, GIPSY ORCHESTRA DINNER
- We stayed at Kempinski Hotel Corvinus for 3 days
- A brief training by SegwayGuys at Elizabeth Square
- Segway X2 is easy to use, complete fun
INFO
My Segway Tour started from here, Elizabeth Square aka Erzsebet Square. Follow the leader! The square is named after wife of Habsburg Emperor Franz Joseph in 1858. Danube Fountain was built onto it in 1880, as reminder of Hungary's rivers. The square has held several names:
• 1858 Elizabeth Square
• 1946 Stalin Square
• 1953 Engels Square
• 1990 back to Elizabeth Square
- Touring over two bridges and around Budapest
- Photo stop before going over the Chain Bridge from Buda to Pest
- Our Segway Tour team at Hungarian Parliament Building
- MaMa follows, speeding forward
- Segway Tour by SegwayGuys is my favourite way to see Budapest!
- Stone Lions guarding the Chain Bridge at Danube River
- We walked over Chain Bridge, open since 1849
- Behind me Buda Castle aka Budavári Palota on Buda side
- Buda Castle has been rebuilt and remodelled many times since 1265
- Buda on the left, Pest on the right
- Just tiny little bridge thing
- With MaMa. Walked 375 meters of the Chain Bridge: done
• Castle Hill Funicular and 350 meters tunnel through the hill
• Bridge and tunnel were built by English engineer Adam Clark
• Adam Clark Square, here, is Zero Point for all distances in Hungary
- We took Castle Hill Funicular, opened 1870, up to Buda Castle
- Funicular raises 51 meters and takes just 24 passengers per ride
• The Chain Bridge seen from the funicular
- Up! We go UP!
- 51 meters up, 8 persons per cabin, ticket 1200HUF
- Touring on Buda. Thinking of Hussars and history
- The Sándor Palace, official residence of the President of Hungary
- Sir-D, MiniJedi, took his position to protect
• Szabad Hazaert, freedom fighter who 1848 fought in Buda Castle
- This Jaguar fits to my pants color
- Behind me, Matthias Church, since the year 1015
INFO
Statue of the first king of Hungary, King Saint Stephen (975-1038).
• Hungary has yearly public holiday 20th August for St. Stephen
• His right hand, the Holy Dexter, is in St. Stephen's Basilica
• In 1812 Beethoven composed King Stephen Overture Op.117
- Arrived to Fishermen’s Bastion
- Social media updates at Fishermen’s Bastion but nothing urgent
- Great view from Fishermen’s Bastion
- Tourism at Fishermen’s Bastion
• Fishermen’s Bastion: seven white towers like seven Magyar tribes
• Restored main tower has a cafe, views over the city
• View from Fishermen’s Bastion over the River Danube
• Hungarian Parliament Building on the Pest side of Danube River
The Chain Bridge seen from Buda Castle hill
INFO
The Chain Bridge is near Hungarian parliament and St. Stephen's Basilica. Designed by English engineer William Clark. Construction supervised by Scottish engineer Adam Clark, who later married a Hungarian girl and lived in Hungary. Bridge was opened a year after Hungarian Revolution (1848) and became the first permanent bridge linking Buda and Pest. Center span is 202 meters, back then one of the longest. Total length 375 meters. Stone Lions are similar to bronze Lions of Trafalgar Square.
• Vienna Gate Square connects Buda Castle to the road to Vienna
• Running Angel statue by Bela Ohmann (1936)
INFO
Memorial of Abdurrahman Abdi Pasha the Albanian (1616–1686). He was an Ottoman politician and military leader of Albanian descent. Commander, the last vizier of Buda and the last governor of 145 year long Turkish occupation of Buda. After months of bombardment by the troops of the Habsburg emperor, he fell at this place on September 2, 1686.
• Outdoors gun show around Museum of Military History
• Museum of Military History has thousands of items on show
- BaBa asked what to do with the line of these?
- Hmm... what to do with all these gun barrels?
- Got it! The Buda Castle GunRun 2016!
- Sir-D leads this year's GunRun! Run! Run! Gun! Run!
- Sir-D wins The Buda Castle GunRun 2016!
• Transylvanian Hussars Memorial (1934) at Arpad Toth Promenade
• Hussars were skilled Cavalry soldiers, they fought on horseback
• Hussars were brave but also reckless, hard-drinking adventurers
- Performing my logo jump 'Hello Budapest!' at the Parliament
- Low energy after walking around Buda Castle and to the Parliament
- We are going to Matyas Pince, dinner with our friends
INFO
Matyas Pince is a cellar restaurant on Pest side. Originally built as a brewery with beer house on the ground floor. Restaurant was opened over 100 years ago in 1904. Old style Hungarian restaurant, classical Hungarian dishes: goose liver, goose leg, baked potatoes, goulash, stuffed cabbage (pork, rice), pork schnitzels, sausages. Gypsy band.
- Entrance to ground level is a 'wow'
- Chilean poet-diplomat Pablo Neruda used to dine here
- Goose liver pate for BaBa. Nine points!
- Vilmos Lakatos and his Gipsy Band, great atmosphere
- Speed with the violin
- Bassist kept good rhythm bum-bum-bum
- I got crispy goose leg with live gypsy music
- Enjoyed over two hours with gypsy folk and classical music
- After dinner my Budapest felt good
- City life is such. I got tired. Ready to sleep.
- A new day in Budapest!
INFO
Central Market Hall aka Great Market Hall was built around 1897. Some call this is a symphony in iron. Located at the Pest end of the Freedom Bridge. Steel structure, three floors, area size 10.000 square meters. Complete restoration in 1990s.
• Street level: meats, pastries, candies, spices, tokaji spirits
• Street level: Turo Rudi chocolate coated cottage cheese, caviar
• Second floor: eateries and souvenirs
• Basement: butcher shops, fish market, pickles
INFO
Café Central aka Central Kavehaz, open since 1887. Elegant, old style coffee house and restaurant. Spacious and bright. Old times meeting point of elite, artists, writers, poets, journalists. Former guests: Tito, Freud, Hitler, Lenin, Trotsky... Marble plates of former guests had been replaced by framed photos.
• ARCadia Hotel Budapest
• Rumbach Street view in historical old town of Pest
• Rumbach Street Synagogue, open since 1872
• Prime Minister Imre Nagy facing the Parliament Building
• Roman Catholic basilica named in honour of the first King of Hungary
• The Holy Dexter, the right hand
Lion Fountain is a popular meeting point, built in 1984
INFO
Vörösmarty Square in Budapest centre has a statue of poet Mihaly Vörösmarty. Square was built in 1812 and has held around ten names.
• 1830s Theatro Piatcza; Thirties Square; Jatekszin Square
• 1840s Promenade Square; German Theatre Square
• 1850s Szinhaz Square
• 1866 Old Theatre Square
• 1874 Gizella Square
• 1918 Karolyi Mihaly Square; back to Gizella Square
• 1926 Vörösmarty Square (poet Mihaly Vörösmarty)
- Vörösmarty Square dance! And we deserved coffee and ice-cream
- We sat inside and had coffee, cakes and ice-cream
INFO
In 1870 Henrik Kugler moved his Chinese and Russian tea and ice creations shop to Vörösmarty Square. His coffee, liqueurs, candies, pies and Mignons were well known. In 1882 he travelled to Paris and met Emil Gerbeaud who became his business partner. Gerbeaud Kavehaz was opened 1884. Later Emil Gerbeaud took over Kugler's shop. Gerbeaud Kavehaz aka Cafe Gerbeaud is the oldest coffee house in Budapest. Former guests: Franz Liszt and Ferenc Deák who is on 20.000 forint note.
- My logo jump 'Hello Budapest!' at Gerbeaud Kavehaz
- MaMa has visited here for coffee in 1991
- At Kempinski Hotel Corvinus with BaBa
- Massimo Dutti! Zara! Just beside my hotel!
- I will have a haircut here at QuickHair Szepsegszalon, Haris Köi 6
- Haircut 4 EUR, price/quality ratio was excellent
DANDAN's BUDAPEST
Little Princess Statue on Danube promenade is the symbol of my Budapest. My Budapest was great, will return!
• For me the best in Budapest was Segway Tour in the city
• I liked Chain Bridge, Buda Castle hill and history
• Good restaurants and cafes shops
• Seeing monuments, churches, and streets
• Of course gypsy music, paprika, salami, and haircut
• Kempinski Hotel Corvinus, 3 nights, room 846, breakfasts OK
FLIGHTS
• By Norwegian Helsinki-Budapest took 2 hours 10 mins
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